Classy Sheppard and Wilson win again
King of Shaves, the Ilmor-powered Fountain of James Sheppard and Craig Wilson achieved yet another outstanding result when it won in the German P1 Grand Prix of the Sea on Sunday. It was the third consecutive Evolution class victory for the sole British entry and they now narrowly lead the championship as the focus turns to the British leg of the series at Cowes over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Wettpunkt.com had arrived in Germany as championship leader and looked certain to finish in second until a blown turbocharger midway through the race ended its challenge leaving it to limp home in fifth place. Last year’s world champions OSG immediately took advantage moving into second but were robbed on the line by Outerlimits Powerboats.
Outerlimits however was later disqualified for straying from the race course when the engines lost power leaving OSG to fill second slot with Searex Germany third.
The disqualification was a bitter pill to swallow for the Outerlimits Powerboats team who had provided the crowds with a superbly enjoyable contest after Nigel Hook and Mike Fiore re-started and began reeling in the leading boats. In the early stages of the race this all-American boat looked evenly matched for speed with King of Shaves, and more enthralling battles between these archrivals look inevitable.
The lone German entry, Searex, proved to be one of the stars of the show, much to the pleasure of the large crowds. The Fountain 42 piloted by Kurt Prufert and Siegfried Greve gave an impressive display in its debut race as did Limmi from Belgium that finished fifth.
The crews of Fainplast and Kiton made the decision to withdraw from the race following the death of fellow Italian Sergio Carpentieri, who tragically lost his life during Saturday’s first round of the Grand Prix.
2007 UIM Powerboat P1 World Championship
German Grand Prix of the Sea – Evolution Results
1. – 99 – King of Shaves – 100pts
2. – 88 – OSG Racing – 80pts
3. – 76 – Searex – 60pts
4. – 57 – Limmi – 50pts
5 – 81 – Wettpunkt.com – 40pts
59 – Way to Happiness – DNF
53 – Pignolo 53 – DNS
64 – Fainplast – DNS
90 – Kiton – DNS
97 – Lucas Oil Outerlimits – DQ
