250 hp P1 powerboats reach speeds in excess of 100 kilometers an hour. Provided to China Daily

 

The F1 Powerboat World Championship was held in Chengdu in 2006. Provided to China Daily

 

 

International watersport at Chengdu scenic spot given full throttle, Cecily Liu reports

Powerboat racing is revving up as a sport ready to make big waves in China.

Sancha Lake, a popular tourist spot in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, known for its clear water and surrounding hills, is to be developed as a regional location for the worldwide P1 SuperStock Championship.

"Sancha Lake is a terrific location for powerboat racing, and it's great that we have the opportunity to work with our Chinese partners to build the facilities we require from scratch," says James Durbin, CEO of Powerboat P1 Management Ltd, the London-based organizer of the championship.

Durbin says that he has traveled to Chengdu many times since discussions about powerboat races began, and each visit brought him new surprises.

"With each visit the city landscape seems to change, such as the incredible growth in infrastructure over the past few years. It is a vibrant city for a tourist, but enjoys an equally vibrant business community as was evident at the 12th Western China International Fair," Durbin says.

The F1 Powerboat World Championship, the most prestigious inshore event, was held in China in 2006, but the P1 SuperStock Championship is said to have wider appeal, featuring slower craft that can also race offshore.

A powerboat academy and public resort will also be built around the water-sport. Durbin says that the first race boat arrived in Chengdu earlier this year, and his team will send professional trainers to train Chengdu's local powerboat instructors once official government approval for racing on Sancha Lake is granted.

"Enthusiastic Chengdu racers will be trained into elite powerboat professionals and then pit their skills against the best in the world in the P1 SuperStock race series," Durbin says.

"Powerboat P1will provide Sichuan province and specifically Sancha Lake project with a sustainable legacy and profile ensuring a continuing return on investment year after year," he says.

According to Durbin, discussions between Powerboat P1 and the Chengdu municipal government, which regulates Sancha Lake, started in 2011.

"The Chengdu government wanted to bring tourists to Sancha Lake by developing water sports in the region. They also wanted to bring local people out of their houses to do sports, and they wanted to stimulate the local economy. Our offerings suited their needs."

The State-owned Sichuan Sancha Lake Construction and Development Co Ltd has been given the contract to make amendments to the lake's landscape. Construction will focus on a new powerboat academy, as well as boat storage spaces.

Later in 2013, a demonstration race will be held at Sancha Lake, and from 2014, five professional races will be held each year, he says.

Durbin envisages that the winners of the Sancha Lake events will race in a Chinese national competition against winners from other regional races, and the victors will compete in the international finals. But the locations for other regional races in China have yet to be decided, he says.

Powerboat P1 will also provide Sancha Lake's management team with boats especially designed for the P1 SuperStock Championship to be used for training and competition. The boats cost $120,000 each.

Oil-spill kits will be installed on powerboats to catch any oil leakage before they reach the lake.

Powerboat racing was first recognized as a sport in 1904 when a race took place across the English Channel from England to France.

The sport rose to popularity after World War II, with notable American racers like Jim Wynn, Don Aronow, and Dick Bertram competing in events such as the Bahamas 500-mile race.

In 1981, the sport's Monaco-based international governing body, Union Internationale Motonautique, launched the F1 Powerboat World Championship. Similar to Formula One car racing, it is a Grand Prix-style event in which teams compete around the world each season.

Since 2006, China has organized one or two of the tournament rounds each year.

Durbin points out that the P1 SuperStock Championship is more bottom-up in its format compared with F1. Whereas qualified racers can enter F1's global competition by paying a registration fee, he says all participants in the P1 SuperStock Championship must progress from regional and national rounds to the international rounds.

As powerboat racing is new to China, there is currently only one Chinese racer qualified for an F1 license. Peng Linwu, who in his 40s and remains China's best powerboat racer to date, obtained a Super License in Italy in 1995.

But Durbin believes many young Chinese powerboat racers will follow in his wake with the introduction of the P1 SuperStock Championship, which will give them opportunities to compete and improve their skills.

The event will also lead to more enthusiasts and spectators of the sport, he adds, and because of the slower speeds in P1 SuperStock racing, safety conditions are better.

Durbin recalls that when a Chengdu government delegation visited his team recently, a young woman tried racing in one for the first time.

"She loved it, and watching her have so much fun on the powerboat convinced us of powerboat's potential in China," he says.

However, accidents do happen. In September, British powerboat racer Mike Lovell died after his craft flipped over during a race at Weymouth Bay in southwest England.

Durbin says he cannot comment on the details of the accident as it is still under investigation, but he understands it to be a "racing accident".

Powerboat P1 launched its powerboat championship in 2003. It attracted a lot of interest initially, but growth stalled and its management team reassessed the business model in 2010.

Durbin, who was brought into Powerboat P1 as a consultant at the time, says waning interest in the championship was due to a lack of regional and national competitions.

These were added and the series was re-launched in 2010 as the P1 SuperStock Championship.

Durbin stayed with the company, and later became its CEO. He says an aspect of the job he particularly enjoys is the opportunity to travel the world, as Powerboat P1 strives to enter new markets, including Canada, Brazil, Singapore, the Caribbean, Thailand, South Korea, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, and several European countries.

"Our view is to add three national competitions each year, so we shall have 30 national competitions by 2020," he says.

Currently, P1 SuperStock Championship is running in the US, the UK and the United Arab Emirates.

Australian-born Durbin, 36, holds sport as a great teacher for life.

"I love sport and the effect it has on people. It helps people understand success, failure, teamwork and a competitive will to win," he says.

Before coming to the UK in 2005, he worked in Australia for a cricket company and a rugby company, where he learnt the skills of sports organization and promotion.

One country he has particularly enjoyed traveling to in his new role is China.

"Without exception everyone in China has been very hospitable and welcoming," he says, noting his newfound fondness for spicy Sichuan food.

"They're really trying to listen to what we do as a business, and they always like to work in partnership, which works well with me, because I don't like to sell something and go away. I want to work in partnership and join the highs and lows of the business," he says.

"Chinese people also look to the future. They're not trying to do a deal for the next six months, but a deal that would benefit their children and their children's children. And I think that's a good way of doing business."