Boatmad.com


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 10-03-2010, 08:18 AM   #1
Chief C*nt!
 
Johnny Rocket's Avatar
 
Country: United Kingdom
Location: Brighton
Occupation: Sparkler prefect
Interests: Boats
Boat make: Other people's mostly

Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Brighton
Posts: 872
P1 Superstock v Four Nations

So, it still appears that we have two potential fleets of "Honda" boats this season.

What's the chances of them both happening now? Anyone got any idea how many teams are committed to each?
__________________

__________________
What could possibly go wrong?
Johnny Rocket is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2010, 02:17 PM   #2
Registered User
 

Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 3
Talking P1 Superstock & 4 Nations

Firstly morning to all Honda teams out there, we had a fantastic rookie year last year & wish you all well for 2010.

Yes I have some answers Johnny Powerboat P1 are ready to Rock the new Superstock Series read on.....

After reading some of the posts over the last few weeks on the forum I felt it important to write an article.

We attended the P1 Oxford meeting on Saturday 6th March 2010; I will comment & put the minutes underneath.

I believe there is room for 4 Nations as well as Powerboat P1 both to run their annual series here in the UK.

What has happened in the past is history, yes people got a few things wrong, but the effort that went into setting the series up is admirable. However I do have to say that the series ran for 10 years & most of you raced in some of those 10 years, we only saw the 2009 series year & it was difficult times, in fact Honda had pulled the plug on Formula One & sold there team for next to nothing! so F4SA didn’t have much of a chance.

On this note I understand there is frustration with a certain company which I shall not mention, but no matter how big or small the company is, there will always be frustration, wether it be a breakdown in communication or a failed delivery or repair jobs scheduled not met. This happens everywhere!

I raised a question to Powerboat P1 Management & asked - If you are a Team living quite a distance away from Southampton could you get your boat repaired at a Mercury approved dealership near to you? the answer was yes.

But moving on I believe what Powerboat P1 are trying to do is very difficult, taking over a dead series & pioneering it into a worldwide future series. They are a dedicated team who are completely involved in making things happen.

4 Nations are trying to gain sponsorship for their series this is so difficult, there is no sponsorship out there, TV deals are so difficult schedules are all tied up for 2010. ITV were not interested in P1. This is a new Company in the eyes of any sponsor they need proven track records & a future plan, you cannot claim you have been going for 10 Years as the name has changed?

The Mercury Engine debate - this was changed because Honda will no longer warranty there Engines. We have all our repair bills from last year’s Honda 225Engine, we broke mounts at least twice, saddles, etc etc, and the costs were huge. Mercury is giving that warranty. Powerboat P1 Management are offering you the chance to race with a new engine in a new deal, The Engine cost is £15,000 you pay the first £5,000 for the engine, P1 loan you £5,000, then at the end of the season they will buy back your Engine for £5,000. This is allowing you to race for 1 year for £5,000 (the Engine must be in reasonable state for the end buy back).

The burning question is – How many racing?
150 = 9 to date.
300 = 5 to date. (This is guaranteed by P1 as a minimum of 5 if not your full inscription fee back)
Costs = 2010 Season £1,300 + a log book matched to your boat (RYA) & your Engine dyno’d & hull/weight/rails check I can’t remember the cost for this? £300 - £400 - You ask why? to stop any cheating.

Hospitality = £35 per person (no profits to be made run at cost price).

There was new blood at the meeting & further more interest, P1 are going to do a ‘Try & Buy’ style weekend at Southampton? They are putting an article into ‘Auto sport’ I spoke with Andy Hindley yesterday regarding this – so if you have a boat for sale keep your eyes out for this in ‘Auto sport’ or on the P1 website.

So the European races Croatia first, only a few weeks ago 50 – 100 Croatian Government Officials were arrested charged with corruption, Croatia Airlines announce £30 million in losses, The biggest music festival in Croatia was also cancelled see

http://www.croatiantimes.com/news/Pa...nancial_crisis

This was before P1 cancelled there event in Split, Croatia – Unfortunately the sponsor AIM failed to come up with the promised money. Yes we can blame P1for not securing the money before hand, but in this day & age this is very difficult.

http://worldofpowerboats.com/2010/02...ent-cancelled/

P1 had no choice but to cancel & pull out.

Sweden – On Saturday in the Oxford Meeting P1 gave the racers the choice do we or don’t we race in Sweden, the vote was cast & the decision was not to race, due to costs & time taken to get the boats over. This was not P1’s decision it was the racers.

