Robe continues its “Working with Winners’ initiative through 2016, sponsoring the
Quantum Racing team and their boat “Quantum’ for the 2016 P1 UK SuperStock
powerboat racing championship – among the world’s most exciting and action-
packed international marine water sports.

Quantum P1 pilot-navigators Vin Burdock and John Donnelly also currently hold the
National and World Water Speed Records for the Panther P1 race boat class –
established last year at Coniston Water in Cumbria during Records Week. They
smashed the previous record set in 2013 – and were awarded a silver star from the
RYA Powerboat division.

With the first P1 UK Championship race of 2016 completed in Scarborough last
weekend, despite the first day being cancelled due to bad weather, Burdock &
Donnelly’s fast and furious performance round the course for the two races on
Sunday put them on the podium and currently sharing the championship lead!

The serendipitous meeting of Robe and Quantum Racing happened last year via an R
“n’ D project, when Robe UK’s MD Mick Hannaford met Burdock, a rising star of the
sport who made his P1 SuperStock debut in 2015 – taking the podium after only his
second ever P1 race! This led to Robe officially backing Quantum for the 2016
season.

There are five more UK P1 Championship race meetings throughout the summer –
including at Gosport, Cardiff and Bournemouth.

Burdock’s winning streak continued through the 2015 season, and as his piloting
skills developed, he attracted serious attention from the aficionados of the sport,
leading to the team-up with Donnelly Donnelly as navigator who piloted a rival boat
last year!

The two are a great combination. Donnelly brings a decade of experience and
engineering excellence to Burdock’s massive enthusiasm for the sport, his natural
talent as a pilot … and his willingness to learn.

Burdock also collected the “P1 Rookie of the Year’ award in 2015 and was awarded
“Best Newcomer’ in powerboat racing by organising body, the RYA Powerboat
division … setting the bar extremely high for 2016!

“Quantum’ is a 28ft long P1 Panther race boat. She weighs 1650 kilos – all boats are
identical in structure – and is based on a 2010 design that was developed, tried and
tested in the harshest conditions. She is powered by the Evinrude 250HO ETEC
engine.

This even playing field for the boats puts all the emphasis for winning P1
SuperStock races on the skills and teamwork of the pilot and navigator to negotiate
the different courses in various conditions getting the optimum out of their vessels
and pushing them to the max.

At the end of the 2016 season Burdock, Donnelly and Quantum will return to
Coniston Water and attempt to beat their own World Water Speed Record.