Sunseeker Challenger being recovered after the Fiat Powertrain Technologies-engined boat flipped over and sank during pre Powerboat P1 race testing in Marseilles last month.

Fiat Powertrain Technologies-powered Powerboat P1 SuperSport class outfit Team Sunseeker are aiming to have their #11 Sunseeker Challenger boat back on the water in time for the Tunisian Grand Prix of the Sea in Hammamet on 11-13 July.

The British Sunseeker team was forced to miss the Grand Prix de Marseille (23-25 May) after the #11 Sunseeker Challenger flipped and sunk during pre-event testing, and Sunseeker has also had to sit out this weekend's third round of the 2008 Powerboat P1 World Championship, the Grand Prix of Malta (8-8 June).

The boat has now been recovered and returned to Sunseeker’s base in Poole in the UK for repairs. "We have a challenge ahead of us but with the quality and character within the Sunseeker organization, and with the support of our partners, we are determined to bounce back and be up there at the front of the field as soon as possible," Dominic Byrne, Managing Director of Sunseeker Sales Group said.
 
"The Fiat Powertrain Technologies engines have been removed and stripped down and the electrics are in the process of being replaced. Whilst there was significant impact and water damage, the hull and superstructure proved to be remarkably robust. It is a credit to the composite and design teams at Sunseeker that a barrel roll at more than 70mph has resulted in no more than a few repairable surface cracks."

Pilot Andy Wilby, who remained in the boat as throttleman Pete Little was thrown clear, has talked more of the accident and how it happened. "The water was choppy and as I turned-in we picked up off a wave," explains Wilby. "Normally that's not a problem, but as we were in the air a gust of wind caught us and turned the boat at an angle. It skipped off the wave a couple of times, but then dug in and flipped."
 
"I was still holding on to the wheel, trying to steer. It was like being in a washing machine until I was just ripped out of the boat. It all happened so quickly there was no time to think or panic. Afterwards I realised how lucky I was - how lucky we both were. We're sore and have cuts and bruises, but it could have been a lot worse. It was only when I got out of the water that I noticed one leg of my race suit had been torn off. Our helmets did their job and the treatment we received was brilliant."
 
"Our frustration was that we had to watch the racing instead of being out there. The boat had been running well and we were looking good for a possible podium. That just rubbed salt in the wound."