Marine electronics manufacturer Raymarine has announced it is to be an Official Sponsor of the Powerboat P1 World Championship 2006. The company will be Official Technical Supplier for Navigation Technical Control and Marine Communications Equipment.

In the deal Portsmouth-based Raymarine will also renew its Official Sponsor status at the Cowes Powerboat Festival (25 – 27 August) and the Powerboat P1 British Grand Prix (26 – 27 August) which is also taking place in Cowes. The company is providing a permanent supply of navigation and electronics systems for eight boats. This includes Raymarine’s C70 Multi-Function Display, a singlescreen information hub giving complete navigation and control data, with ST60 repeaters, with external GPS data provided through Raymarine’s RS125 antenna. All these products are designed to withstand the particularly harsh and brutal conditions demanded by the P1 powerboats, racing offshore at top speeds.

Fiona Pankhurst, International Marketing Communications Manager at Raymarine, said, “Raymarine is delighted to sponsor the Powerboat P1 World Championship this year as it is such an exciting and exhilarating series of world class events. The action-packed nature of the Powerboat P1 World Championship means it is sure to appeal to audiences all over the world. The races take place in areas close to some of our key distributors, with retailers and dealers also located nearby, and it is great to get the whole Raymarine family involved in such spectacular events.”

The Powerboat P1 World Championship is a fresh, dynamic, lifestyle sport where talented racers demonstrate daring and great skill as they take on the might of the open seas in a series of closelyfought endurance races. There are six grand prix races taking place throughout the summer ending in Portugal on 1 October.

Martin McDonald, Commercial Director of KBL Powerboat Management Ltd, the global rights holders and promoters of P1 said: “Raymarine is a renowned and respected global brand and this decision to further develop our relationship is based upon sound business judgement for the association of their brand with the leading brand World Championship motorsport on water, the Powerboat P1 series. We are working with Raymarine to develop sales and marketing initiatives around their investment in P1, including Exhibition Zones presence at P1 Grand Prix events and the sponsoring of the P1 Radio which is an integral part of the success of our British Grand Prix at the Cowes Powerboat Festival.

In addition Raymarine are providing valuable satellite technology equipment that is helping in the continuous development control of the rules of the sport.”