Calender 2010

May 21st – 23rd – Penzance, South Coast

June 5th – 7th - Gallaway, Ireland

July – 9th – 11th - Pwllheli, Wales

August – No Racing

September – 10th – 12th – Southampton Boat Show

September – 17th – 19th – Southampton Boat Show Finale

Penzance, South Coast - 50 litres of fuel for each team guaranteed, P1 trying to get all race fuel free.

Gallaway, Ireland - 40p per mile travelled.

I spoke with Gunter from 'The Power of Dreams' last week he wishes everyone well In P1 & 4 Nations, I thought I would post his email for all to see; he will not be racing this year & is looking to move into a future series in 2011.

Dear Neil

Thanks for your wishes - which I like to give back to you and the guys around you - and also thanks for your kind and very interesting information.

Sorry for late reply, I was busy at the Düsseldorf Boat Show until Monday night. We ran our own stand and it seems that we did it successful.

However, I will no longer race the Cougar boat. Neither in P1 nor in 4N. I have a new agreement with Honda Motor Europe (North) for the PODG and it says only for promotion uses.

My focus is on Offshore Class 3. Try to keep my head free from other ideas. Will make it absolutely happen, latest 2011.

Also I stay out of discussions about P1 and 4N. Wishing both series and former competitors a lot of success from my heart.

Yes, please let's stay in touch. We have spent a great time together in racing and it should not have been for nothing!

Go forward and rock the SuperStock Series - wish you all the best for it!

And of course giving you too any assistence you may need once in our region. Really a pleasure what you've offered me for GB!

Kind regards & Cheers

Günter
Beste Grüße / Kind regards

P1 - Communication 9th March 2010 via email.

Dear Teams,

Please see the attached presentation and minutes from the very positive meeting at the weekend.

Several points to note:

• The dates presented in the original version from Saturday were slightly incorrect for Galway – the previous Galway dates (and now the attached) have the correct dates for all the events. In reference to the races that coincide with the Southampton boat show, I have spoken to the show main sponsor and they are keen for us to be there. We have provisional approval from the BMF who run the show and we have our main meeting with them tomorrow to finalise the details. There is case history for the races being run as it was done 5 years ago, so unless the harbour master refuses we should be good to go with these events.

• The decision was taken to cut the Sweden and Croatia events out of the calendar this year but look at what can be done for 2011.

• P1 guarantee at least 5 teams in the 300 Class and the number of 150 class boats now stands at 9 and rising – so we are 100% committed to the series this year.

• Rules will be policed tightly and in particular the shape of hulls will be checked with templates to ensure modifications have not been made. Hull speed coatings that do nothing but enhance performance will not be allowed. This doesn’t prevent anti-foul being applied or the use of treatments that protect the hull surface. Neither does it stop the hull being wet-sanded. This will be altered within the rules and is designed to keep costs down.

• Hospitality will be offered at all events this year with all offerings being run at cost. P1 does not want to make any money from this activity and will happily share the accounts for the hospitality with anyone wishing to see them. The estimated price is £35 per person per day without alcohol – but this will be confirmed for all the venues before bookings are taken. We will look to offer alcohol (no pilots please!) on either a pay as you go basis or included in the ticket price.

• We will run adverts in mainstream motorsport outlets and we will set up a ‘try and buy’ session that is advertised in these placements with a view to increasing the participation in SuperStock for the future. We would welcome any teams wishing to sell their boat to this event so people coming to test a boat (150 or 300) have the chance to look over products for sale. We will also invite our mainstream motor sport contacts to the event as a way of spreading the word about SuperStock. More details of where and when as soon as we have the final information.

• We will share with you our future plans for SuperStock Europe, SuperStock Middle East and SuperStock USA as soon as we have confirmed the countries we will operate the wider series in.

• Very important note for Log Books: The RYA are insisting that log books be created for all UK registered boats racing in the UK from now on. The SuperStock Log book will count as the RYA log book meaning you don’t have to have both. This makes the SuperStock Log Book great value as you get a dyno test, the boat weight and CoG check as well as all the other checks and measurements that go to make up the RYA log book.

Thank you once again for the efforts you made to attend the meeting. It was very positive and we welcome your suggestions, comments and ideas on how to make the series better for everyone.

As always, if you have any questions, let me know.

