Class 1 rivalries set to ratchet up a gear in 39th P1 Offshore Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix
by Powerboat P1 17 Jun 2023 08:47 PDT
30 June - 2 July 2023
The Class 1 race start in Cocoa Beach last month © Pete Boden
The intensity and team rivalry is all set to go up another gear when the UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship, the premier class in offshore racing, resumes its 2023 campaign with the second round at the 39th annual P1 Offshore Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix on the weekend of 30 June-2 July.
Seven boats will line up for Sunday's 10-lap race to take on the six-mile, 10-pin circuit that runs along Lido Key Beach on Florida's Gulf Coast.
Following the dramatic last gasp victory for Huski Ice Spritz in the closing stages at the season-opener, defending world champions Steve Curtis and Brit Lilly know they will face a fierce onslaught from rivals as they look to extend their lead in the points standings. "It's hard to know exactly where we are in terms of performance compared to the others because several boats had issues in the first race. We know 222 is fast. We are yet to see what the Monster Energy/M CON Skater can do and XINSURANCE/Good Boy Vodka will be back with their new boat. For sure we expect both will be quick, and we are going to be hunted down." Curtis said. "We know where we are in terms of rough water set up and will be testing different options to be ready for flat conditions. It's just about calling it right on the day. Conditions in Sarasota can go either way. But I don't think it will be extreme whatever we get."
Leading the pack of teams looking to unseat Curtis - who won with Travis Pastrana beside him on the wheel in Sarasota in 2022 - and Lilly are Daryl Nicholson and Giovanni Carpitella. The 222 Offshore pair dominated last time out taking pole and showed great race pace, leading comfortably for all but the last half-mile when an engine let go and coming home in second spot. "We've been so unlucky in Cocoa Beach watching three wins disappear from a leading position, but we move on." Nicholson commented. "It's a tricky situation. We know what went wrong with the engine but not why. Mercury is looking into it, and we should get the engine back well ahead of the race and hopefully will be able to get out and test."
Nicholson is also hoping for rough conditions and echoed the words of crew chief Peter 'Muddy' McGrath who says racing is not about 'how fast you can go, it's about how quickly you can go fast'. "Ideally, I would prefer it to be rough because it adds another dimension and I think we can match any boat in those conditions. In the flat you need to be millimetre perfect. But the course in Sarasota is a little shorter with just one two-mile plus leg so I don't think top end speed, whatever that might be, is what we will need to focus on. It's more about getting to the max needed quickly and owning the turns. So once again a good qualifying is key."
John Tomlinson will be looking to build on a solid third place last time out and with Carlos de Quesada fulfilling longstanding 4-wheel racing commitments, the two-time UIM Class 1 world champion is joined in the cockpit of Pothole Heroes by Travis Pastrana, who won the title last year with Curtis. "We are only one race in but there are always little things you learn as you spend time in the boat that help you get more and more familiar with what you're doing and how changes effect the boat. I am looking forward to racing with Travis against his teammates. Our aim is to go for the win," said Tomlinson.
Monster Energy/M CON Racing will be hoping to unleash and realise the potential of its new Skater which remains somewhat of an unknown quantity after Tyler Miller and Myrick Coil's Class 1 debut was curtailed early with technical issues on lap 2 in the season-opener.
dfYOUNG is another outfit looking for their first finish and points of the season, with owner-throttleman Rich Wyatt hugely optimistic of the boat's potential. "We know how much untapped potential there is with the boat. It will take some time to realise it, but the boat will become extremely competitive as we move through the season. We are essentially starting from scratch with set-up, engines, etc, so there is a learning curve. We have many planned changes; it is a matter of how quickly we can do them and deciding the sequence, given the amount of time in between each race."
Whilst there is a degree of uncertainty surrounding Team Defalco being in the starting line-up because of technical issues encountered after finishing fourth in the opening race on Florida's Space Coast, there is a mounting anticipation with the return to the championship of Alex Pratt and Miles Jennings in XINSURANCE/Good Boy Vodka's new boat. "The boat is out of the paint shop and being rigged ahead of a planned three-day test prior to the race, which is when the all-important set-up will take place," explained Jennings. "It is a championship winning hull and we know its pedigree. The tunnel is wider and slightly deeper than our last boat so we will certainly catch some air. We will be running a different rudder configuration and we expect it to be quick."
Teams will get their first opportunity to get out and test the waters in Saturday morning's practice session which is followed by a one-hour Official Qualifying session at 14.00hrs [local time], with the UIM Class 1 Sarasota Grand Prix starting at 13.00hrs [local time] on Sunday.
Saturday's Qualifying and Sunday's Grand Prix will be streamed live on the UIM Class 1 championship website: class1world.com