August 29, 2013 3.59 pm This story is over 127 months old

Lincoln youngsters compete in world powerboat competition

Powering through: Two Lincoln youths will compete in an international powerboat championship this weekend.
Jonathan (11) and Lucy (12) with former BTCC driver Tiff Needell.

Two young Lincoln powerboat enthusiasts will be competing in a world championship power boat competition this weekend.

Lucy Brewer (12) and her younger brother Jonathan (11) will be competing in the World Championship Powerboats Series at the National Watersports Centre, Nottingham this Saturday, August 31.

Jonathan and Lucy have been competing in an annual British Championship series of six rounds, held at various locations across the UK.

Lucy said the influence of her family’s involvement with powerboats sparked her interest and desire to race a powerboat: “My dad, grandad and grandmother have all raced powerboats in the past and my father took us to a race last year.

“We saw all the other kids racing so we asked if we could have a go. Both my brother and I really liked it, so we got our licences and finished our training.”

With junior powerboats reaching a top speed of 40+mph, Lucy acknowledges the physical and mental demands in powerboat racing.

She added: “I play netball at school which can be quite demanding, but it’s nothing compared to powerboat racing. You need both physical and mental stamina to race.”

Powerboat GP, the premier circuit for power boat racing in the UK, secured the return of Powerboat Racing to Nottingham last year after an absence of 10 years.

The junior “GT15” class World Championships, which Lucy and Jonathan will be competing in, is just one of the many races throughout the weekend.

Jonathan loves the support he has recieved from his friends: “My friends think that it is really cool that I get to travel all over the country and race my boat.

“They always ask me about the races and support me.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-kacOJRNUE

Over 40 teams from around the world will be competing, with other races including a round of the F2 World Championships and various other classes of boats racing for the Powerboat National Championships.

The World Powerboat Championship rounds for F2 and GT15 (junior class), in association with Peters & May Group, consists of power boats reaching speeds in excess of 200kph.

All racing is supervised by trained RYA Powerboat Racing personnel, and licences are only issued after a satisfactory standard has been reached.

Special guest British Touring Car Championship legend Tiff Needell will be present, along with Green Light TV as they chart every twist, turn and flip of the Powerboat GP television series featured on Sky Sports.