Six Teams and the World’s best Pilots for Inaugural NEXA P1 Powerboat, Indian Grand Prix of the Seas Unveiled

First UIM-recognized World Championship Series event to roar off

In Mumbai from March 3-5

by Suman Gupta

MUMBAI 25 FEBRUARY 2017: The six teams and their internationally acclaimed pilots and navigators for the inaugural NEXA P1 Powerboat, Indian Grand Prix of the Seas, the first UIM recognized World Championship Event, was today unveiled in Mumbai. All teams will consist of two boats, each raced by a pilot and navigator, and will be represented by ‘Team Ambassadors’, women, who have made their mark felt across the oceans while winning crowns at international pageants.

Speaking on the association as title sponsors, to the NEXA, P1 Powerboat, Indian Grand Prix of the Seas, Mr. Vinay Pant, Assistant Vice President, Marketing, Maruti Suzuki said, “We are delighted to associate with NEXA P1 Powerboat Racing in its inaugural year. Our focus in partnership with NEXA P1 Powerboat Racing is to create a benchmark like no other.  NEXA aims to provide global experience to its customers and in the same way Procam has made their best efforts to bring NEXA P1, a global sport to the Indian audience for the first time. NEXA is at the forefront of bringing innovation & delivering outstanding experiences which are new and exciting, just like P1 Powerboat Racing which builds experiences based on adrenaline performance and superior technology”

Commencing the team announcements, Anil Singh, Managing Director, Procam International said, “We are delighted and privileged to present to you six World Class teams that are built with top-ranked Pilots and Navigators from the world, and our Team Ambassadors for the NEXA P1 Powerboat, Indian Grand Prix of the Seas. The iconic Marine Drive could not have been a better canvas, for us in partnership with P1 Global to launch the first event of a World Series in the global new construct of Powerboat Racing. Procam International is immensely proud to present this new sporting paradigm which will also redefine India’s maritime landscape and spearhead a powerful movement for marine sustainability.”

The Team, The Champion: Each team, consisting of two P1 Panther Powerboats, manned by a pilot and a navigator, will compete on a 5.2km specially designed racetrack on water. The racetrack on water , a first in Powerboat Racing, will now be implemented across all Grand Prix of the Seas events and will prove to be a real test of skill and strategy for all pilots and navigators

Boats of all teams will participate in Time Trials  on Friday, the 3^rd of March, to determine their start position for Race 1 on Day 2, Saturday, 4^th March. The boat with the fastest qualifying lap on Friday will start at pole position followed by all subsequent boats in descending order.

Winning Race 1 will earn the boat 20 points while the second and third boats earn 17 and 15 points respectively. Each boat to finish subsequently earns one less point than the previous.

The grid position is reversed for Race 2 on Saturday, with the boat that finished last in Race 1 taking pole position followed by the other boats in ascending order.

Collecting points in the same points system as in Race 1, the boats with the highest cumulative points from Race 1 and 2 on Saturday, will determine the start grid for the Finale on Sunday.

Teams will be crowned winners of the USD 125,000 NEXA P1 Powerboat, Indian Grand Prix of the Seas by the total points of both the boats on their team across two days.

Teams at the NEXA P1 Powerboat, Indian Grand Prix of the Seas

HVR Racing: Unveiled against the backdrop of the Marine Drive is team HVR Racing of HVR Sports lead by Chairman of HVR Group, Harshavardhan Reddy. HVR Sports is constantly innovating and working towards a vision of making sport in India match international standards underlined by the philosophy of “Converting Passion into a Sustainable Profession”.

Commenting on their association Harshavardhan Reddy said, “We at HVR Sports are working towards creating a sustainable ecosystem for sport in India, with equal emphasis on supporting all sports. We are proud to partner with the NEXA P1 Powerboat, Indian Grand Prix of the Seas and put India on the Global Map as the premier destination for Powerboat Racing.

Boat A

• Piloted by 2016 Rookie of the Year, SuperStock US, Frank Silva
• Navigated by American Anthony Louis Iannotta. 

Boat B

• Piloted by Darren Nicholson who won the ‘Lion of the Sea’, Europe’s Oldest Powerboat Race from Venice to Monte Carlo (over 1400 nautical miles)
• Navigated by Italian navigator, Giovanni Carpitella, the world’s leading throttle man.

Femina Ms. India Supernational 2015, Aafreen Vaz, will accompany Team HVR Racing as Team Ambassador.

LLyod Dolphins: Lloyd has a true-blue lineage of nearly 60 years and today it offers a wide range of world-class products including Air-Conditioners, LED TVs, Refrigerators, Washing Machines, Air Purifiers, Water Dispensers and Small Home Appliances, is at the helm of the Llyod Dolphins.  

