NEXT STOP HULL AS P1 SUPERSTOCK RACERS RETURN TO THE HUMBER

Britain’s premier powerboat racing series, the P1 SuperStock Championship, makes a welcome return to the east coast of Yorkshire on 16/17 June for the region’s most spectacular sporting event of the summer – the Hull Grand Prix of the Sea on the River Humber.

Professional motor racing driver Dean Stoneman (Southampton) made a huge impact on his competitive P1 SuperStock debut in Plymouth in P1 250, winning all three exhibition races to claim the ‘Plymouth Cup’ along with navigator Dean Paling (Southampton) in their Pickfords-backed boat.

More remarkable is the fact 21-year-old Stoneman is recovering from an aggressive form of cancer, which was diagnosed in January last year. While focused on a return to circuit racing in 2013, Stoneman is thoroughly enjoying being in P1 SuperStock which is aiding his inspirational battle back to health.

“Racing in P1 SuperStock this year is definitely the right move for me as it’s helping build-up my fitness and I’m also really enjoying it”, he commented, “Plymouth was fantastic, it’s great to be back racing and to have won each race there was a fantastic return to competition – I can’t wait for Hull.”

There will undoubtedly be plenty of partisan support during the second event of the season for reigning P1 250 Champion John Wilson (Coleshill), the Pertemps pilot is a born and bred Yorkshireman originally hailing from Beverley. He is partnered by trusty navigator Neil Scarborough (Monks Risborough).

Edox Swiss Watches driver Ian Brusby (Doncaster), who races alongside rallying competitor Simon Wing (Newark), was born and raised in Hull itself so he is determined to enjoy home success. Other front-running challenges are likely to be mounted by PaLu pairing Simon Bayles (Battersea) and Philippa Baker (Kensington) and Peters & May duo Mike Lovell (Southampton) and Luke Elkins (Southampton).

In P1 150 reigning champions Team Purple, husband and wife crew Stuart and Sara Cureton (Lindford, Hampshire) won two of their three races in Plymouth and finished second in the other to make an excellent start to the defence of their title.

Father and daughter team Vince and Jade Berridge (Hemel Hempstead) won the second of the three outings on the south coast and, coupled with consistent fourth place results in the other two encounters, the Black Magic crew will arrive in Hull second in the championship nine points shy of Team Purple.

The Berridges are actually tied on 48 points with Macdonald Mermaid husband and wife team Dave and Kirsty Toozs-Hobson (Arundel), they achieved two second places and a fourth in Plymouth but the race two win for Black Magic gives the latter the nod in terms of championship position.

The action and entertainment will be enhanced by a new Match Racing format on Saturday that will decide qualifying for the back-to-back racing the following day.

Organisers have also arranged for a new course to be utilised which is expected to bring the action even closer to St Andrews Quay than during last year’s popular event. Spectators will still be able to watch the racing free-of-charge, although this time from the adjacent retail park.

“We’ll design a course that comes as close to the St Andrews Quay terrace as possible so spectators can get close to the action”, said Powerboat P1’s Lisa Barsby, “Hull was our most popular venue last year and I believe this move will enhance the event for both the racers and fans.”

Round two of the 2012 P1 SuperStock Championship will take place on 16/17 June in Hull with the powerboats set to be joined by the stars of the sister P1 Aqua X offshore jet-ski series, the only category of its kind in the UK to compete on the open sea rather than inland water-parks.

Provisional P1 SuperStock Championship Timetable (subject to change)Saturday, 16 June:15.00 – P1 Aqua X Race 115.45 – P1 SuperStock Match Racing Competition17.30 – P1 SuperStock Race 1

Sunday, 17 June:16.00 – P1 Aqua X Race 217.00 – P1 SuperStock Race 217.50 – P1 SuperStock Race 3