Nigel Hook UIM Powerboat OGP 2011 Malta Ocean Grand Prix - 2011.06.11

SilverHook GP48 seizes Silver Medal! The 1st lap of Sprint Race
Six-foot seas, white caps and up to 30 mph winds, stirred an exciting racetrack for the first two rounds of the UIM Endurance World Championship and European Championship Series.


Saturday morning practice was cut short due to untenable conditions for the safety craft in the high seas but virtually nothing stops the racing in UIM Endurance so in the afternoon even as the winds picked up, the course was set for the first round of racing starting at 4pm. A textbook start by race director Jean-Marie Van Lanker, unleashed the fleet of racers roaring down the back straightaway heading to the two 90 degree corners, Foxtrot and Golf.

The Scandinavian Offshore Challenge Team's #77 Lucas Oil accelerated to an early lead with #66 edging up on the outside as they headed into the first turn with #33 Furnibo / ING Financial hanging tight on the inside. It seemed evident Silfverberg and Hook in their new SilverHook were taking the conservative approach into the first turn and with very little test time in this newly design race boat, caution was the better part of valor.

Emerging out of the first two turns was #66 Siegfried Greve and Douglas Verbanck with #33 Frank Hemelaer and Pierre Colpin right in their rooster tail. As the pack approached the start finish line, the Sterling powered #77 Lucas Oil SOC made their move and surged to the front of the pack.

Silfverberg and Hook held the lead confidently for the first half the race until turn buoy Delta came adrift giving the second place boat #33 time to cut inside and overtake.

While attempting to regain the lead, #77 broke a trim pump losing control of their port trim tab (used to keep the boat level flying in varying seas) along with some electrical systems whose wires got tore out by the carnage. "Basically what happened was the trim motor broke off its mount due to the high G-forces while still tethered by its wires. It was lashing around in the engine compartment like a ninja nunchaku damaging everything in sight!" exclaimed driver Michael Silfverberg.

"Trim tabs on a monohull are an essential control system for flying the boat level and minimizing roll just like on an airplane", explained throttleman Nigel Hook. "Without the hydraulic tabs we lost several miles per hour and the ride became rougher as we rode more on the side" added Hook.

"Ancora in grado di prendere un secondo posto nella sua prima uscita è stata un successo enorme e il nostro post-gara ha rivelato l'ispezione dello scafo. SilverHook era totalmente senza danni, dopo una gara molto ruvida per molto tempo!" commented chief mechanic Franco Galluzzo from Rome.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• OGP
• racing
• ocean
• extreme sports
• boats
• Nigel Hook
• SilverHook
• high speed
• Silfverberg
• powerboat