Carr Mill Dam will play host to the opening round of the 2017 Powerboat GP British Championship this weekend.

Paul Balfour, the reigning Powerboat GP Champion, Colin Jelf a 3 time F2 World Champion and Matt Palfreyman last year’s UIM F2 European Silver Medalist will be competing in the F2 Class.

Palfreyman with EP Barrus support and Team Engineer Lee Allen’s ‘special spanners’ have worked extensively on his BaBa hull and Mercury Optimax engine throughout the colder months.

Palfreyman told me during a phone call on Sunday evening;

We had a very promising test at Stewartby.
Some speed has been found from our 2016 set-up and I’m quietly confident we can use the Lancashire GP as a springboard to 2017 UIM F2 World Championship success.

Colin Jelf said in a press release;

It’s been a long winter but the team have put in some really hard work to be ready for the opening round of the Powerboat GP Championship.
We’ve all got our eye on the prize and are determined to secure some silverware at Lancashire.

Ben Morse, Rob Veares and Ben Jelf will be the stronger contenders in the F4 class and with a round of the UIM F4 World Championship to be held at Stewartby at the end of June, they haven’t got too long to find International form.

The junior GT15 class 2016 Champion Thomas Mantripp will compete solely in GT30 this year, which paves the way for Harvey Smith, George Elmore, Aidan Fleet and Ethan Goodfellow to step up to the top spot.

Young Smith told me at the F1H2o race in Portimao last weekend (above right);

My preparations for this season haven’t been ideal.
I broke my leg on a skiing holiday and have been working hard to get it fit again.
The best news is that my growth plate was undamaged and I’m very keen to be taller than my dad Martyn!

Powerboat GP Promoter Luke Jones concluded;

What a better way to kick the season off than with a Bank Holiday weekend of boating action at the Lancashire GP.
The Lancashire Powerboat Racing Club provides us with a fantastic venue for our opening round at Carr Mill Dam it’s a firm favourite with the racers and crews and lends itself to some great racing and excellent viewing for spectators.
It’s been a long winter season but recent testing has shown the emergence of new boat setups and new racers.
Every racer will bring their A game to Lancashire as the first boat to the first turn means the first step towards the Championship.

• Timed practice sessions take place from 10:00 on Saturday for each class
• Racing starts at approx 12:30 on Saturday – Each class will complete at least one race
• Sunday’s racing commences on Sunday at 10:00
• The event is free for spectators