SuperStock and AquaX national titles to be decided on East Lake Toho this weekend
Anyone who believes in the saying that it’s not the winning but the taking part that counts would be well advised not to show their face in St. Cloud this weekend. The city on the southern shore of East Lake Tohopekaliga in Florida will host the final round of the P1 USA SuperStock and AquaX race series and it will not be a place for the fainthearted.
The SuperStock Championship has raced in some of Florida’s best known resorts and lakes across the summer, and the City of St. Cloud will be an event sponsor for this weekend’s four-race finale. A fleet of 9 Panther boats will be on the start line with no fewer than four teams still in the hunt for the P1 national title.
“We enjoyed some great powerboat racing in St. Cloud at our opening event last year and we are now returning with AquaX jet ski racing to add to the excitement” said P1 USA championship manager Azam Rangoonwala. “There will be lots of activity off the water as well, with a ‘meet the racers’ party at Crabby Bills on Saturday night and our P1 Annual Awards evening after racing on Sunday. It’s going to be a superb weekend of sport and entertainment.”
Just six points separate the top four teams in the SuperStock table. Having already triumphed in this season’s UK series, the current leaders, Andy Biddle and Tracy Blumenstein of Team Pro Boat, will be looking to make history by achieving a Trans-Atlantic double. They will be defending a slim four-point lead, with Livorsi, Pier 57 and Morton Water all breathing down their neck. Although not challenging for the championship, the Space Coast pairing of Scott Utah and Lee Baker have impressed since joining the series in June and they will be aiming to finish on the podium.
The P1 Panther boats will be joined on the lake by more than thirty AquaX riders and, with double points being awarded in the three races, the outcome of this series is equally difficult to predict. “There will be 100 points up for grabs this weekend, with competitors dropping their worst three results from the season so far, and we’ll have a number of pro riders like Eric Francis joining us from other series” explains P1 AquaX manager Lisa Barsby. A former world champion, Barsby advises the title contenders to ‘ride smart’, know exactly who the competition is, but not be over-careful. “”It will be all about consistency, both in terms of race results and mechanically” she adds. “Mechanical failure on this last weekend of the season will be very costly.”
The powerboat crews and jet ski riders will be arriving in St. Cloud from Thursday and the race action will begin at 11.30 am on Saturday.
Race Timetable:
Saturday 16 November
SSTK Qualifying: 11:30am-12:00am
SSTK Race One: 12:00-12:30pm
AquaX Practice + SuperPole: 1:30-2:00pm
SSTK Race 2: 2:00pm-2:30pm
Sunday 17 November:
SSTK Race 3: 11:00am -11:30am
AquaX Race 1: 11:30am-12:00pm
SSTK Race 4: 1:30pm-2:00pm
AquaX Race 2: 2:00pm-2:30pm
Podium after last race
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