Triumphant Blastoff Racing team appeared at Southampton Boat Show with Barrus and Yanmar

Published on: 20/09/2016

Yanmar engines lived up to their reputation for rugged reliability as they helped the Blastoff Racing Team to cross the line in second place overall in the World’s Toughest Offshore Powerboat race.

The Blastoff Racing Team of Dorian Griffith, Shelley Jory-Leigh and Will Stevens entered the Cowes Classic 2016 with a dream to finish the race but the outcome far exceeded their expectations.

The Fountain is a 38ft powerboat which was up against 13 other UIM Marathon boats in this challenging 190 nautical mile race, and with force 7 winds whipping up 13-19 foot seas it turned out to be more of an endurance than a race.

With other teams experiencing technical issues and the conditions proving too tough for many, the only 2 to make it back to Cowes were eight-time UIM Class World Champion Steve Curtis in the higher-powered Cougar 46 finishing in first place with Blastoff Racing achieving second. Blastoff’s average speed was just 37.43mph showing just how bad the conditions were.

It was an amazing achievement for the Blastoff Team. Dorian Griffith not only finished the race which he had been striving for since 2008, but he proudly stood on the second step of the podium. His driver Shelley Jory-Leigh, British Powerboat Champion and BBC Radio Solent presenter, became the highest placed British lady competitor in the history of the race, only Betty Cook from America went one better in 1980. Will Stevens, the teams travelling engineer from Barrus, Yanmar’s UK distributor, achieved one of the most thrilling and exciting experiences of his life.

The Fountain powerboat has twin Yanmar 6LY2A-STP 440hp turbo diesel engines. Arneson surface drives and stainless steel surface piercing propellers are also fitted with the potential to deliver speeds in excess of 90mph in racing conditions.

The Blastoff Team appeared with the Fountain powerboat at Southampton Boat Show on Monday 19^th September at 11.00am on the Marina M152.

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