HULLGRAND PRIX OF THE SEA

21-22 June 2014

GD Environmental cleans up in Hull with hat-trick of victories

Carrying the name of his own South Wales-based waste management company, James Norvill drove GD Envi-ronmental Services superbly to record three wins in the second round of the P1 SuperStock UK Championship in Hull this weekend. With fellow Welsh-man Charlie Parsons-Young alongside him, Norvill erased the memory of a disappointing performance in Bour-nemouth at the start of the month to put his 2014 title challenge firmly back on track.

“The work we’ve done on the boat since the opening round has certainly paid off and it should only get better now” said Norvill. The Newport pairing,

23,000-STRONG CROWD WATCH THRILLING RACE ACTION AS P1 RACERS TAKE TO THE HUMBER

Record number of race fans bask in sunshine as the P1 SuperStock and AquaX Championships visit Hull for a fourth consecutive year

who also compete in the P1 series in the USA, will be looking to continue their winning run when they race in home waters at the P1 Welsh Grand Prix of the Sea later this month.

Beverley-born former SuperStock champion John Wilson ended the Grand Prix in second place thanks to three solid performances – finishing 2nd, 3rd and 5th – despite having vibra-tion problems with his Pertemps boat. “I’m happy with second” commented Wilson. “We were down on power all weekend, so we had to use every trick in the book and were running on the ragged edge.”

IFX Racing’s run of victories came to an end, but consistent finishes gave them third spot on the podium and driver Nick Williams was in a positive mood as he headed home to Bucking-hamshire: “It’s just a blip and we are

happy to finish in third after a difficult weekend. It’s onwards and upwards from here as we look to extend our championship lead.”

The new Typhoo crew of father-and-son Scott and Dale Williams performed well in the P1 debut to finish fourth.

After an encouraging start to the season, the Bournemouth boat of Stu-art and Sara Cureton finished seventh overall after being disqualified in the second race for failing to take the long lap at the start. Lycamobile Racing was in the thick of it all weekend. After being disqualified in the opening race for making contact with another boat, the team finished fourth and third in the next two races and driver Arran Scott from Dorset explained : “I am still

getting used to the boat and the way people race.”

Despite finishing at the bottom of the field, the local crew of Dave Taft and Gavin Feldt received huge praise for their weekend’s work in the Hull Speed Ahead boat. The aim is to achieve a podium place before the end of the season and the boys did Hull proud in front of the Humberside crowd lining the waterfront.

Yamaha riders take the AquaX honours as the Humber serves up testing conditions

300 Class championship leader Phil Pope dominated in Hull in the P1 AquaX series, winning a hat-trick of races on his Yamaha FZS SVHO as the tough conditions took their toll. “It did really rough up in that last race” said Phil “but I wasn’t holding back. I was trying hard and I don’t like losing, and I am enjoying the P1 AquaX experience

Twenty three riders contested the brutal conditions on the Humber to serve up a feast of thrilling race action with many different race leaders over the two days.

Tim Batte finished 3rd overall after leading both races before dropping back with arm pump. “I think I have led every race this year” said a bitterly disappointed Tim. “I love the rough conditions, and I know I have the speed to win.”

Spectators were treated to a spec-tacular battle between Cable and Pope in Race 3 before Cable came a cropper in the waves. “It was getting rougher and rougher and I just came off” said Cable, who had to wait for feeling to return to his hand before remounting the ski and continuing. Huddleston and Goodchild were in contention, and Goodchild picked up a 3rd and 2nd in race 3. “The ski is still not 100%, it feels down on power,” said Goodchild “but I thought I would continue and pick up the points.”

Pope kept a consistent pace throughout, preferring to choose his battles rather than sprint to the first pin. His ‘hare and the tortoise’ approach paid off to earn him his first AquaX hat-trick of class wins. Local rider Steve Robinson finished in 2nd place hav-ing enjoyed riding with the front of the pack in all three races. “It has been

Above: Podium celebrations as Steve Robinson and Phil Pope enjoy the sweet taste of champagne after a gruelling weekend of AquaX racing on the Humber.

Above: P1 Panther race boats prepare to enter the lock at Hull Marina after racing on Sunday. The fleet of one-design boats provided a great spectacle for thousands of fans whp lined the waterfront to watch the racing.

Above: Christian parsons Young and James Norvill raced their GD Environmental Services P1 Panther to victory in all three SuperStock races - the pair from Newport lie third in the overall championship standings.

EVENTRESULTS

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GD ENVIRONMENTAL

PERTEMPS

IFX RACING

TYPHOO

VISIT WALES

ALLAM MARINE

BOURNEMOUTH

ARTHUR J. GALLAGHER

LYCAMOBILE RACING

HULL SPEED AHEAD

60 PTS

45 PTS

44 PTS

37 PTS

33 PTS

33 PTS

32 PTS

31 PTS

27 PTS

26 PTS

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2.

