Next month the Ma On Shan Promenade in Hong Kong will get its first taste of powerboat racing and it will host the inaugural Asia Powerboat Championship.

The event which will be supported by the Hong Kong Tourist Association, will be held over the weekend of November 9-11 and will be organised by Martin Lai, Jacky Kong and Mark Tribe from Asia Powerboat Development Ltd.

Brand new 4.55 m long hulls that will be powered by Tohatsu 50 hp motors have been built in China and have been especially designed by Naval Architect John Guille for the Asian Series.

Guille is of course well known in powerboat racing circles, he incorporated stepped ventilation to the bottom of a conventional Phantom 19 hull and used the 2014 UIM 3A World Championship in Guernsey as a testing ground for the new incarnation.

A few short days later, he was crowned World Champion, since then, the hull design has taken UIM Gold and Silver medals in World and European Championships.

Guille told me this morning:

I was given the brief in 2017 to design a hull that ticked a number of boxes, safety being the overriding factor.

The boat had to be suitable for a small course inshore race and Offshore Racing with a cockpit that offered excellent protection for the pilot.

When I pushed the designer from the Channel Island of Sark on some of the new hull design features, he replied:

I don’t want to give away too many tricks!

Powerboat Racing World will be reporting on the build-up to the event, featuring the drivers and organisers and covering the race from Hong Kong.

Photo: © Guy Nowell / asiapowerboat.org