This weekend 14^th & 15^th June, The Zapcat National Championship is heading to WatergateBay in Newquay for the first of two visits.

For Rounds 5 & 6 of the 2008 Zapcat National Championship the Gods were shining down on us and gave us sun and surf for the Bournemouth Grand Prix. The sun helped pull the spectators out and Bournemouth’s beaches were lined with people watching the action from the Zapcat National Championship.

Cromer proved a fantastic new venue for the Zapcat National Championship when Rounds 7 and 8 of the 2008 series took place in Cromer on 26 and 27 July, the first time the world's largest one design powerboat series has visited Norfolk.

The world’s largest one design powerboat series flies into Bournemouth next weekend (Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 August) for the penultimate Grand Prix of the 2008 Zapcat National Championship season.

Zapcat HQ can finally confirm the last venue that makes up the 2008 Zapcat National Championship as Cromer in North Norfolk.

The 2008 Zapcat National Championship roars into Cromer next weekend as the resort plays host to the fourth Grand Prix of the 2008 season in the world’s largest one-design powerboat series. For the first time in the competition’s history two days of high octane racing are set to unfold against the backdrop of one of Norfolk’s most attractive seaside resorts.

The final Grand Prix of the 2008 Zapcat National Championship Season will take place at Watergate Bay, near Newquay in Cornwall on 19 and 20 September and the battle for the title is set to go down to the wire.

Just 6 months ago Nathan Parker of Southampton experienced first hand the thrill of Zapcat racing when he attended an experience day with Southampton Zapcat specialists Vortex Racing.

As he turned up for his experience day he had no idea that his Christmas present from his girlfriend would see him co-piloting in the World’s largest one design powerboat championship.

It was drama all the way in the final rounds of the 2008 Zapcat National Championship against the backdrop of the stunning Watergate Bay, Newquay, in Cornwall. With first and second places in the championship separated by just 30 points, as the racers arrived the scene was set for two thrilling days of Zapcat Racing in which the title race would not be decided until the closing moments of the season’s racing.

Last weekend saw the 2008 Zapcat National Champions Pegasus Vortex Racing head the to the annual RYA Powerboat Racing Awards Ceremony, at the De Vere Royal Bath to receive their 2008 Trophy.

Pegasus Vortex racing won the Championship back in September but Pilot Mick Pritchard had not been presented with the Zapcat Championship Trophy at the time as he was hospitalized following a broken back from the Friday’s racing at Watergate Bay.

As all the Champions from the sport gathered to receive their accolades from the year’s racing, amongst them were World Champion Powerboat P1 Evolution Driver James Sheppard, and World F2 Champion Colin Jelf, and offshore World Class 3C champion Navigator Peter Phillipson..

Blue Sheets Racing is pleased to announce sponsorship of 3 teams in this years’ Zapcat UK Championship.

Heading up the pack is boat 03 piloted by Craig Davis and co-piloted by Rob Martin.  Third placed last season and runners-up in 2007 along with claiming top spot in the Southern Championship, this will be the team to watch.

Craig and Rob have raced for almost 5 years, gaining places and experience in each and now feel ready to battle it out for the top spot.

This weekend will see the Worlds largest Offshore Powerboat Championship head to Bournemouth’s sandy beaches for the inaugural round of the 2009 Zapcat National Championship, The Tohatsu Bournemouth Grand Prix.

Around 30 Zapcat Teams from all over the country will head to Bournemouth’s beautiful West beach as the season battle commences.

Bournemouth is the perfect location for the feisty inflatable catamarans providing unpredictable and constantly changing conditions; as well as a perfect viewing for fans and spectators as all the action happens right next to the beach and pier giving a full view of the entire course.

In just 5 days Zapcat Racers will be faced with the might of Mother Nature as the 2009 National Championship heads to the mecca of Zapcat surf racing; Watergate Bay.

Not only do they have to contend with the other competitors but they also do battle with the mighty Atlantic swells that Watergate Bay is famous for.

June the 13th & 14th will see Watergate Bay host rounds three and four of the National Championship, these will also count as the first two rounds of the King of Surf contest. A highly coveted title that is often more sought after than the National title.

Two times reigning National Champion and King of Surf Mick Pritchard gives us a round up on what the teams could face and who he thinks will cope in the conditions.

Sunday was met with more of the same glorious conditions that the feisty Zapcats excel in and with two teams opting out for the days racing 23 Zapcats lined up for the thrills and spills ahead.