''When we were approached us with the opportunity of Lloyd associating itself with the NEXA P1 Powerboat, Indian Grand Prix of the Seas, we found great value in this idea. Lloyd has always stood for spreading happiness and we are proud to partner with this path breaking event as we are sure it will create waves and bring a whole new sport to the country. This will also help us further establish Lloyd as a futuristic and energetic brand closely involved in creating the ‘New India’.'' said Nipun Singhal, Director – Lloyd Electric and Engg. Ltd.

Boat A

• Piloted by Britain’s Craig Wilson, Powerboat P1 Champion, UK, 2007 and 2008.
• Navigated by the youngest person on the grid, 1994-born American, William Enriquez.

Boat B

• Raced by the Husband-Wife pair of Stuart and Sara Cureton.
• Piloted by Stuart Cureton, an adrenaline junkie who has over 200 competitive powerboat race starts in the Royal Yachting Association.
• Navigated by spouse Sara Cureton, a swim teacher by profession who has over 60-podium race finishes amongst her 120 competitive powerboat starts.

Pond’s Femina Ms. India, Indore, 2013 Zoya Afroz is the ambassador of the team

Booster Jets: The Booster Jets, a team presented by the Baleno RS, the sporty version of the premium hatchback, owned by Maruti Suzuki.

Boat A

• Raced by the brother-sister duo of Sam and Daisy Coleman who started racing as a team in 2016 and won the 2016 P1 UK Championship in their debut season.
• Piloted by Sam Coleman and Navigated by Daisy Coleman, who ventured into Powerboat Racing in 2013 post her discharge from the UK Royal Artillery and subsequently introduced Sam to the sport.

Boat B

• Piloted by Indian Wild Card, C S Santosh, who announced his foray into powerboat racing earlier this month, is India’s fastest Cross Country Rally Pilot and the only Indian man to have completed the Dakar Rally twice.
• Navigated by British navigator, Martin Robinson.,who has more the 20 race wins and 12 event podiums. 

Sushrii Shreya Mishra, Femina Ms. India United Continent 2015 is the ambassador of the team.

Ultra Sharks: Mohit Burman and Anupam Mittal are joint team title sponsors and Kingfisher Ultra is the naming sponsor for the Ultra Sharks. Kingfisher Ultra, a name synonymous with Style and adventure, has always curated the best of global offerings and made it into an unforgettable experience for the consumers. It has been associated with globally popular sporting events like Derby (Mumbai, Bangalore & Pune) and now the NEXA P1 Powerboat, Indian Grand Prix of the Seas as naming partners to the Ultra Sharks.

Samar Singh Sheikhawat, SVP-Marketing, United Breweries, said, “The entire idea of associating with P1 Powerboat is very thrilling to say the least. With Kingfisher Ultra, we have always endeavoured to partner with novel & exciting events and create a unique experience for our consumers. This association is another step in that direction”.  

Boat A

• Piloted by Neil Jackson
• Navigated by Jason Jackson
• The Jackson brothers hold the British Speed Endurance Record for having completed the Lake Windermere three-hour Powerboat endurance race in 2000.  Younger brother Jason Jackson is also the world speed record holder in 7 different classes of Powerboats.

Boat B

• Piloted by Indian Wild Card Gaurav Gill who is noted for winning the Indian Rally Championships four times and becoming the first Indian to win the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championships twice
• Navigated by George Ivey, who brings generations of boat racing knowledge to the team

Noyonita Lodh, Miss Diva Universe 2014 is ambassador for this team.

MoneyOnMobile Marlins: MoneyOnMobile Marlins, a team of MoneyonMobile, India's largest mobile payment platform that facilitates easy, safe and secure financial transactions to millions of Indians. 

Boat A

• Piloted by Welsh James Norvill,
• Navigated by Christian Parsons Young
• The pair have won the US P1 SuperStock Championships for three consecutive years between 2014 and 2016.

Boat B

• Piloted by Lee Norvall and Navigated by Glynn Norvall
• The brothers who are the third sibling pair on the grid, were introduced to the sport by their father, a Powerboat racer himself and will look to build on their highest finish of being amongst the top 5 in the British P1 SuperStock in 2015 during this race weekend.

Ambassador for this team is Miss Diva 2015 runner-up Natasha Assadi.

Team 6

Boat A

• Piloted by John Donnelly
• Navigated by Kevin Burdock
• Donnelly and Burdock currently hold the P1 Super Stock World Speed Record of 107.69 km/h.

Boat B

• Piloted by Alain Coppens, The Dutch National Powerboat Champion from 2014-2016. Alain Coppens started his career as windsurfer and speed sailor, and debuted in powerboat racing in 2014.
• Navigated by Fredrick Bastin,a long-time engineer, test driver and instructor for P1 powerboats.

The team is represented by ambassador, Asha Bhat, Ms. Supernatural 2014.

With the fastest men and women on water racing for USD 1,25,000 Prize, we can be sure to expect a lot of speed on the Sea on the weekend of 3^rd March 2017, at the first NEXA P1 Powerboat, Indian Grand Prix of the Seas.