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New CEO looks forward to the Brits competing in P1 SuperStock USA

John Moore on 1st February 2018

Powerboat P1’s new chief executive, Azam Rangoonwala recently returned to Orlando from a business trip to the UK and he had an important message for P1 SuperStock racers in the United States: British powerboat teams could be planning an invasion in 2018.

Rangoonwala is busy finalising plans for what will be his first full season as the boss of P1, the world’s leading marine motorsport brand that promotes powerboat and jet ski racing on three continents.

His father, Asif founded the business fifteen years ago and as its chairman he has built a company that has been responsible for staging more than 500 powerboat races in that time and achieving television coverage in more than 150 countries. With P1 SuperStock racing in the UK on hold this year, a number of the top British race crews are casting an eye across the Atlantic with a view to mounting a challenge for the USA title.

Leading the possible British invasion could be the current World and UK champions, Sam and Daisy Coleman from Wales.

The brother and sister pairing have become a real force in SuperStock racing, as they proved in the world championship in India last March, and Rangoonwala is hoping that they will secure the necessary backing to compete in Florida this year:

Having secured two SuperStock titles in 2017, I know that Sam and Daisy would love to add the USA championship crown to their growing collection and they certainly have what it takes.

The Anglo-Welsh pairing of Andrew Foster and Charles Morris, who finished as runners up to the Colemans in the UK series last year, are thought to be looking at the same move.

This will be the eighth season of P1 SuperStock one-design, single-engine racing in the United States and the five-venue national championship will run from April to July.

Rangoonwala continued:

Partnerships are at the heart of our P1 business and the alliances we have put in place are testimony to the growth and stature of the P1 SuperStock series.
We understand that the key to a great event is building long-term relationships with host venues to achieve business goals and to deliver results for its sponsors.

Media and television broadcast relationships play a vital role in building P1’s national and international presence and in delivering exposure for race venues and commercial partners.

The free-to-watch P1 Grand Prix of the Sea events are designed to excite and entertain, ensuring spectator enjoyment and sponsor value with a significant impact for the local economy.

As we own the commercial, marketing and media rights to our race series, we can be flexible in the way we create and develop business partnerships and our aim is to build long-term relationships that can change over time to meet new needs and objectives on both sides.

Companies and brands like Geico and Visit St. Pete sponsor a P1 Panther race boat to generate awareness and create a platform for leverage activity, whilst P1 partners with Experience Kissimmee to mount joint PR programmes.

The coming season will see the P1 fleet return to popular venues around the Florida coast, but there’s also a new name on the race calendar that marks a big step for the SuperStock championship. The iconic Miami Marine Stadium, built in 1963 just south of the city, will host the opening race weekend in April before P1 moves to what is effectively its home town venue in Kissimmee where the event will feature a barbecue and beer festival.

The P1 Grand Prix is just one example of Kissimmee’s diverse sporting industry that directly impacts local economic development.

For the fifth consecutive year Jacksonville will welcome the SuperStock teams in early June for the St. Johns River Grand Prix, and St. Pete Beach will host its second P1 event later that month. For the season finale the series moves to southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast at the end of June where the 34th Annual Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Festival will once again attract tens of thousands of spectators to enjoy the outstanding racing and carnival atmosphere.

Rangoonwala describes Sarasota as ‘the big one’ and, if the final round of last year’s championship is anything to go by, it could well produce a tense and dramatic end to the 2018 championship battle.

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