WANTED: racing crew for Inverclyde boat

Inverclyde Powerboat
Inverclyde powerboat

The search has begun in Inverclyde for a local powerboat racing crew to compete in the 2016 P1 SuperStock UK Championship, a five-venue race series that will include the first ever P1 Scottish Grand Prix of the Sea on 18-19 June co-hosted by Riverside Inverclyde and Inverclyde Council. The crew, comprising a driver and navigator, will race the Inverclyde-branded powerboat that was unveiled in Greenock last month.

The specially-branded 28ft P1 Panther race boat will fly the flag for Inverclyde at every round of the championship which gets underway in Scarborough in May before heading to the Clyde, Gosport, Cardiff and the series finale in Bournemouth in September. P1 chief operating officer Robert Wicks says: “This will be an amazing opportunity for appropriately qualified Inverclyde residents to apply to race around the UK coast next summer, including competing in front of thousands of local fans when the P1 fleet takes to the water off Greenock’s Esplanade. The minimum requirement is that applicants have completed the RYA Level 2 powerboat course and race training. The racers will be responsible for leasing the boat, paying the championship entry fee, posting a refundable security bond and covering boat maintenance.”

Inverclyde Powerboat launch
Powerboat launch

Gerry McCarthy, chair of Riverside Inverclyde, added: “Hosting the inaugural Scottish Grand Prix of the Sea in Greenock and having our very own boat compete in the UK championship next year will be really exciting, and we now hope to find a team of local racers to re

present Inverclyde. We have a rich maritime history and the P1 events will provide us with a great opportunity to showcase Inverclyde and Scotland.”

Inverclyde Council’s Environment & Regeneration Convener, Councillor Michael McCormick, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for suitably qualified people to apply to race the Inverclyde branded boat in all five P1 Grand Prix of the Sea events next year across the UK, not just in Inverclyde. It would be a marine motorsport experience of a lifetime.”

Applicants are requested to email Powerboat P1 robert.wicks@powerboatp1.com with their name, address, telephone number and evidence of completing the RYA course by 8 January. If the local search is unsuccessful, this unique opportunity will be extended to the whole of Scotland. Details of the P1 race series can be found at  www.p1superstock.co.uk