Shelley Jory to drive Gee in Cowes-Torquay-Cowes classic
British powerboat champion, Shelley Jory, will be taking the helm and joining navigator John Guille and owner Chris Clayton in the forthcoming Cowes-Torquay-Cowes classic aboard Gee, the stunning 40ft (12.1m) cabin racer designed by Jim Wynne and built by Souter of Cowes in 1967.
This will be a big change of scene and pace for Shelley who is currently competing in the Powerboat P1 series. Until now she has been driving Team Lucas Oil, a recent American built Skater powerboat boasting over 1422hp and speeds around 120mph. By contrast the classic Cowes-Torquay-Cowes will allow her to immerse herself in the history of the sport in this, the most famous of all offshore power boat races.
Her chosen drive is Gee whose pedigree is a good one. It started well in 1968, beating Sir Max Aitken’s Gypsy Girl and in ’69 was first in class. The boat had since been lovingly restored through the ’80s and ’90s before being acquired in 2001 by Clayton. She now sports twin Cummins QSB 480bhp diesels but still carries 185, her original racing number, and the union flag on her pristine white livery.
The 2008 Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race has a distance of 180 nautical miles and will muster off the Royal Yacht Squadron at 0945 on Saturday 23 August.
