London, 3 May, 2012 Britains only offshore jet-ski racing championship, P1 Aqua X, is gearing up for a vibrant, colourful and highly competitive 2012 with more than 20 riders confirmed before the opening round of the new season in Plymouth on 19/20 May. Featuring double the number of competitors who lined-up on the grid for the first round of the inaugural Aqua X season last year, the burgeoning championship now has three new classes 300, 250 and 200 which relate to the varying horsepower of the competing jet-skis. Heading the entry for round one in Plymouth is 2011 Elite 300 Champion Russell Marmon (Christchurch) who will pilot a Kawasaki 300 Ultra as he bids to retain the title against increasingly stiff competition. Two of Marmons friends and rivals, Kevin Ashley (Hillingdon) and Wayne Curtis (Cheshunt), will both debut in Aqua X this year in the top class with Ashley on a Kawasaki 300 Ultra and Curtis riding a Sea-Doo RXT-X 260. Jim Goodchild (Hemel Hempstead), the reigning British RYA Jetsport Ski GP Champion, will also debut in Aqua X with a Kawasaki 300 Ultra having been inspired to join the series after closely keeping tabs on the inaugural season. One of the true headline arrivals in the series this year is three-time Renault UK Clio Cup saloon car racing champion Paul Rivett (Banstead) who is bidding to be the first British sportsman to win a car racing title and a jet-ski championship in the same season. He will pilot the all-singing, all-dancing brand new Sea-Doo RXP-X 260 in the premier 300 class. Dave Huddleston (Milton Keynes), winner of the AM 300 Class last year, leads off the 250 class entry for 2012 aboard a Kawasaki Ultra 250 while Duncan Johnstone (Fareham), AM 200 Champion, will ride his trusty Yamaha FX 160 in the new 200 class. We had 11 riders across all the classes for the first round last year so to have doubled that number for the start of the new season is absolutely fantastic, said Championship Manager Lisa Barsby, We will have more joining during the year who cant commit to all of the rounds; weve had a lot of interest from racers who are planning to come in for their local events. Weve got a very strong, solid entry for the season and theres going to be a good level of competition with the returning champions and some competitive new faces to Aqua X. Weve got our Clio Cup champion of course; having Paul [Rivett] onboard is great and will add more spice. Theres going to be a lot of great racing and itll certainly be quite a spectacle - very colourful and really exciting to watch. The main challenges to Huddleston and Johnstone in their individual categories could come from Sea-Doo RXP-X 255 rider Rob Sired (Littlehampton) and Yamaha FX 160 racer Andy Steele (Southampton) respectively. Steele was the only rider to beat Johnstone at any point in 2011 while Sired is expected to be a major contender in the 250 class. The remainder of the entry list for Plymouth is as follows in the 300 Class: Lukasz Kwiatkowski (St. Albans) on a Sea-Doo RXT-X 260, Richard Cable (Drighlington) on a Kawasaki Ultra 300, Steve Robinson (Hedon, Hull) riding a Sea-Doo RXP-X 260, Tim Batte (Hinckley) on a Kawasaki Ultra 300 and Ian Moule (Markyate), the father of multiple British Freestyle Jet-Ski Champion Jack Moule. In 250, the entry is completed by: Matt Shipley (Peacehaven) aboard a Kawasaki Ultra 250, Stuart Steele (Paignton) riding a Sea-Doo RXT-X 255 and local racer Tim Cope (Plymouth) who will be bidding for plenty of hometown support during round one with his Yamaha FZR. Last, but certainly not least, the remainder of the entry in the 200 class: Adrian Wilson (Hull) on a Sea-Doo XP LTD, Ron Burgoyne (Eastbourne) riding a Yamaha GP 1300, and Yamaha FX 160 riders Shaun Marsh (Chesterfield) and Steve Hockney (Chandlers Ford). Explaining the changes to the Aqua X class structure for 2012, Lisa Barsby added: Last year we had the 200 and 300 amateur classes and then the 300 Elite. The reason we did that was to make sure none of the amateurs were put off entering the championship thinking they wouldnt have a chance against professional riders like Russell [Marmon]. The amateurs we had last year though were of a very high standard, so theres no need to separate them in the same way in 2012. We found it was more important to create a 250 class for this year which will mean more emphasis on riding skill across all the classes. Aqua X is still developing so we dont want to be too rigid in what were doing but were confident the new class structure is going to work very well. As well as the three class champions at the end of the year, we will award a Rookie of the Year so theres a great deal to play for. Its going to be an outstanding; were all incredibly excited and cant wait for Plymouth. Round one of the P1 Aqua X Championship in Plymouth a fortnight from now, taking place over the weekend 19/20 May, will be accompanied by the P1 SuperStock Championship Britains number one powerboat racing series.
