BRITISH POWERBOAT RACING CLUB |
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The British
Powerboat Racing Club was formed in 2001 following the gala
dinner held at the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes celebrating
the 40th running of the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes offshore
powerboat race. |
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The
Cowes-Torquay launched offshore powerboat racing as a sport
in Britain in 1961. Initially sponsored by the Daily Express
newspaper, its success encouraged several countries in
Europe and the Middle East to follow suit. Hence it can
rightly claim to have introduced offshore powerboat racing
to the rest of the world outside the United States where the
modern sport was launched with the first Miami-Nassau Race
in 1956. |
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| When the Union Internationale Motonautique, the
world governing authority for powerboat racing,
introduced the World Offshore Championship in
1967 as a memorial to Sam Griffith, the American
founder of modern offshore racing, the course
was found to be too short at 125miles to qualify
as a championship heat. The race format was
therefore changed and instead of finishing at
Torquay, the fleet returned no-stop back to
Cowes, a pattern that remains to this day. |
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| Membership of the British Powerboat Racing Club
is open to anyone interested in powerboat
competition, offshore racing in particular.
Almost 100 like minded enthusiasts, many
ex-competitors from the early days of the sport,
regularly meet for lunch and cocktail parties as
well as attending the annual Cowes-Torquay-Cowes
race: usually held over the August Bank Holiday
weekend. |
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smaller group of its members form the Cowes
Organising Committee whose aim is to ensure this
British classic continues. The committee
provides a secretariat, organisational help and
liaison with the Royal Yachting Association, the
British National Authority for all areas of
powerboat sport. |
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| Benefits of membership of the British Powerboat
Racing Club include details of forthcoming
events, the annual racing calendar together with
help and advice securing accommodation during
the busy Cowes race weekend. |
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| Ray Bulman
August 2008 |
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