Honda Formula 4-Stroke returns to Cowes for the seventh and eighth rounds.
The Honda Formula 4-Stroke series returns to Cowes for the seventh and eighth rounds of the 2007 championship this coming bank holiday weekend.
It will form part of the Cowes Powerboat Festival which is set to provide a feast of spectacular racing Honda Formula 4-Stroke no doubt attract huge attention as the largest fleet in the festival.
The series first visited Cowes in 1999. After a seven year absence it made a welcome return to the Isle of Wight in 2006. Now in its ninth year, its popularity is expanding year-on-year with nearly 40 teams in the line-up attracting an ever-increasing number of spectators.
After some spectacular action packed racing in Lowestoft last month, this penultimate round of the series is sure to produce a few surprises as competitors battle it out on the Solent’s variable sea conditions. The Solent has often been compared to a washing machine as currents bounce off the island and mainland, creating unpredictable swells that test boats and crews to the max.
Cowes will also host the return for two Honda Formula 4-Stroke special guests, Chris Bartlett and Mike Urquhart, who are flying halfway around-the-world to compete in the 150hp class. The pair, who won New Zealand’s Formula Honda Offshore Powerboat Championship, have been crowned this year’s Kiwi champions for a second consecutive time resulting once again in the opportunity to race in the UK as part of their prize.
This year sees a number of local Hampshire based teams competing. This includes 150hp team Team Purple, and new all girl team Delmar Group in the 225hp category, not forgetting 2005 winners Shelley Jory and Libby Keir in Team Raymarine.
“We can’t wait to get back on the water this weekend,” commented team driver
Shelley Jory. “Cowes is so close to home and has always been a favourite of ours.
We always get a great reaction from the crowd and we’re looking forward to doing them proud.”
“We are delighted to be back in Cowes for the third time,” said Martin Sanders, General Manager of Honda (UK) Power Equipment. “It’s fantastic to be competing on an island that is so widely regarded for its maritime sporting heritage.”
