Powerboat P1 has two classes of boats that take part, both of them as cool as you like.
Here’s the break down.
Evolution Class
The big boys are the Evolution Class. They’re a minimum length of 36ft and maximum of 43ft, having to use inboard motors and can travel at up to 100 knots – the equivalent of 100Mph on the land.
Their rules give a minimum post-race weight of 4250 kg and a power to weight ratio of 1hp to 3.5kg. They have to reach a maximum average speed of 87mph measured over the whole race distance to ensure safe and competitive racing.
SuperSport Class
Don’t get me wrong, this is plenty glamorous and they’re no slouches.
With a minimum length of 33ft and a maximum of 42ft, they’re limited to 6000cc for a diesel engine and 8300cc for petrol (since when did an eight litre engine be described as limited?!).
Average speed over the race distance cannot exceed 75Mph.
For more details on the technology, there’s a comprehensive piece covering the different builders involved.
The P1 bods have created a short video, fronted by Tiff Needell, giving background.
