Richard Carlton, Phil Payter and 2 times Cowes Torquay Cowes winner Eric Smillie have teamed up to compete in the 2018 World Offshore Championship due to be contested over 3 British venues this summer.

Carlton has been campaigning his vintage Don Aronow designed Cigarette ‘Bubbledeck’ for a few seasons in club racing and now has made the step up to Marathon racing.

He told Powerboat Racing World:

A new sponsorship deal should be announced over the coming months and the plan is to enter all 3 Marathon races in Historic this coming season.

Richard Carlton is delighted that he recruited the uber experienced Eric Smillie to the team:

Eric has been working with me for some months now and his knowledge and contacts are amazing.
He is the final piece of the team we have been looking for.

He continued to outline the team’s progress:

Both engines are out of the boat and are being shipped to Scorpion Race Engines in the USA where they will be rebuilt and fine tuned to peak performance.
Additionally we have ordered new sets of propellers to take into account different weather conditions.

Then it’s testing from the end of April, through May and we shall be ready for the Fortitudo Property Poole Bay 100 in June!

2018 World Offshore Championship

Photo: Malc Attrill