3.

4.

5.

DAMIAN EVANS

DAVE LEE

MAT SHIPLEY

JOHN HEATH

RORY COLLINGBOURNE

60 PTS

47 PTS

46 PTS

45 PTS

39 PTS

200 CLASS - TOP 5

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

DUNCAN JOHNSTONE

ROBERT HIGGS

STEVE HOCKNEY

RICHARD ROWE

RYAN O’CONNER

54 PTS

47 PTS

34 PTS

34 PTS

28 PTS

250 CLASS - TOP 5

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3.

4.

5.

PHIL POPE

STEVE ROBINSON

TIM BATTE

RICHARD CABLE

ROBERT SIMPSON

60 PTS

45 PTS

41 PTS

41 PTS

36 PTS

300 CLASS - TOP 5

really hard work this weekend, but I finally got to grips with the new ski, and the local support has been fantastic” said a delight-ed Steve. “The new ski has finally broken ME in!”

Duncan Johnstone headed up the 250 class overall at the end of the weekend af-ter securing two second place finishes and a victory in the last race. Saturday’s class winner Richard Rowe retired with me-chanical issues after leading the first part of race 2. An elated Duncan said “Yaaaay, finally the Dude gets a win! It’s been a long time coming but I knew I had to get a win this weekend!” Robert Higgs also put in consistent performances in all three races to finish 2nd overall and Bournemouth winner Steve Hockney enjoyed a win in race 2 but retired from race 3 with me-chanical problems to end up 3rd overall.

In the 200 class Damien Evans also secured three wins from three races, de-spite still nursing his Bournemouth battle bruises. “It’s like the moment when you find the curly wurly in the glove box - I am really pleased with the weekend’s result” said Evans. Dave Lee showed he has what it takes to run at the front of the class, picking 2nd overall. “I gave it my all in race 2 and, with the races so close together, it was all I could do to hang on in the final race” said Lee. Shipley had to settle for third overall after a big moment in race 2 and going for a swim in race 3. “It has been damage limitation this weekend” said a smiling Shipley. “ “The Humber is always so unpredictable as you get side-swiped by the waves, but I will have to see if I can claw back some points next round!”

Coverage of the Hull Grand Prix of the Sea will be broadcast on Sky Sports on 16 July at 8.00pm with repeats later that night and throughout the following day.

The P1 Welsh Grand Prix of the Sea will take place in Cardiff Bay on the weekend of 27/27 July.

OVERALL STANDINGS

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IFX RACING

PERTEMPS

GD ENVIRONMENTAL

TYPHOO

BOURNEMOUTH

VISIT WALES

ARTHUR J. GALLAGHER

LYCAMOBILE RACING

ALLAM MARINE

HULL SPEED AHEAD

104 PTS

94 PTS

89 PTS

79 PTS

77 PTS

69 PTS

67 PTS

66 PTS

60 PTS

53 PTS

DAMIAN EVANS

MAT SHIPLEY

JOHN HEATH

DAVE LEE

RORY COLLINGBOURNE

114 PTS

103 PTS

90 PTS

86 PTS

81 PTS

200 CLASS - TOP 5

DUNCAN JOHNSTONE

ROBERT HIGGS

STEVE HOCKNEY

RICHARD ROWE

NEIL GRENNELL

106 PTS

93 PTS

88 PTS

51 PTS

42 PTS

250 CLASS - TOP 5

PHIL POPE

TIM BATTE

RICHARD CABLE

STEVE ROBINSON

JIM GOODCHILD

114 PTS

88 PTS

85 PTS

80 PTS

75 PTS

300 CLASS - TOP 5

Above: Freestyle jetski star Jack Moule thrilled the crowds in Hull with his performance. In 2008, Jack became the British National Freestyle Champion in both the amateur and professional classes, just 18 months after he was considered old enough to ride his own jetski.

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SPONSORS PLAY THEIR PARTAmong those enjoying the racing were a number of P1 sponsors and partners. Omar Khan, global head of sponsorship and events at Lycamobile, travelled from London to support Lycamobile Racing as the team looks to make a mark in its first season of P1 competition in the UK and USA.

“Sponsoring a SuperStock race boat is a great business deal for us” explained Omar in a TV interview before the opening race. “We have a very strong partnership with P1 that includes sponsorship of the new AquaX World Rankings. Our two com-panies are similar in many ways, with great energy, ambition and entrepreneurial spirit, and we are enjoying working together to activate this exciting partnership. I will be heading down the M4 next month to cheer on our boat in Cardiff in the P1 Welsh Grand Prix of the Sea.”

