EVENT REPORTDale Power Solutions P1 Grand Prix of the SeaScarborough 29 - 31 May 2015

Scarborough serves up weekend of sunshine, showers and surprises as the P1 season gets

underway at Scarborough’s South Bay

Right royal powerboat battle at the ‘Queen of the Yorkshire Coast’

Heavy rain greeted the P1 fleet of eleven powerboats and almost forty jet ski riders on the eve of the Dale Power Solutions P1 Grand Prix of the Sea.

But the ‘Queen of the Yorkshire Coast’, as the town is affectionately hailed, was soon to be enjoying early summer sunshine on the opening day of the P1 race season.

This was P1’s first visit to North Yorkshire and the event was supported by a number of local partners, including title sponsor Dale Power Solutions, a local company employing more than 260 people that is the UK’s largest provider of secure power service and maintenance.

Its chief executive, Tim Wilkins explained: “As part of our 80th anniversary celebrations and one of Scarborough’s oldest and most prestigious companies, we are delighted to be the title sponsor of the P1 Grand Prix. Attracting visitors to the event weekend will boost support for local businesses and tourism.”

As crowds gathered at the picturesque, sweeping bay, P1 chief operating officer, Robert Wicks told an ITV camera crew: “Our aim is to deliver a memorable weekend of outstanding sporting entertainment for all the family and for the Grand Prix of the Sea to become an annual event in this famous resort.”

Here’s a look back at what happened on the water:

Williams and Robinson get off to a flying start

It took a ‘fastest lap decider’ for the Flying Panther crew of Nick Williams and Martin Robinson to snatch victory in the opening round of this season’s P1 SuperStock UK Championship after they finished the four race weekend level on points with Allam Marine.

Arran Scott put the disappointments of last season behind him as he estab-lished an impressive new partnership with navigator Gavin Feldt. Williams and Robinson showed the form that took them to the runner up spot last season and the Buckinghamshire duo look capable of going one better this year.

Mechanical failures meant that it was a hugely disappointing weekend for reigning SuperStock champions James Norvill and Charlie Parsons-Young in their GD Environmental boat, and they will be hoping for better luck in Jacksonville next weekend when they begin the defence of their USA title.

The husband and wife crew of David Toozs-Hobson were delighted with their third place finish as they opened their 2015 campaign in the Pickfords Racing boat.

The teams now have five weeks to prepare for the next round of the championship when the battle for the P1 SuperStock crown will resume in Gosport.

EVENTRESULTS

FLYING PANTHER

ALLAM MARINE

PICKFORDS

PERTEMPS

VISIT WALES

LYCAMOBILE RACING

ARTHUR J. GALLAGHER

TYPHOO

NEW WAVE RACING

QUANTUM RACING

GD ENVIRONMENTAL

74 PTS

74 PTS

59 PTS

51 PTS

49 PTS

39 PTS

39 PTS

38 PTS

32 PTS

10 PTS

9 PTS

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

THE ALLAM MARINE AND FLYING PANTHER TEAMS FINISHED ON EQUAL POINTS AT THE END OF THE WEEKEND AND OFFICIALS HAD TO GO TO

A COUNTBACK FOR THE FASTEST LAP TO ESTABLISH THE OVERALL WEEKEND WINNERS

Below: Reigning 300hp champion Phil Pope, riding a Yamaha FZS SVHO ski, continued his winning ways with a clean sweep of all three heats in Scarborough to take a clear lead in the championship standings ahead of Kawasaki riders Russell Marmon and Tim Batte

Fast and furious at South Bay

The unusually calm conditions of the North Sea saw a fleet of almost forty P1 AquaX racers serve up a weekend of fast and furious action as they opened their throttles for the first time this season in a bid to win one of the most coveted titles in watercraft racing.

Reigning 300hp class champion Phil Pope made it a hat-trick of wins in the opening round of the 2015 AquaX championships by holding off a strong challenge from former 300 champion Russell Marmon. “I knew that with Russell in the race it wasn’t going to be easy, but I just kept focused and brought it home” explained Pope after the final race. Tim Batte claimed third spot on the podium thanks to his result in the final race, after sharing third overall with Joe Harvey and Khris Leach going into round two.

