Mark Niemann has revealed the major differences between racing in the Powerboat P1 World Championship compared to the other championship in which he competes.

Following a stint racing in Powerboat P1, 2008 saw Niemann compete in the  Formula Honda 4-Stroke Championship. Earlier, this year the Hamburg-born driver was part of the first foreign team to win a race in the British-based series.

"The biggest difference between racing in these different championships is that in a Honda boat I am doing the driving, trim and throttle. That means I am pretty much concentrating solely on the driving while my partner in the cockpit concentrates on the navigation.

"In a Powerboat P1 boat, my team-mate Gino [Passchier] was on the throttles which is no problem for me as we have worked well together in the past but I also have to do the navigation as well as the driving. Furthermore, visibility can be hampered by being in a closed cockpit."

Niemann sees positive aspects on both Powerboat P1 and the Formula Honda 4-Stroke Championship, for whom he races alongside compatriots Ronny Steudel and Simone Shuft in the Power Of Dreams hull.

"Obviously, the Honda series only has races in the United Kingdom so there is already a big difference in the venues.

"But the biggest point for me is that the Honda is a one design series that means everyone is racing the boats and engines - so it more a question of good driving than the technical aspects. Trust me, even when we are going a bit slower it is still really hard racing!

"It was interesting to see how the [Cranefields Wine] Falcon 40 was handling the race conditions in Italy. As you saw from the PowerPole, I felt really good in the boat and the balance was great. The teamwork with Gino was perfect which allowed for us to push the boat to the limit from the first moment."

Alongside Passchier in the Cranefields Wine boat, Niemann helped the team to its best placing of the season in Italy - a fourth place in the Sprint race, which leaves the Searex Racing Project team in sixth place on 205 points in the Evolution-class standings.

Log-on to the website next week for more on our exclusive, in-depth interview with Mark Niemann as he reviews his return to the Powerboat P1 World Championship, how he sees Cranefields Wine performing for the rest of the season, and why he wants a Grand Prix of the Sea to return to Germany in the future.