In an exclusive interview with PRW Rankin shared his plans for the UIM Class 1 World Championships and announced that following a successful meeting with The Hon. Kenneth Bryan, Minister of Tourism & Transport of the Cayman Islands they are all set to host a round of the World Championship in September 2023 based at the world famous Seven Mile Beach corridor.

As a kid I lived my dreams through the pages of books at the book stand in the supermarket. Now I am at the heels of one of my dreams and in full control of its reality representing the Cayman Islands at one of the largest offshore power boat racing events in the world with some of the fastest boats on the planet.

Rankin’s love with powerboat racing came about through his friendship with Andreas Ove Ugland, the 64-year-old Norwegian shipping magnate and investment banker whose offshore racing exploits won him both the Beaverbrook and Needles trophies in a phenomenally successful career.

When Ugland retired from international racing he brought that passion to Cayman when he founded the ‘Million Dollar Poker Run,’ an event that Rankin actually won the last time it took place. Two years ago, Ugland died after a short illness, two days before his 65th birthday.

Although an extremely rich man, worth hundreds of millions, he contributed immensely to local charities and worthy causes. He was a patron of various charities and institutions in Cayman, including the National Gallery. He was also well renowned as a classic car collector, and creator of the Cayman Motor Museum in West Bay. Outside the museum sits a Buzzi built Pro Vee hull that was raced by Christian Zaborowski.

Just recently Uglands wife Natalie introduced Rankin to the Zabo Racing Team owner Jan Zaborowski, Christian’s father, who was looking sell his team along with the ex-Fazza boat from Dubai’s Victory Team that had been running in the colours of Zabo Racing.

Rankin together with Jason Butcher purchased the team. Butcher did not hesitate at the opportunity to invest in a boat racing team that would allow him the opportunity of placing the Cayman Islands on the sports tourism stage. Rankin spoke about future plans that they have for the team.

We chose to call the new team 345 Racing as it’s a cornerstone brand in the Cayman and for the 2023 season it will become a two-boat team competing at the world championships. We are now planning to train local drivers to race the boat. I have spoken to our driver Miles Jennings, and he has agreed to help teach them and literally get them up to speed.

When Powerboat P1 CEO Azam Rangoonwala spoke about the prospect of racing in the Cayman Islands he said,

The opportunity to race internationally is extremely attractive to Powerboat P1. The heritage of UIM Class 1 is truly global and it has always been our intention to look further afield whilst maintaining a strong presence in the USA.

Round Two of the 2022 UIM Class 1 Offshore World Championships takes place at the P1 Offshore Sarasota Grand Prix over the July 4 weekend celebrations.

The P1 AquaX Cayman Islands National Tour 2022 will feature P1 AquaX Pro and Am Endurance classes with events at South Sound Beach at the southwestern tip of the island and Seven Mile Beach (see below) just north of George Town. The new partnership with P1 AquaX will enable one Pro rider and one Am rider from the tour to qualify for the P1 AquaX  World Championship taking place in the Bahamas this November.

CIWA President Chris Bodden said.

This new partnership is extremely exciting and is a significant achievement for motorsports in the Cayman Islands. We began discussions with P1 AquaX in 2019 but unfortunately Covid put everything on pause. That’s why we’re so delighted to be unveiling plans for this year’s National Tour in partnership with them. We have a superb season lined up at our two venues and we know that personal watercraft racing has a bright future in Cayman

South Sound, (see below) the home of pwc racing in the Cayman Islands, with a designated watersports zone within the reef, will host two National Tour events.

It’s an ideal venue for pwc racing with a beautiful beach and boardwalk that is easily accessible to spectators. Our Tour sponsors are extremely important and include the Cayman Islands Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage.

Powerboat P1’s CEO Azam Rangoonwala commented.

Strategic partnerships are at the heart of our business and when we launched AquaX more than a decade ago the aim was to appeal to recreational riders and attract new racers by making the racing affordable and east to enter. We are delighted that the Cayman Islands will become part of our international schedule and we look forward to welcoming two riders from the National Tour to our World Championship at the Atlantis later this year. We very much hope that this is just the start of our new relationship with CIWA.

As many as thirty riders are expected to compete in the National Tour, including the defending Pro and Am champions.

Yamaha GP1800R rider Matthew Panton (25) will face tough competition in the Pro class with former national champions returning to racing.

The reigning Am champion Tyler Watler on his Yamaha FX SVHO will need to demonstrate the determination and consistency that brought him success last year.

Powerboatracingworld.com spoke to Jan Zaborowski tonight, and he said :

We fully support the UIM/APBA Class 1 Series organized by P1 Offshore starting off in Cocoa Beach in May this year. With a slight change of crew, the red boat will return to the series. Our regular Throttleman Miles Jennings will be companied by two new Drivers from the Cayman Islands, swapping the helm between the events

The new drivers on Zabo Racing 91

Mario Rankin

Mr. Mario Rankin, born and raised in the Cayman Islands is the head of MDR Consulting which is involved in several development projects in the Cayman Islands.

He is also a car and boat enthusiast having competed in local events and has a strong desire to get international powerboat racing arriving at Cayman Islands.

Mr. Jason Butcher, born and raised in Canada, arrived in Cayman Island in 2002 and have since become a Permanent Resident involved in getting several events started within various sporting activities often related to motors in the air, on land and at sea.

He is now focused on the possibility of bringing Class 1 to the Cayman Islands by joining Mario Rankin in the Zabo Racing Team

The rig is fully prepared with twin Mercury 1100 hp engines and the whole rig has been carefully maintained during the interval when racing was not possible.

Mr. Jan Zaborowski will still be connected with the team and together with a carefully selected crew secure the running and maintenance of the boat during the racing calendar.

The Class 1 legendary team owner, Jan Zaborowski who turns 70 in March, and felt it was time to have new team owners, and he told Powerboatracingworld.com tonight that :

We are looking forward to develope the team under new ownership, and who knows, maybe someday soon we can see a Class 1 race at Cayman Islands. That would be a dream

New owners of Team Zabo from Cayman Islands

Jason Butcher

Jason Butcher is a Permanent Resident of Cayman who first came to the islands in 2002. He is an entrepreneur and investor in many local and international buisnesses.

He has started many ventures that has brought the local community together from being involved with several community support programs from the Cayman Flying Club to community fareming project to Cayman Super Car Club and the Cayman Auto Assosiation to mentoring young Caymanians and so much more.

Although he is originally from Canada and has come and gone several times over the years, he has called Cayman his home from the very first time he arrived in Cayman in 2002. Jason is also a sports competitor at heart and did not hesitate at the opportunity to invest in a boatracing team that would allow him to compete on such a high level but also allowed him to represent the place he now calls home placing the Cayman Islands on the sports turism stage.

Mario Rankin

Born and raised in the Cayman Islands, Mario Rankin is an entrepreneur, buisnessman, and activist for a sustainable Cayman.

With over 20 years expiriance in buisness formation, operations, and managment he is the buisness ovener of the MDR Consulting witch is a firm that consults for various development projects in the Cayman Islands.

He is also a car and boat enthusiast and has competed in previous offshore boat races in the Cayman Islands witch is why he thought this unique opportunity to participate on the international boat racing level would elevate the Cayman Island Sports Tourism on the global stage, something the Cayman Islands has been discussing for many years.

Mario personally feels that this is a great opportunity to be a sports ambassador to help pioneer the very first international sporting event in the Cayman Islands.