Thanks,

Andy



Andy Hindley
Racing and Events Director

Powerboat P1 Management Limited
Winchester House
259 - 269 Old Marylebone Road
London NW1 5RA
Tel +44 (0) 20 7616 5570
Fax +44 (0)20 7751 0853
Mob +44 (0)7787 562 467
www.powerboatp1.com




SUPERSTOCK MEETING
OXFORD
06 - 03 - 2010

P1 STAFF: Andy Hindley, Robert Wicks, Kirstie Westwood & Martin Sanborn (P1 USA)

Presenting Andy Hindley / Robert Wicks
Minutes: Kirstie Westwood
TEAM ATTENDEE’S: 26

Meeting begins 11.07am
A H: Welcome & introduction of P1 staff present
AH: Begins the meeting with SuperStock power point presentation.
RW: Discusses the TV coverage & benefits
AH: Continues with the presentation
Q1: at Southampton Boat show, are the boats expected to stay in the water for the whole time?
AH: will pose this question to the British marine Federation but we expect to be able to have space ashore to hole them during the week but also expect them to be in the water at the weekends.
Q2: will the 125 engine change in 2011?
AH: Only if there is a sponsorship deal & all teams are given an engine free – P1 has no intention to change this engine.
Q3: Why not give teams £5,000 instead of paying 1/3 towards the £15,000 engine cost? Does P1 want the engines back?
AH: In effect we are either lending the team £5000 (if they wish to sell the engine back to P1 after the season) or giving teams £5000 by paying 1/3 of the cost up front and buying the used engine back for £5000 after the season. P1 does not really want the engines at the end of the season, we are simply trying to help with costs. The run-in engines will be made available for use the following year for any team wishing to get hold of a 1 year old 300 engine.
Q4: Why not forget TV coverage and give a share of the cost to the teams?
RW: explains in detail that TV coverage will help to get sponsors and to help grow the series. The attractiveness of TV to any sponsor is huge and is a main driver for large investment.
AH: informs of Icom deal – Icom will be present at every SuperStock event with a disply and products and will be offering assistance.
AH: Discusses the vision for P1 future including SuperStock, Jet-bikes & Rib racing
Q5: Can P1 help with negotiating bank loans – to buy the engines?
AH: we don’t have any direct relationship with marine finance companies but we can ask our commercial team to look into this.
Q6: Can P1 help with finding sponsors?
Q7: To raise the awareness can we get Marcus Pye/Autosport to do an editorial? Or approach Motorsport drivers to do a trial?
RW (Q6): Our commercial department will try to help in any way they can. Please contact them as they are speaking to UK based companies every day and selling in P1 in various ways – if they come across a company looking for a team, they will of course pass it on. We have already approached Autosport & we have contacts with influential motorsport drivers and we will take this further in the next few weeks.
Q8: Why have we not telephoned all the teams from 2007 & 2008
AH: We have contacted the teams and Roopi has been calling them in the last two week – and has come in for some unwarranted abuse on some forums as a result.
Q9: Can we have an “open day” where people can test & try out the boats, to improve inscription? Why are we not opening up to a wider audience?
AH: Yes. We will look to do this in association with the Autosport initiative and also invite teams wishing to sell their boats to display them as ‘For sale’. We will also use our mainstream motorsport contacts to enhance the try and buy event.
Q10: If we try to get motorsport drivers involved will we lose the family atmosphere?
AH: Possibly. That is a case of management on our part but ultimately if the mentality is to push the rules then that could happen – its down to us to keep the playing field as level as we can
Q11: How long is a new boat build time?
A(AH): 4 - 6 weeks
Q12: Can we race 250 series & 300 series together, if needed
AH: John Puddifoot would have to approve this - not sure due to safety. After the accident in Dover one of the findings was that having boats of significantly different speeds racing on the same course at the same time will add to the potential for an accident and so any race wanting to run this format will have to have approval from the RYA in this regard.
Q13: Will P1 guarantee a minimum of 5 boats in 300 series for 2010?
AH: Yes P1 will, as there are already 4 teams interested we will work to have at least 5 x 300 class boats in the series.
Q14: Can P1 negotiate with 4 Nations, so that teams can race in both series?
AH: P1 has no problem with teams racing in both series, of course we wish to move forward with good relations with 4 Nations.
Q15: Special Hull treatment, this is costly can the rules be changed. Also can the boat be modified.
Q16: If teams modify the boats, will this be policed properly?
AH: We can look into these areas. We want to police the series fairly, that is why we are asking for all teams to have their boats inspected prior to the first event. This includes a Dyno test so engines are checked pre-season and ensure no late surprises. Hull treatment rules can be changed but some aspects of hull treatments may need to be allowed – I will investigate and re-write as required. All boats should be as they were original or if modified only modified as per the rules. This will be policed.
