Record-breaking powerboat series gears up for first ever Scottish GP Honda Formula 4-Stroke Grand Prix of Scotland, Largs (June 29 & 30 2002)
The record-breaking Honda Formula 4-Stroke championship will contest rounds five and six of its fiercely competitive one-design series at the first ever Scottish Powerboat GP (June 29 & 30 2002). The spectacular fleet, the largest of its kind in the world, will battle out the midway rounds of the season against the attractive backdrop of Largs, Ayrshire.
In both race classes – the twenty-strong 130hp (50mph) series and the new, more powerful 225hp (75mph) championship – Scottish teams are snapping at the heels of the championship leaders making their home grand prix absolutely crucial to the points standings.
In second place in the 130hp championship by a mere one point is H-4 ‘Rocela’ driven by Iain McLean of Falkland, Fife alongside co-pilot Peter Moore of Poole, Dorset.
“Largs is my home event and I won’t be happy with anything less than a good Scottish victory,” comments McLean. “We’ve won two out of four races so far this season but we’re still almost neck and neck with H-1 ‘King of Shaves’. If we want to win this series outright then we need to make some headway in the Scottish races.”
“A couple more wins would also almost guarantee us the Four Nations Cup which is presented to the highest scoring 130hp or 225hp team after the first four events of the season,” continues McLean, “so we’ve got all to race for in Scotland.”
Lying in second in the 225hp championship is the striking ‘Morse-Minardi’ driven by Greenock’s Stephen Baird and navigated by his wife Tanya.
“We seem to have mastered the art of finishing second,” laughs Baird, “but we intend to go one better in Largs. We’re hoping for rough seas as we seem to post better results when it’s not flat calm. And a good home crowd to cheer us on wouldn’t go amiss!”
“Honda has a great following in Scotland,” comments Martin Sanders, General Manager, Power Equipment, Honda (UK), “and we are very proud of our associations with Scottish sport, especially our support of Scottish football teams. It was a natural choice for us to race powerboats here and we are looking forward to some unmissable races.”
Saturday 29 June 2002
HFFS 130hp championship, round five: 1130 HFFS 225hp championship, round five: 1230
Sunday 30 June 2002
HFFS 130hp championship, round six: 1200 HFFS 225hp championship, round six: 1330