Cornish team Doyster Blue Sheets Racing Zapcat 73 got off to a strong start in Division 2 and took four wins out of their 5 heats in the day, unfortunately getting caught out by a wave in the fifth and flipping their Zapcat. In addition Team Championship Team Relentless 2; Dangerous Brothers Zapcat 74 and Nine Lives Zapcat 35 were battling strong to take top 2 positions in most of their heats.

Blue Sheets Racing 1, Zapcat 03 continued their domination of the 2009 season taking another 5 heat wins in division one. Although several of the division one teams were pilling on the pressure including Team Speedy Hire, Zapcat 38 Daren Ford and the youngest co-pilot in the championship Sam Hunka.

Bournemouth’s bustling beaches played host to round 5 of the Zapcat National championship today, and as hoards of people descended on the beach 26 teams lined up to do battle.
 
Conditions were perfect with blue skies and an onshore breeze producing Bournemouth’s famous chop to make racing that little bit more interesting for the teams. Organisers introduced a tactical course that would mean that flat out speed would not be enough racers had to think about when to take a tactical pit lap to get the clean water and hopefully take the lead.
 
In division 2’s heats Nine Lives, Zapcat 35 from Cornwall Charlie Brickle and Adam Bushrod got off to a storming start dominating their heats along with Seavation Zapcat 10, Alex Jordan and David Pay.

The Zapcat season started off in style this weekend as 28 teams and thousands of people descended on Bournemouth’s beaches for The Tohatsu Bournemouth Grand Prix and to enjoy the summer’s perfect weather.

The new points system, which was announced at the start of the season, provided some interesting movements between divisions after Saturdays racing with 4 teams gaining promotion to Division 1. Also entering into the top division for the days racing were the formidable 3 times champions Martin Wilcox and Will Evans in Zapcat 04 Wet Willy 2: Wilcox and Evans who are both employed by Tohatsu decided to make a late entry into the Tohatsu Grand Prix although they will not be competing in the full season.

We’re now just a day away from the final event of the Zapcat National Championship 2009, and I know it gets said every year but this years looks set to be the closest run contest yet.

Ok, so it looks like but Bluesheets Racing 1 Zapcat 03, Craig Davis and Rob Martin have closed the door on the rest of the teams catching them but as last year taught us, at Watergate anything can happen and usually does and with 200 points still up for grabs they could still be caught.

The real battle will be for 2nd & 3rd positions with less than 100 points separating current positions 2nd – 6th in the championship these two positions will be a tightly fought contest with each team still having everything to play for.

As we head towards the winter months we do at least have 2010 and the Anniversary of a decade of Zapcat Racing to look forward to.

It is time to announce some of our very exciting plans for the forthcoming year with one of the most comprehensive calendars ever!

We will be mixing up lots of racing with some fun events too!

The feedback that we have received to date is pretty much unanimous, it has been a difficult, hectic but very successful year, with some great innovations, new venues and a real buzz about next year and that the season finished way too soon!

Braehead welcomed Zapcat Racing with braw weather and awesome crowds, as 20 teams took part in the 3rd  Round of the Zapcat Celtic Cup and the inaugural round of the Home Nations Championship. The strong tidal pull of the Clyde and cross winds on the river was creating some flighty conditions for the racers as they took their National colours in a home nations battle.

Marin Subsea/Delta Jets, Zapcat 09 Pilot Ashley Chappell and Chris Rex racing for Scotland under their sponsors flag were flying from the word go and looked like an unstoppable team as they carried on their lead in the Celtic Cup.

The Zapcat Racing National Championship was decided today at Round 13 of at Watergate Bay, Newquay.  Zapcat 03, BlueSheets Racing 1 Craig Davis and Rob Martin were favourites to take the championship going into the penultimate event and securing a place in the days final would cinch the deal.

Team Relentless got off to a storming start, with Zapcat 77, Exe Jets Rob Wickham and Graham Hay were taking high finishes in their heats along with Relentless –Nine Lives, Zapcat 35 Charlie Brickle and Adam Bushrod in their respective divisions.

Zapcat 38, Speedy Hire Daren Ford and Sam Hunka were storming away in their heats with Zapcat 25, Rana Park Neil Fraser and Jeremy Nazarin, fighting out with the second and third places in the championship still in contention.

Saturday saw the final round of the 2009 Zapcat National Championship at Watergate Bay in Newquay.

22 boats competed for the final points in their championship campaigns, Friday’s racing had seen Zapcat 03 BlueSheets Racing 1 Craig Davis and Rob Martin secure enough points to take them clear and uncatchable making them the 2009 Champions.

But with the King of Surf title still up for grabs and 2nd and 3rd still undecided tensions were high heading into Saturdays racing as teams were working out what results were required for them to achieve their final goals.