Q17: Why can’t we have all the checks at the first event, £500 is too expensive for the tests pre –season.
AH: Time is an issue here. If you want the series policed properly then all boats have to checked, if boats are new then the engines should be fine. However there is a difference between fair fixes on a boat & blatant cheating. Everyone will be treated the same. The pre-season check were brought in because of lots of finger pointing in the past. If teams want to risk turning up and not being allowed to race then we can look at that set up but people want to know the boat next to them has been checked and the only way we can do that evenly is before the season starts.
The RYA now require a log book for all race boats – this is a new initiative to start to record any mods and repairs to registered race boats. The RYA will accept our log book for this purpose so the fee for the RYA book won’t need to be paid so saving that cost. I have agreed this with John Puddifoot. Any race boat racing in the UK will have to have a log book of some sort for 2010 so our log book, full boat check and dyno test is a fair price given the cost of the RYA log book (around £280 + travel costs and expenses but with no dyno, weighing or CoG check)
We can look at the Dyno test being done 2 days before the event, but if your engine fails then you will not race unless it can be fixed. The chance is yours to take but we won’t allow illegal teams to race.
Q18: Can we drop the European rounds and have 1 extra round in the UK? Weymouth?
AH: We understand that, due to cost and time constraints, that the majority of teams wish to drop the European rounds. To compensate we have 2 back to back events at Southampton that coincide with the boat show – our final meeting to confirm this is next week so the dates are still provisional until we get sign off from the BMF.
Some crews are already racing the CTC race this year so to have a SuperStock event coincide with it at this late stage is a little unfair although we could look at running a Cowes Poole Cowes race for those wishing t enter for fun.
Q19: What is the hospitality package?
AH: We have hospitality arranged in all the venues and it will be offered at cost price, we don’t want to make money on it but simply cover our costs – the estimate is £35 per person per day without alcohol - we’ll either have a price with alcohol or sell alcohol on the day at cost. If you let us know more about what you are looking for inc prices then we can arrange accordingly – but we won’t run this at a great loss!
Q20: Rules 10 & 28 to be registered with the RYA & Sea power log book. Can we just do 1 registration & 1 fee
AH: The new rules need to be highlighted to the teams, you won’t need an RYA log book if you have a SuperStock logbook. All other UK race boats wishing to race in 2010 will need an RYA log book.
Q21: Do we have to get engine work done at a Mercury dealer?
AH: For general servicing it can be done at any Mercury dealer or certified dealer but for some of the work you will need a specialist who knows the 300 XS engine to get the parts & certification.
AH: Presents the SuperStock locations of 2011
Q22: How many events are you looking to have in 1 calendar year in the future?
AH: We are looking at 6 events each year, we understand that costs play a part in people competing. We can have 5 if this is more cost effective – please tell us what you want and we can arrange this based on best fit.
AH: rounds up the meeting
Meeting ends: 1.40pm

I hope this clears a few things up. We wish 4 Nations good luck with Sponsorship for 2010 in the UK, we wish everyone we raced with in 2009 good luck. Hope to see some familiar faces in Penzance!
__________________

Cadders is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2010, 06:12 PM   #3
Registered User
 
Country: UK
Location: Plymouth
Occupation: Driving people mad
Boat name: The Rock - 66
Boat make: Doug Wright 32
Engines: Merc EFI 280s
Cruising area: Middle East

Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Plymouth
Posts: 449
Name th teams...

Can you name the teams committed?
Scream-it.com is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2010, 09:19 PM   #4
Registered User
 

Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,374
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scream-it.com View Post
Can you name the teams committed?
Out of interest why are you bothered?
hunton69 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-03-2010, 02:18 PM   #5
Registered User
 
Country: UK
Location: Plymouth
Occupation: Driving people mad
Boat name: The Rock - 66
Boat make: Doug Wright 32
Engines: Merc EFI 280s
Cruising area: Middle East

Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Plymouth
Posts: 449
Quote:
Originally Posted by hunton69 View Post
Out of interest why are you bothered?
Good question. Nice to see organisations being truthful as they compete for teams.
Scream-it.com is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:21 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
×