The 250hp class was dominated by Adrian Wilson from Hull whose Sea-Doo 215 led all three races from start to finish. Richard Rowe’s Kawasaki 250 gave chase, but succumbed to mechanical gremlins allowing reigning champion Duncan Johnstone the opportunity to grab second overall on his Yamaha FZR. 200hp champion Damien Evans, who has upgraded his Yamaha FX HO to the supercharged

DAVE LEE

LEWIS ROYALE

NIGEL CHAPPLE

60 PTS

51 PTS

45 PTS

200 CLASS

ADRIAN WILSON

DUNCAN JOHNSTONE

DAMIEN EVANS

60 PTS

45 PTS

45 PTS

250 CLASS

PHIL POPE

RUSSELL MARMON

TIM BATTE

60 PTS

48 PTS

43 PTS

300 CLASS

version for this year, took third place, with Rob Higgs and Richard Rowe close behind.

Rookie champion Dave Lee dominated the 200 class ahead of newcomers Lewis Royal and Nigel Chapple, with Lewis taking top spot in the Rookie class.

The Ski classes attracted a huge, new entry of young talent. First to stand out was Cameron Green who took the first race by storm, stretching out his lead to take the win ahead of 15 - year old Aaron Cantwell and reigning champion Lewis Goodchild. Cantwell took the second and third race wins, leaving it down to the fourth and final race to decide the winner.

When the spray settled it was last year’s runner-up Rob Long who took the lead and the victory. “Did I just win that?” exclaimed a delighted Long. “I can’t believe it - it was a lot rougher out there for the final race and I just kept my head down and thought I was in second.” Cantwell took the eventual win with Green in second and Goodchild third.

In the Amateur division, 14-year old Harry Robinson from Hull took his first overall victory, ahead of Nick Brockbanks and Tom Dark.

1

2

3

1

2

3

1

2

3

HARRY ROBINSON

NICK BROCKBANKS

TOM DARK

68 PTS

67 PTS

66 PTS

SKI AMATEUR 1

2

3

AARON CANTWELL

CAMERON GREEN

LEWIS GOODCHILD

70 PTS

68 PTS

60 PTS

SKI ELITE 1

2

3

Above: CEO of event title sponsor Dale Power Solutions, Tim Wilkins (centre), presents event winners Martin Robinson (left) and Nick Williams (right) with a ‘London Beers Presentation Pack’ on behalf of Powerboat P1’s official brewing partner, Meantime.

SuperStock Team Form Guide

Despite their extensive pre-season preparation, the pairing of Donnelley and Hunt found the opening event tough

Frustrating technical issues on day one did not cloud a solid Sunday performance from Stuart and Sara Cureton

Flat conditions didnt suit John Wilson and Daisy Coleman but solid finishes see them in fouth overall after Scarborough

This was Mark Moore’s first outing in the driver’s seat and we can expect more from the Midlands duo at the next round

A weekend to forget for the 2014 champions but we can certainly expect them to bounce back in Gosport

Technical issues hampered Burdock and Fennell on their debut but we can expect much more from these rookies

Last year’s runners up proved their mettle in a new boat to take the overall weekend win in a close-fought battle

A great opening event and podium finish from the husband and wife pairing of David and Kirsty Toozs-Hobson

Technical gremlins got the better of this new pairing but Dave Taft showed last season he is capable of the podium

A solid performance from the father and daughter pairing from Hemel Hempsted - expect them to be in the mix at Gosport

With two wins this new pairing showed they will be serious contenders for the title in 2015

In the news

”“

”“The atmosphere over the weekend was fantastic. We have received

a great deal of positive feedback from key businesses and sponsors of the event and we are hoping that it becomes an annual fixture in the borough’s event calendar. The crowds on Saturday were amazing with the seafront and piers full of spectators. Our town centre footfall figures showed a significant increase with one of the two footfall cameras showing a 27% increase compared with the equivalent week last year.

Janet DeaconTourism Manager - Scarborough Borough Council

Scarborough was a new venue for P1 in 2015 and our staff, teams, racers and sponsors have been made to feel extremely welcome. The geography of South Bay offered us a natural amphitheatre for racing and afforded fans wonderful views of the event. We will soon be commencing our discussions with the various stakeholders and partners with a view to making the Scarborough Grand Prix of the Sea a fixture on the calendar. On behalf of P1 I would like to thank everyone involved with the event for making it a real success.

