Real Offshore Powerboat Racing?

It is with sadness that I say, that so far there is no news for a 2012 racing calendar of Powerboat Endurance Class, previously known as Offshore Grand Prix in 2011, Powerboat P1 from 2003 till 2009, and Class 1 in the eighties and before that. Since the class has been left over by the P1 promotion their seems to be no solid ground founded.  Pity, as I think the developments that happen in this class being it the production open canopy and 90 mph speed limited Super Sport, or the closed cockpit no speed limit prototype Evolution, are very close to what can be applied to real boats being they cruisers or more faster versions.

The Endurance Powerboat series is an evolution of the Offshore Class 1 series from the eighties, and or before that.  When mono hulls where at use, and many designers and boat producers built a name from this class.  You can start when offshore boat became a boom high society sport in the sixties with such figures as Bertram, and Don Aronow from the US or Gagliotta and Levi from Italy competing to build the faster and most seaworthy boat.  Then in the eighties we had the new school of Fabio Buzzi and his SeaTek diesel power, and such designers as Don Shead and the Cuv 38 feet series which is still at today considered a winning boat.  Note all these names made a trademark after this in designing pleasure cruising boats as well. 

We will see what the future will bring, the economy is not good all over the place but I still expected UIM to pull of a calendar similar to what they did in 2010.  Which without the spectacle the promoters bring, was a good success on the sport and racing scale, and much appreciated by all the teams and passion people involved.