Peters & May
Greenville, NC: April 24, 2012 – Powerboat racing rookies Blake and Brock Gratton arrive in Biloxi, Mississippi, this week for “Smokin’ the Sound”, the second round of the 2012 P1 SuperStock USA Championship, aiming to build on the series points lead they achieved last time out in St. Cloud, Florida.
The twin brothers, sons of the late American powerboat ace Joey Gratton, starred on their competitive debut in the Peters & May Racing Panther 28SS boat four weeks ago with a string of podium finishes – second place in Heat One, second again in Heat Two, victory in Heat Three and third place in Heat Four.
Second in the standings ahead of the action in Biloxi this weekend, 28/29 April, is the Pier 57/Treadwell boat of Eric Treadwell and Jason Roesch which achieved two Heat wins in Florida.
Championship third, meanwhile, is held by Livorsi duo Andy Biddle and Tracy Blumenstein, the pairing having secured three podium finishes during the opening round with a best result of second place in Heat Four.
Away from the top three in the championship, the Myco Panther 28SS of Bill and Elijah Kingery is just a single point behind Livorsi while Ocala Gran Prix – piloted by Jorge De-Arellano and navigated by John Hansen – is also in the mix; each crew having taken one podium apiece in St. Cloud. De-Arellano is in only his second season of comeback action, having resumed racing in 2011 following a 15-year break.
The course to be used by P1 SuperStock USA this weekend is situated in the Gulf of Mexico, a peninsula between Biloxi Bay and the Mississippi Sound. Popular as a major tourist destination, Biloxi is famous for having the longest man-made beach in the world...some 26 miles!
Although there is plenty in the way of entertainment and recreation, including deep sea charter boat fishing, golf and intriguing floating casinos, nothing on offer in Biloxi will be quite like the action promised by the visiting stars of P1 SuperStock USA.
Interestingly, this weekend’s racing marks the second visit of the championship to Biloxi but the first as a full points scoring event – last year’s outing was only an exhibition event alongside the Offshore Super Series.
The build-up ahead of the second round of the P1 SuperStock USA Championship begins on Thursday, 26 April, with the action proper scheduled to take place on Saturday and Sunday, 28/29 April. After this weekend’s racing, visits to Pittsburgh in late June and Detroit in mid-July will be followed by the season finale at Morehead City, North Carolina, in mid-September.
