Richard Carr – throttleman of the #69 Honeyparty.com boat – has said that he knew it was only a matter of time before the British-based crew won their first Powerboat P1 race. The new-for-2008 Evolution class outfit easily won Saturday’s Sprint race for the Vigo Grand Prix of the Sea, beating the dominant #99 Fountain Worldwide 1st4boats.com team in the process.

The #69 Honeyparty.com team has repeatedly shown blinding speed since joining the Powerboat P1 paddock at the start of the season, but has also suffered appalling luck with its surprise podium finish in Malta its only points-scoring finish after a series of technical problems.

“We had to turn the corner sooner or later,” said a delighted Carr as he celebrated his win. “A lot of work has gone into the boat this year, and we always knew – based on the speed of the boat – that a victory would come sooner or later. The boat ran like an absolute dream.”