New Class 1 teams

[Ben Mazur]

Interesting stuff going in in Class 1. Bard Ecker, the 2005 Champion (when he paired with Steve Curtis) has teamed with Chris Parsonage to campaign Negotiator/King of Shaves which is now powered by Sterling V8s.

Tom Barry-Cotter (all of 19 years old) has teamed with Norwigean Pak Virik Neilsen and will run a boat under the Spirit of Norway flag. It's the older Spirit Tencara cat and will run Mercury Racing Class I V8s.


http://www.class-1.com/

[Cookee]

Tom Barry-Cotter (all of 19 years old) has teamed with Norwigean Pak Virik Neilsen and will run a boat under the Spirit of Norway flag.


http://www.class-1.com/


With a name like that I'm sure he's done more than most at that age, but how did he qualify for a super licence!!!!!!!!!!!!:confused:

[ciao]

$ ?

[Rupert Munro]

What are the super licence requirements? Is it not just prove you have experience, dunk test/medical and pay your money?

[ciao]

Interesting stuff going in in Class 1. Bard Ecker, the 2005 Champion (when he paired with Steve Curtis) has teamed with Chris Parsonage to campaign Negotiator/King of Shaves which is now powered by Sterling V8s.



And James Shepheard King of Shaves is now competing in P1 -any info anyone?

[ciao]

What are the super licence requirements? Is it not just prove you have experience, dunk test/medical and pay your money?

I was just wondering that, I had a licence that enabled me race Class One until 1995, what would I have to do to renew it?

[Cookee]

James crewed the Lucas boat in Key West in Nov 05 and I heard that is going to be racing P1 ......... maybe there is a connection?

[Rupert Munro]

read all about it here:

http://www.powerboatp1.com/public/read_news.asp?lid=1&id=254

[Rupert Munro]

Britain's James Sheppard, 39, who spectacularly won the UIM SuperVee Powerboat World Championship in Key West, Florida, last November, will join fellow countryman Craig Wilson, 26, in the exciting new Ilmor Viper-powered Fountain Worldwide entry in the Powerboat P1 World Championship Evolution Class, starting at the next event, the Italian Grand Prix of the Sea.



James, who hails from West Sussex, brings along his long-time sponsors, 'King of Shaves', to this new team which promises to take Powerboat P1 by storm. "This is a great opportunity for me and I am really looking forward to the challenge ahead," said Sheppard. "To have the continued support of Will King and KMI is extremely gratifying and I hope I can bring them further success both on and off the water this year."



The 'King of Shaves' brand is part of KMI, founded in 1992 by Will King, who now offer a growing range of stylish toiletries, hair and designer fragrance products for both men and women. The 'King of Shaves' brand ranks 2nd in UK market share to Gillette in pre-shave products and is widely acknowledged as one of the most successful brands in the fast moving men's grooming market place. England and Chelsea football captain John Terry is also an ambassador for the brand.



Sheppard's powerboat career started when he joined the London Motorboat Racing Club at 12 years old and started circuit racing a 9.9 HP 250 cc Yamaha-powered Dart in the NA junior class and then progressed up to the larger 15 HP NB class. The junior boat racing stopped as he got older and heavier and switched his interests to other things.



It wasn't until a visit to the London Boat Show at Earl's Court in January 2001 and a chance meeting with multi-time Class 1 World Powerboat Champion Steve Curtis that his interest in powerboat racing returned.
Attracted by the new national Honda one-make series that was being run under the control of Curtis, James purchased the championship winning boat from the previous season and, following a successful approach to 'King of Shaves' to act as their primary sponsor, he and his navigator Neil Sinclair won the 130 series by a single point taking the title and accolades at the final race!



James and Neil then went on to dominate the Honda series over the next three years, initially with the smaller 130 design and then with the more powerful and challenging 225 HP Cougar hull. Ambitious and ready to try his hand in something more powerful, James briefly raced in the 2005 European ProVee series driving with 2005 Powerboat P1 World Champion Miles Jennings in the latter's 950 HP Cougar monohull.



He raced last season in the Class 1 World Championship with Chris Parsonage, surviving a spectacular and well publicised 130 MPH accident at the British GP in Plymouth, before teaming up with Californian-based Englishman Nigel Hook to win the 2006 SuperVee World Championships in Key West.
Sheppard is highly rated as one of the sport's best monohull racers and his partnership with Florida-based Craig Wilson in Powerboat P1 makes the combination one of the most potent forces to feature in this fast emerging Championship. "Craig and I tested the race boat at the Fountain factory in North Carolina a few weeks ago, under the eyes of Reggie Fountain himself, and I was very satisfied with the package," he explains. "The Ilmor V10 engines are superb. The hull works well. Now we just need to go racing."



Having arrived in Belgium from the United States just three days ago, the 'King of Shaves' sponsored Fountain Worldwide entry is now travelling to Italy and will make its UIM Powerboat P1 World Championship race debut in the Italian Grand Prix of the Sea, which takes place in Naples this weekend, 26th/27th May.

[Cookee]

I was just wondering that, I had a licence that enabled me race Class One until 1995, what would I have to do to renew it?

Apparently ................... dunk test/medical and pay your money?:D

[ciao]

Ah... the later rules me out then!

[Rupert Munro]

I hope i'm not being quoted on that as i have no idea :D ! Just my guess!

[Rupert Munro]

For F1 its:
1) Medicle
2) Dunk Test
3) Must do 6 circuit races in a cat (750cc at least) completing at least 70% of distance
4) Vetting by 2 Officials in practice session
5) Pay money

The medical is pretty intensive though and includes getting exectrocuted several times!

[Rupert Munro]

couldnt find p1 though, guess its similar

[ciao]

I found WPPA website, the new organisers of CLass One here (http://www.wppa.com/)