Powerboat P1 - Malta Grand Prix of the Sea. High Rough Seas cancel Round 2

Malta Powerboat P1 Round One Saturday 5th May, Start for the 2007 Season

OSG Racing Donzi winner Grand Prix of Malta 07 & Evolution Class Champion 2006

OSG Donzi, the powerboat of Italian's Giancarlo Cangiano and Giovanni Carpitella, won the opening Grand Prix of the Powerboat P1 World Championship in Malta in a race that will long be remembered for high seas and unforgiving race conditions. Normally contested over two legs, dangerous sea conditions forced the cancellation of the Sunday race and the Saturday first round results stand, with Wettpunkt.com in second and Kiton in third.

RACE 1

The Italian craft of Fainplast had crossed the line first in the Evolution Class but a protest was lodged and subsequently upheld that the Metamarine boat had missed a course buoy during the race. It resulted in disqualification.

The Italian Team of OSG helmed by Giancarlo Cangiano was awarded the opening Grand Prix of the Powerboat P1 World Championship with Wettpunkt.com in second and Kiton in third. In SuperSport, the result was much more decisive after an emphatic Round the Island performance by the British husband and wife team of Mike Shelton and Jackie Hunt, despite waves of over 5 metres high. For many of the highly experienced seafaring racers, these were the worst conditions ever experienced, making the clear-cut win in Extremeboat, powered by Mercury Engines, even more impressive. The home Malta Team and boat Chaudron Portomaso claimed 4th Place and the other new Chaudron boat of Italian team Racing Project Roscioli Hotel came in second place. A good result for the Maltese powerboat builder.

RACE 2 The Round Two day on Sunday was cancelled due to rough seas, with relief to the battered and bruised boats and bodies from the Saturday race. Malta loves its P1 and the crowds respond in their tens of thousands. However, any initial disappointment for the large crowds was short lived when the organisers, in close co-operation with the Maltese Armed Forces and Civil Protection, created a time trial event within the stunning 'Fortress of the Mediterranean' Grand Harbour, Valletta. This impromptu initiative, though not counting towards the Championship, was won by ExtremeBoat in SuperSport and in Evolution by the Outerlimits Powerboats team. The high speeds generated across the waters of the harbour by the all-American outfit will serve as a timely reminder, if one was needed, that Joe Sgro and Mike Fiore are not in Europe just to make up the numbers. The teams which competed in the time trial where awarded 10 points each as a bonus.
2007 Powerboat P1 World Championship Maltese Grand Prix of the Sea - Results
Evolution Class
Pos. - No. Boat Name, Nationality = Points
1. - 88 OSG Racing - Italian - 80
2. - 81 Wettpunkt.com - Austrian - 60
3. - 90 Kiton - Italian - 50
97 - Outerlimits - American - DNF
64 - Fainplast - Italian - DQF
SuperSport Class
Pos. - No. - Boat Name - Nationality - Points
1. - 55 Extremeboat - British - 100
2. - 44 Roscioli Hotels Roma - Italian - 80
3. - 47 Buzzi Bullet - British - 60
4. - 46 Chaudron - Maltese - 50
5. - 11 Team Sunseeker - British - 40
6. - 09 Marex - British - 30 (Wild Card)
03 - Carpenter - Italian - DNF
07 - VoomVoom.com - British - DNF
08 - Sun Lik Beer - Chinese - DNF

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