Sunseeker Sales Group confirm their bid for P1 glory
Following their debut at the Powerboat P1 World Championships in Cowes in 2006, the Sunseeker Sales Group will be entering Team Sunseeker into the 2007 Powerboat P1 offshore race series with the aim to claim the title. Together with the crew experience gained last year, a number of technical refinements will also be made to ensure Team Sunseeker is a top contender.
The team finished third overall with Sunseeker Challenger, a race version of the Sunseeker XS2000, in the P1 Supersport Class category and are considered highly competitive.
To compete for the top prestigious title, Sunseeker Challenger is set to undergo significant technical refinements, which will further enhance performance, as well as a number of adaptations in the cockpit to ensure that Team Sunseeker have the smoothest ride possible when pushing the boat to the limit in the tough environment of the sea.
The team comprises of team manager, Mel Wilby, who has a wealth of racing experience having competed in more than 80 events since 1991; his son Andy Wilby, who is the driver and has a flair for powerboat racing and driven in every national race since 2000; throttleman Gavin Brown, whose expertise is in high speed powerboat rigging and who has held a powerboat racing licence since 2001. Finally engineer, Tony Davis, a marine engineer by trade who has a specialist knowledge of marine engines, sea trials and navigation.
Endurance is key to driver Andy’s and throttleman Gavin’s performance and in order to prepare for this year’s race series personal trainers have designed tailored programmes to maximise their chances of success. Through participating in structured programmes Andy and Gavin will be suitably equipped to tackle the enormous physical and physiological challenges ahead.
Andy says: “We are very excited to confirm our commitment to race in the P1 series this year. It will be very competitive but we are a strong racing partnership and are ready to go for the Championship title for the Sunseeker Sales Group. The boat is being refined and extensively tested so it can continue to exceed our expectations when we compete in each race, and we are also training physically and physiologically as driving over stormy seas at speeds of over 70 knots is brutal and we need to be fully prepared.”
Sunseeker is the only major powerboat brand to compete in the Powerboat P1 World Championships and managing director of Sunseeker Sales Group, Dominic Byrne, says: “We are proud that the Sunseeker brand is to be represented in the Championships this year. The Sunseeker Challenger really sets the standard for high-performance powerboating and provides the perfect platform for competitive racing and we look forward to going for the winning title this race season.”
