John Cooke gets the inside story from the UK and international race circuits.

After all the news about P1 last month, you would be forgiven for thinking that the series might have slipped beneath the waves - but believe it or not, the Phoenix has risen again. It may be a lot less glamorous without gorgeous girls wandering around in skin-tight suits and high heels, but the most important thing is that the racing is back. In fact by the time you read this, the first race weekend will already have happened at Yalta in the Ukraine.

How has this all happened? Well it seems that so many people had so much invested in the series, with boats built specifically for the job, that the owners, the sponsors and the international organising body, the UIM, decided to step in. Jean-Marie Van Lancker (President of the UIM International Pleasure Navigation Commission) is now the man in charge and the promoters of the events have mostly agreed to carry on as before. The only thing that has yet to be confirmed is the TV coverage, which of course is essential both to sponsors and to teams . . .

Superstock
In other news, I have just had the pleasure of attending the P1 Superstock launch, where I was taken out for a run in one of the new Mercury 300XS powered Cougars. They are certainly a lot faster than the old 225hp Honda versions, but despite greater stability, with the engine about five inches lower and a reduction in weight, I retain a small concern. After all, these boats will now be arriving in the corners at almost 79mph rather than 65mph - and the previous version had a tendency to invert if pushed too hard. My best wishes are with the crews for the first event, which will have taken place in Penzance (‘Pensans’ if you’re Cornish) by the time you read this.
The P1 crew is definitely trying to turn this race weekend into a big event by spicing it up with a Music Festival. There are 11 or 12 bands on the list and, in addition, ten-time Kick Boxing World Champion and local girl, Julie Kitchen, will be waving the chequered flag, as well as fighting Claire Haigh from Luxemburg that same weekend. I don’t really see the connection but it ought to turn the Superstock event into a pretty lively weekend of entertainment.

Class One
In Class One, Steve Curtis and Sheik Hassan of the Qatar team will be racing both of the team’s Class One boats in the US series this season, as well as in an offshore race in Qatar in January 2011. The first race in the US season is Ocean City in Maryland, from 28 to 30 May, and the team is also planning to race in North Queensland in Australia in Mackay (26-27 June) and Townsville (03-04 July). As these Australian races are only a week (and about 240 miles) apart, it should fit in nicely with the US season. They should be among the most awesome race venues ever, with the Barrier Reef close by and with Cairns and Brisbane (or ‘BrisVegas’ as the locals call it) on hand for entertainment during days off.

It all kicks off in June
The first weekend in June will see the basic races in Guernsey and the hosting of the Superstock class in Galway. This latter event will involve a round Ireland run for the bigger boats and a whole week of entertainment starting on 05 June.
Elsewhere, the Royal Motor Yacht Club (based in Sandbanks near Poole) will be holding its annual Cancer Research race from 19 to 21 June and on the same weekend, the burgeoning sports boat centre of Cardiff will also see a powerboat race. And as if that particular weekend wasn’t already busy enough, the Thundercats will be racing down near Christchurch.
Finally, at the end of June (25-27), Plymouth (or ‘Plymuff’ as the locals call it) will be hosting a national race weekend with all the offshore classes attending. It should be a great month for UK racing. We will keep you well up to date on developments . . .