#P750 – Last Sunday saw the start of a fresh new format for Irish powerboating when the opening round of the P750 Thundercat National Championships hit the water in the very heart of Limerick as part of the popular Riverfest celebrations.
Excellent weather drew thousands of spectators to the quays and they weren't to be disappointed. Race 1 saw the pre-race favourite 'Batman & Robin' (Clifden's Colin Snow & Conor Mullally) take a convincing win, but their afternoon changed dramatically when their prop became fouled with fishing line at the start of Race 2. That left a three-way fight between 'Ardmore Adventures', 'Aptriva' and 'The Gym' over the remaining two races and while Batman & Robin were able to carve their way back through most of the fleet, The Gym's Colin Gaffney and Sara-Jane Allen of Dublin ended up taking the spoils among a competitive 8-boat fleet.
While the Thundercat powerboats are more at home racing and jumping in heavy surf all around the World, their speed and turning ability makes them ideal for a city centre race - something which clearly proved a winner for crews and spectators yesterday.
Final Results:
1. The Gym - Colin Gaffney & Sara-Jane Allen (Dublin) - 20 points
2. Ardmore Adventures - Ronan O'Connor & Andrew O'Leary (Ardmore) - 17 points
3. Batman & Robin - Colin Snow & Conor Mullally (Clifden) - 15 points
4. Aptriva - Peter Sweeney & Chris Gleeson (Cork) - 13 points
5. Adventure Training Ireland - Donnchadh Mac Cobb & Carmel Guilfoyle (Dublin) - 11 points
6. Team Riverfest - Darragh & Gearoid Quaid (Limerick) - 10 points
7. Double Trouble - Aileen Mann & Temba Jere (Kinsale) - 9 points
8. Clifden Thunderkittens - Kathriona McHugh & Caitriona Staunton (Clifden) - 8 points