Racing driver Ben Collins, Texaco Havoline's reigning Days of Thunder Champion, attended the British P1 Powerboat Grand Prix at Brighton this weekend and sampled the power and speed of an Evolution Class boat when Anglo/Austrian Team, Wettpunkt.com, took him out for a spin.   Evolution class boats are capable of achieving up to 2000 brake horsepower and top speeds of around 90mph (145kph) on the water.  Wettpunkt.com, who won the first days race, is crewed by Miles Jennings (pilot), Ed Williams Hawkes (Navigator) and Hannes Bohinc (Throttle.)

In choppy conditions the crew took the boat up to 80mph hour with Collins on board during the pre-race warm up on Sunday 25th July: "It was an awesome experience", said Collins, "the boat spent more time in the air than in the water, it gives you a great feel for the skill of the crew. I think the biggest difference to circuit racing is simply that for us the road doesn't move around - these guys have to really race the boats with one eye on a crystal ball! Flying across the big waves was an unforgettable experience."

Collins returns to 400bhp this weekend in his Texaco Havoline Chevrolet at the Rockingham Speedway for the 7th & 8th rounds of the Days of Thunder series at Rockingham in the pursuit of further race wins. Powerboat P1 World Championship is the premier motor sport on water and is officially sanctioned by the World Governing Body, the UIM (Union Internationale Motonautique.)  Powerboat P1 Grand Prix programming is broadcast exclusively in the UK on Sky Sports.