HULL BUSINESSES TAKETO THE WATERThe economy of Hull was built on trading and seafaring, with monks having built a quay at the junction of the rivers Hull and Humber as long ago as the late 12th century, and that affinity between business and the water continues today in the shape of the city’s Hull Speed Ahead race boat. An imaginative buy-a-boat campaign, fuelled by social media and championed by Hull Bondholders, resulted in businesses in the East Humberside area combining last year to fund an entry in the P1 SuperStock UK Championship and the boat sponsorship is continuing this season.

The initiative has generated considerable publicity and networking opportunities for the city and its businesses, including television coverage on Sky Sports across the race series, and a recent schools competition to name the boat was opened up to the wider region. Esther Damary-Thompson from Hull Speed Ahead said: “We’ve had a great response from the local business community and it feels good to know that so many people outside Hull are equally passionate about the powerboat. The competition to name the boat was won by a school from North East Lincolnshire and we think the name ‘Hul-labaloo’ fitted perfectly. The Hull Speed Ahead crew of Dave Taft and Gavin Feldt visited the winning school and presented VIP tickets for the Hull Grand Prix weekend.

Peter Aarosin, Chair of the The Bondholders Scheme, an almost 200-strong network of businesses who work to-gether to bolster the region’s positioning on the national and international stage, commented: “It’s excellent news that a Hull boat is competing again this year in the P1 se-ries. Taking part is great for the local economy as it brings thousands of people into Hull for a wonderful festival of racing. It’s an excellent way to promote Hull across the UK and beyond.”

WHAT MAKES RACING IN HULL SPECIAL?P1 chief operating officer, Robert Wicks, knows the answer. He explains that P1 took the decision to race in Hull more than four years ago because the city already had a great reputation for staging quality marine sport events and there was a very good fit to extend this into powerboat racing. Furthermore, P1 events had historically been based along the south coast of England so it was a welcome opportunity to take the sport to a different part of the country.

“Right from the word go P1 was made to feel very welcome on Humberside and the city has the right mix of infrastructure and services needed for staging a P1 race event” explains Wicks. “Today the Hull Grand Prix of the Sea has become a regular fixture on the P1 calendar and the SuperStock and Aquax series have developed a strong following in the area.”

Over the past four years the large crowds have made it a special venue for the competitors and very reward-ing for P1 as a promoter to see the growing interest and enthusiasm. “The race location in Hull offers some of the best viewing for fans and, with the backdrop of The Deep and the Humber Bridge together with great on-shore facilities, an easily accessible top class marina

and outstanding local sup-port, it’s a venue that we all enjoy visiting each year” adds Wicks. “The strong current in the Humber Estuary always brings an extra challenge to the racing and, of course, the success achieved in Hull is very much linked to the city having its own branded boat in the race series.”

2014 P1 INTERNATIONAL RACE CALENDARDaytona, Florida – 26/27 AprilStuart, Florida – 17/18 MayBournemouth, Dorset – 31 May/1 JuneJacksonville, Florida – 7/8 June Hull, Yorkshire – 21/22 JuneTampa, Florida – 12/13 JulyCardiff, Wales – 26/27 JulyTorquay, Devon – 9/10 AugustCocoa Beach, Florida – 23/24 AugustGosport, Hampshire – 6/7 September St Cloud, Florida – 20/21 September

© 2014 Powerboat P1 Management LtdQueen Anne Mansions, 86/87 Wimpole Street, London W1G 9RL, United Kingdom Powerboat Racing

CATCH ALL THE P1 ACTIONBournemouth: Round 125 June at 8.00pm on Sky Sports 4 plus repeats later that night and the following morning

Hull: Round 216 July at 8.00pm on Sky Sports 4 plus repeats later that night and throughout the following day

“I’m delighted that P1 has returned to the Humber and once again it proved hugely popular. The event was a real spectacle for those enjoying the racing and soaking up the atmosphere. It is also great to see the city represented with our local boat, Hull Speed Ahead, and to see the support of people lining the waterfront.”

Councillor Nadine FudgeThe Right Worshipful the Lord Mayor of Kingston upon Hull and Admiral of the Humber

FUN FOR COMPETITION WINNERS Competition winners from Sky Sports, Hull Daily Mail and local radio station KCFM took to the Humber on Friday morning of the event weekend to enjoy a full speed ride with the local team Hull Speed Ahead piloted by Dave Taft. The winners Gary Cooper, Peter Andrews and Helen Simpson - all from the local area - enjoyed a blast down to the Humber Bridge to experience the thrill of a P1 Panther.

There was huge local interest in the ‘Hull Speed Ahead’ team: the crew were inter-viewed on local radio and were in the local media spotlight all week. Hull Speed Ahead navigator Gavin Feldt told us: “We were feeling the pressure this weekend, as all eyes were on our boat. We have shown we have got what it takes to compete - all we have to do is nail our starts.”