#3, Blue Sheets Racing 1,  Craig Davis (21) and Robert Martin (21) have been crowned the 2009 Zapcat National Champions, making them the youngest champions in the contests 9 years.

Davis started racing in 2005 and it wasn’t long before he teamed up with Martin to produce a formidable young team in the World’s Largest One Design Powerboat Championship. In 2007 they secured second place in the championship and in 2008 third narrowly missing the top spot on both occasions.

When the Green flag dropped at Bournemouth in May for the beginning of the 2009 campaign, it looked like it may finally be their year as they took wins in every heat, both days finals and the first Grand Prix title of the season. A long winter of training saw the youngsters on top of their game and leading the championship from day one.

This weekend sees Zapcat Racing head to Plymouth for the first time in 9 years of racing. Plymouth has played host to the likes of Class 1 and the Honda Formula 4-Stroke association always seeming to favour the larger Offshore classes, but now it’s our turn. - Never will Plymouth have seen so much close up action or so many races during 2 days.

Plymouth will provide a perfect location for spectators of the sport as the Hoe provides an awesome natural amphitheatre looking down on the racing from a superb angle, and it’s sheer rock faces and swells could bring some interesting racing conditions for the Zapcat competitors.

Zapcat Racing was met with wet and windy conditions as the World’s largest one design powerboat championship came to Plymouth. 25 Zapcat teams made the trip to Plymouth waterfront to compete in Rounds 7 & 8 of the Zapcat National Championship.
 
Onshore winds were providing a choppy swell in the Sound which may prove to create interesting conditions for the racers if the wind picked up more.

As the days racings got underway L&O Meats, Zapcat 75 had drafted in local Royal Marine Ryan Allingham to drive for co-pilot Martin Jerome with his normal pilot unavailable. Ryan who was unable to race the full season due to work commitments this year showed his usual formidable racing skills as they progressed through the division 2 heats securing a strong place in the days final.

Zapcat Racing brought the action to Barry Island today and despite the wet and windy conditions spectators turned out in force to catch the action.

With ever changing conditions racers were faced with constant swells and relentless wind. Local team Westgate Zapcat 28, Pilot Charles Morris and Co-pilot Ed Morris were looking to make the most in familiar waters to make up for a poor result at the last event in Plymouth.

Smart ABC, Zapcat 07, Pilot Dave Paget and Tony Cooper dominated the division 2 heats with Welsh pilot Charlie Brickle in Nine Lives, Zapcat 35 and Stepson Adam Bushrod piling on the pressure.

After a 3 year absence Zapcat Racing the World’s largest one design powerboat championship returns to Scottish waters as they head Edinburgh for the Edinburgh Zapcat Grand Prix on the 22nd & 23rd August.

Racing at Leith Docks, Edinburgh will see the National Championship head to another brand new racing location for the series as they battle it out during rounds 11 & 12 of the 14 round championship.

The feisty little catamarans will put on a spectacular show for the people of Edinburgh as they battle it out over two days in 16 heats of racing for the title of Edinburgh Zapcat Grand Prix winners.

Twenty Zapcat teams took the high road to Edinburgh for rounds 11 & 12 of the Zapcat National Championship today. They were greeted by Scottish sunshine, gusting winds and superb crowds creating fantastic conditions for the inaugural Edinburgh Zapcat Grand Prix.

Rookie Championship leaders in division 2 travelled from Southampton for the Grand Prix, Certain Death, Zapcat 21 pilot Luke Wills and Kevin Lott were determined to turn up their championship campaign after their long journey.

Back in May a team of Vortex instructors and Zapcat competitors headed to Skye in Scotland to be part of the Drambuie Pursuit ’09.

The Drambuie Pursuit is an adventure race through the Scottish Highlands celebrating the gallant flight of Bonnie Prince Charlie, for whom the secret recipe for Drambuie was created in 1745.

Participants climb, bike, canoe and archer their way through the 100-mile one-day event, paddling across the River Ness and tracing the steps of the prince when he was defeated at the Battle of Culloden.

Due to yet another large influx of rookies in to the ever growing world of Zapcat Racing. We will again be running Zapcat Clinics for all those seeking to get the most out of their Zapcat.

Clipper Ventures Plc the owner of Zapcat Racing Ltd has made the decision to sell Zapcat Racing Ltd. Clipper has seen Zapcat Racing grow since 2001 to be the largest one-design powerboat racing class in the world.

Venues are still being confirmed for 2009 and the Zapcat National Championship will be business as usual so for all you racers out there get your Zapcats out the garage and get onto the water for some pre-season training.