Robert WicksChief Operating Officer - Powerboat P1

”“

”“The Dale Power Solutions P1 Grand Prix of the Sea has been a tremendous

advertisement for Dale Power Solutions, and for our birthplace – Scarborough. Taking the Dale brand to a much broader and distinctive audience the P1 Superstock and AquaX are thrilling sports that are appealing to a rapidly growing audience worldwide. The event was a fantastic weekend for us to bring important clients from around the UK here to Scarborough and to showcase Dale Power Solutions alongside this great sporting event. I am very proud that as part of our 80th anniversary celebrations Dale have been able to help bring P1 to our local community, Scarborough and our customers for the very first time.

Tim WilkinsCEO Dale Power Solutions

We have just had a most wonderful weekend whilst helping to host the prestigious Dale Power Solutions P1 Scarborough Grand Prix of the Sea. The South Bay of Scarborough, with its historic harbour and castle headland, gave a fantastic backdrop to the event with local businesses enthused by the crowds as well as the crowds enthused by the event. A wonderful weekend, with sloping cliffs and gardens creating fantastic viewing platforms. We look forward to P1’s next visit....very soon!

Tom FoxMayor of the Borough of Scarborough

Caught on camera

Welcome to Yorkshire CEO, Gary Verity found time at the Eve

of Grand Prix reception to talk to Scarborough TV News

Mayor of Scarborough, Cllr. Tom Fox presented prizes to

the winning AquaX riders at the podium ceremony

The Dale Power Solutions crew took to the water before

racing to enjoy experience rides in Scarborough’s South Bay

P1 Chairman Asif Rangoonwala and Janet Deacon, Tourism Manager for Scarborough Borough Council give the Grand Prix the thumbs up

Dalby Offshore owner and managing director, Stuart McNiven spoke to guests at the civic reception on Friday evening

It was all smiles at the podium presentation for P1 chief operating officer, Robert Wicks and the Allam Marine crew of Arran Scott (left) and Gavin Feldt (right)

”

“

The Filey RunOn Saturday following the race events, the fleet of P1 SuperStock powerboats undertook a promotional run from Scarborough to Filey to extend the event’s reach

As a proud Filonian, I was thrilled to join the fleet of P1 race boats that made the trip after racing along the coast to Filey, where the long curved sandy beach and the natural amphitheatre made for great viewing. Who knows, perhaps next year we will see the SuperStock teams racing between the two towns.

Councillor Mike CockerillFiley WardCabinet Member for Harbours, Assets, Coast and Flood Protection

2015 P1 INTERNATIONAL RACE CALENDAR

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World and national jet ski freestyle champions Lee Stone and Jason Bleasdale made their P1 AquaX debut in Scarborough as the two jet skiers entertained the crowd on the beach across the weekend with a high-speed, high-energy freestyle routine, complete with back flips and barrel rolls.

Aged 24, Lee Stone is the current Pro Freestyle world champion and enjoying a glittering career which takes him around the world and has already earned him two Guinness world records: one for winning the most consecutive UIM World Freestyle titles and another for recording the most back flips in one attempt (an amazing 36).

Jason Bleasdale, a former British Champion stock car racer, is a relative newcomer to the sport but his meteoric rise through the ranks has already seen him win four British freestyle titles.

“We set out to serve up some show-stopping, upbeat, freestyle displays to thrill the Yorkshire crowd” said Lee.” We see the P1 events as a great platform to showcase the discipline of freestyle/freeride jet skiing, to raise awareness and to gain publicity for our sport.”

The pair performed close to The Spa on their LSP Revolver skis four times each day.

“Jet ski freestyle brings a new dimension to our events and really captivates the spectators” said Lisa Barsby, Head of P1 AquaX. “When we got the chance to work with two of the sport’s best we jumped at it”.

Flippin’ Fantastic

Daytona, Florida – 24/25/26 April (AquaX only)

London Docklands – 8 May (Exhibition event)

Scarborough, Yorkshire – 29/30/31 May

Jacksonville, Florida – 5/6/7 June

Sarasota, Florida – 3/4/5 July

Gosport, Hampshire – 10/11/12 July

St Cloud, Florida – 31 July 1/2 August

Hull, Yorkshire – 7/8/9 August

Cardiff, Wales – 29/30/31 August

Bournemouth, Dorset – 11/12/13 September

Cocoa Beach, Florida – 18/19/20 September

St Petersburg, Florida – 23/24/25 October

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