Drew Langdon is probably better known to most followers of powerboat racing for competing in top flight Offshore Racing competition with his Outerlimits, Fountain and FB Design hulls.

However, the chartered architect and commercial property developer has plenty of experience in racing small mono hulls in circuit racing and is looking forward to competing in the inaugural Asia Powerboat Race that will be held over the weekend of November 9-11.

Langdon’s love of circuit racing came from watching his father, Alan:

My father was a works driver for the Johnson Circuit racing team and raced all over Europe when I was a small child and I went to many of the powerboat races and helped my father when I could.
I was also a lap scorer and progressed on to become a time keeper at our local Racing club from about the age of 12.
I remember competing on the River Exe and then later at the Cotswold Motorboat Racing Club when I was studying.

He started racing as a teenager:

I have been racing since I was 19 and I still have my second circuit racing boat that I raced then!
It is a Bristol mono hull which I still race at my local club events.

Sadly, Alan Langdon lost his life in a flying accident a year before his son’s racing debut:

Dad and I were very close.
I used to fly with him and enjoyed the navigation which in those days I used charts and two navigation beacon systems, there were no SatNav systems then!
It was just by chance I didn’t fly with him on the day of the accident.

2018 Offshore Racing success for Langdon – Photo: Nicholas William Clegg

Langdon’s 2018 Offshore Racing season gave him everything he has striven for in the sport, the Harmsworth Trophy, the Marathon World Championship and a win at Cowes that has eluded him for so long.

The 26th of August this year was a ‘Good day at the Office’!
It was pretty amazing to finally win at Cowes, I had stood on the podium a good few times, but never on the top step.

Langdon (left) with co-driver Miles Jennings with the Harmsworth Trophy Photo: Malc Attrill

The modest racer now heads to the Far East:

I am very much looking forward to racing at Hong Kong having raced all over Europe and the Middle East but never the Far East.

Langdon will be swapping his Outerlimits with 1984 horse power for a brand new 4.55 m long hull that will be powered by a Tohatsu 50 hp motor that has been built in China and designed by Naval Architect John Guille for the Asian Series.

I do like the the T850 hulls ‘the go kart’ of the sea.
The Asian Series is interesting with a completely new design of hull and all boats having the same specification should give some very close and exciting racing.

The competitors from many different countries will also add some spice to the circuit.

In all there are a lot of ingredients which will make for a very exciting weekend of racing.

Top Photo: Mike Powell