May 28, 2007

Powerboat P1 - Italian Grand Prix of the Sea, Fountain King of Shaves and Racing Project Roscioli Hotels dominate

Weekend of Domination in both Evolution and Supersport in the 2Nd Grand Prix, held in Naples Italy of the Powerboat P1 World Championship involving Race 3 and 4 of the 2007 Season. Briton's James Sheppard and Craig Wilson showed a super pace for other's to follow in the prototype Evolution Class with a double win in Italy on the USA built Fountain powerboat King of Shaves. Meanwhile Italians Angelo Tedeschi and Fabio Magnani of Italian Team Racing Project Roscioli Hotels Roma with the Malta built 41 feet Chaudron followed the script in Supersport and secured more important points for the championship, after a good 2Nd place in Malta.
The Fountain King of Shaves winner of both races in Italy.
Also a double in Supersport for Racing Project Roscioli Hotels.
RACE 1
19 boats started the race providing a dramatic spectacle for the large crowds. King of Shaves, the Fountain-built boat of Briton's James Sheppard and Craig Wilson made a dream start to its life in Powerboat P1 with a debut win in the Evolution class of the Italian Grand Prix of the Sea. Taking the lead on the second lap from the Italian OSG boat of Giancarlo Cangiano and Giovanni Carpitella, the experienced pairing skimmed across the surface of the Bay of Naples, leaving the Italian boats Fainplast and OSG battling for the runners-up places with Austrian Wettpunkt and Lucas Oil - Outerlimits. By the halfway stage King of Shaves had built a commanding lead of over half a minute but that comfort zone was not to last as Wettpunkt.com of Hannes Bohinc, Miles Jennings and Ed Williams- Hawkes, found its rhythm after a relatively slow start. At the chequered flag the lead had been whittled down to less than ten seconds. The race was full of drama with overtaking, retirements - including the third placed Metamarine craft of Fainplast- and a flip! This happened on lap five as OSG, battling for position with Wettpunkt, 'hooked' 360 degrees before flipping onto its side. It was a heart-stopping moment followed by a huge act of sportsmanship as both Wettpunkt and the American Lucas Oil - Outerlimits team stopped to monitor the situation and respond to any emergency that might unfold. Thankfully, both pilots emerged unscathed and both Wettpunkt and Outerlimits were able to continue racing - Wettpunkt finishing second and Outerlimits third. In SuperSport, the highly competitive production class, once again proved to be intensely competitive and full of surprises. The dominant boat was Racing Project Roscoli Hotels Roma with Neapolitan Angelo Tedeschi using his local knowledge to good effect. The win has put Team Racing Project at the top of the World Championship standings. Behind them pre-event favourites ExtremeBoat suffered engine sensor problems and the FPT-powered Sunseeker had steering difficulties. It was a fast, tough race that took its toll on many of the boats although accomplished performances from Buzzi Bullet, Chaudron and the Hustler of Team VoomVoom saw them amass valuable championship points, finishing in second, third and fourth place respectively.
RACE 2
The domination of the Italian Grand Prix of the Sea continued outright with the winners in race 3 confirming there result. Still a hard fought contest challenge was always behind the Fountain King of Shaves from Wettpunkt.com and the-American Outerlimits Powerboats team. Always in contention, the Austrian Wettpunkt team, led by Hannes Bohinc, looked capable of spoiling the party but despite moving within ten seconds they did not appear to have quite enough horse power to bridge the gap. The diesel powered Kiton, led the field as the second-leg got underway, putting several boat lengths between themselves and the chasing pack. However, the early sign of pace was short-lived as the Ilmor-powered Fountain and the Isotta Fraschini's of Wettpunkt took command. As the two front-runners pulled away, holding station until the chequered flag, it was the nail-biting port-to-starboard battle between the Metamarine-built boats of Fainplast and Kiton that captivated the crowds. When, on lap three Kiton slowed, Fainplast moved into third with Outerlimits fourth. A mechanical problem later forced Fainplast to retire enabling the American's to take the final podium position. A third place was an exceptional performance from the American Lucas Oil- Outerlimits crew of Mike Fiore and Nigel Hook, who had been forced to add additional weight to the boat and then, as today's race began, suffered a drenching at the hands of Wettpunkt.com. The local favourites, OSG, made a miraculous 'last-minute' appearance after yesterday's spectacular sinking! Working throughout the night and morning to repair the boat, it eventually took the start one lap down. The courageous pair of Giancarlo Cangiano and Giovanni Carpitella provided the appreciative crowds with a true show but were unable to make their mark in a race dominated throughout the weekend by King of Shaves, Wettpunkt.com and Outerlimits. These three took first, second and third respectively in the Evolution class of the Powerboat P1 Italian Grand Prix of The Sea.
Important points for the SuperSport title for Italian team, Racing Project Roscioli Hotels Roma. Tedeschi, the teams Neapolitan owner and throttle man, now moves to the head of the championship, a strong endorsement to his pre-season decision to invest in a new boat. The 41ft Malta built Chaudron boat, powered by Mercruiser engines is clearly capable of mixing-it at the front of the field in this intensely competitive production class. In the Sunday 'Sprint', Roscioli Hotels Roma were pushed all the way by the British duo of Mike Shelton and Jackie Shelton in Extremeboat - the distance between the two boats from start to finish was never more than 5 seconds. Third place on the day went to Drew Langdon and Jan Falkowski in Buzzi Bullet, a superb result following yesterdays first-leg where the team finished second. In today's race, the fourth place battle between Casino Portamaso Chaudron and Chinese entry, Sun Lik Beer was a classic 'cat and mouse' encounter over a course distance of 52 nautical miles, with Sun Lik Beer eventually taking fourth place by just one second, having moved through the field from a start- lap position of eighth. A fourth place finish on the day for a team that has had a slow start to the season, after exceptional form in 2006, suggests that a win may not be too far way.
Chart Standings after Grand Prix of Italy

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