Third overall but Shepperd and Wilson move further ahead in the championship
British duo James Sheppard and Craig Wilson in the Ilmor-powered Fountain King of Shavestook the Powerboat P1 Belgian Grand Prix of the Sea, following Saturday’s victory with fifth place in Sunday’s second leg. The pair’s early pace and front-line battle with the American Lucas Oil-Outerlimits ended by lap three when the boat lost power in one engine. The drama continued as they crossed the finishing line, losing power in the second.
Lucas Oil- Outerlimits, driven by Joe Sgro and Nigel Hook completed an impressive days racing, securing victory in the second leg and third overall in the Grand Prix.
The win from German team Searex and the Italian OSG was a major boost for the team but its title ambitions are finished after, and with a commanding lead, the boat ran out of fuel just one lap from the chequered flag in the first round.
OSG, the defending champions from Naples, demonstrated why they are so highly respected on the P1 circuit. The boat was badly broken in the choppy seas on Saturday and effectively ended the team’s championship challenge but OSG, piloted by Giancarlo Cangiano and Giovanni Carpitella, will continue to fight for points. The team worked all night to patch up the damage and whilst not at peak performance they managed to bring the boat home in third to secure second place in the Grand Prix and keep their championship hopes alive.
King of Shaves now has a lead over OSG of 150 points in the fight for the world championship with only the Portuguese Grand Prix to contest.
Having failed on Saturday, the German entry of Siegried Greve and Kurt Prufert, showed the performance of their 42ft Mercury powered Fountain by taking an early lead and later re-taking it when Lucas Oil appeared to be about to forge ahead. It was a brilliant racing performance, surprising many of the championship front runners and proving that their pre-race testing on the Baltic’s choppy waters would pay dividends in Sunday’s rough conditions.
SIF, the Italian wild card entry of Vittorio Foglia Manzillo and Renato Guidi, demonstrated the competitiveness of their diesel powered wild card entry by always being in contention and finishing a creditable fourth on the day.
2007 Powerboat P1 World Championship
Belgian Grand Prix of the Sea
Provisional Results
1. – 99 – King of Shaves – British – 140pts
2. – 88 – OSG â?” Italian – 130pts
3. – 97 – Lucas Oil Outerlimits – American – 100pts
4. – 76 – Searex – German – 80pts
5. – 59 – Way to Happiness – Italian – 60pts
6. – 75 – SIF – Italian – 60 (Wild Card)
7. – 57 – Limmi â?” Belgian – 0pts
2007 Powerboat P1 World Championship
Belgian Grand Prix of the Sea – Provisional Race Two
1. – 97 – Lucas Oil Outerlimits – American – 100pts
2. – 76 – Searex – German – 80pts
3. – 75 – SIF – Italian – 60 (Wild Card)
4. – 88 – OSG â?” Italian – 50pts
5. – 99 – King of Shaves – British – 40pts
57 – Limmi â?” Belgian – DNF
59 – Way to Happiness – Italian – DNF
2007 Powerboat P1 World Championship
Championship Standings
1. – 99 – King of Shaves – British – 630pts
2. – 88 – OSG – Italian – 500pts
3. – 97 – Lucas Oil Outerlimits – American – 450pts
4. – 81 – Wettpunkt.com – Austrian – 360pts
5. – 76 – Searex – German – 190pts
6. – 90 – Kiton – Italian – 190pts
7. – 64 – Fainplast – Italian – 90pts
8. – 57 – Limmi – Belgian – 60pts
9. – 59 – Way to Happiness – Italian – 60pts
10. – 53 – Pignolo 53 – Italian – 0pts
