There is yet another ambitious sports series hoping to follow in the footsteps of the successful Indian Premier League. The organisers of the P1 Powerboat World Championship are set to unveil a six-team series near Mumbai’s iconic India Gate in a couple of months. Talks are already on for selling the franchisees to the Indian business czars and bollywood stars.
United Breweries’ poster boy Siddhartha Mallya has reportedly shown interest in buying a team after meeting with P1 Powerboat chairman Asif Rangoonwala, also known as the Bernie Ecclestone of water sport. Actor Sunil Shetty, a big fan of water sport, is also believed to be a potential franchisee owner. Mumbai’s sports management company Procam International is likely to be the local promoters.
The name of the series is P1 Superstock India and it will feature six teams - Mumbai, Kochi, Goa, Chennai, Vizag and Kolkata — in the inaugural edition that is likely to take place in October later this year.
It will not be Mumbai’s first tryst with Powerboats as the city had successfully hosted the F1 Powerboat World Championship race in March, 2004.
The organisers have already sought clearance from Western Naval Command base to conduct the event at the coast of Marine drive.
As man and machine gear up against one of nature’s most testing elements, the sea, P1 Powerboat is considered the third pillar of motorsport alongside four and two-wheel racing. P1 Powerboat is the world’s fastest-growing marine motorsport series and has eight years’ experience in delivering more than 85 world championship races in 12 different countries.