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Cayman joins top powerboat circuit

Sports 19 May, 2022 1 Comments Follow News

Cayman joins top powerboat circuit

Rankin is fulfilling a boyhood dream

Cayman joins top powerboat circuit

Cayman's 345Racing is making waves as the international powerboat racing season starts this weekend. 345Racing has secured a place in this year’s Union Internationale Motonautique Class 1 World Championship at venues around the United States. The team and boats are based in Florida and will make their inaugural splash in the first of a series of races in Cocoa Beach starting Friday until Sunday.

Mario Rankin is the Caymanian businessman and powerboat racing enthusiast heading the 345Racing team. Rankin is leading a new drive to place Cayman amongst the elite in international powerboat racing.

Ultimately, the goal is to bring the excitement of the fast-paced and high-stakes sport with its global network of fans and teams to Cayman waters.

The team is also creating quite a stir in the powerboat racing fraternity and fans by being profiled in leading publications such as Powerboat P1 and Speed-on-the-Water.com.

With Cayman’s 345 area code prominently emblazoned on the hull of their high-speed racing craft, promotional attention for Cayman is guaranteed. And while they won’t be physically at the helm in the races, Rankin is driving the investment, management, promotion and logistics with a team of professionals.

Experienced American powerboat racer Alex Pratt will be on the throttles alongside driver Miles Jennings, the United Kingdom-based offshore racing veteran whose career spans five decades.

Pratt, 27, joins the team with tons of enthusiasm. He started testing the 42-foot Victory Team-built catamaran in April. It is powered by twin Mercury Racing 1100 Competition engines.

“Oh wow, I can’t even tell you how excited I am to go racing,” said Pratt. “It’s going to be so much fun racing in Class 1. It should be an interesting year with the international teams returning, the two new Huski team boats and Miles and I teaming up. I have a feeling this is going to be a lot of fun. This is a great class, especially with the Mercury Racing 1100s.”

Sponsorship is key, and the principal team sponsor is XINSURANCE, a business established more than 40 years ago. The XINSURANCE brand is a high-visibility promotion on the hull of the powerful boats.

Rankin said: “As a kid I lived my dreams through the pages of books at the book stand in the supermarket. Now I am at the heels of one of my dreams and in full control of its reality representing the Cayman Islands in the largest power boat racing event in the world with some of the fastest boats on the planet. This Sunday we will be competing for the championship.
“I have had very serious conversations with the promoter to bring this event to our shores next year for all to see and cheer on their local team.”

Cayman’s 345Racing 2022 Class 1 calendar:

• Cocoa Beach: May 19-22

• Sarasota: July 1-3

• Michigan City: August 4-7

• St. Petersburg: September 2-4

• Clearwater: September 30 – October 2

• Key West: November 6-13


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Conchman

20 May, 2022

Was a great addition to letting the world know that the Cayman Islands are alive again. This undoubtedly will put Cayman in the eyes of many after years of being slowed due to restrictions of travel etc.