Great result for Goodman 

UK Powerboat racer Malcolm Goodman competed in his first F1 race last weekend in Doha, Qatar. Racing as the second driver in the internationally renowned F1 Team, Team Qatar.

Goodman was invited to fulfil a life time achievement to race on the circuit to replace an injured Andy Elliott who broke his back earlier in the season.  

Goodman, aged 27, from Prescot in Merseyside saw himself lined up against some of the best powerboat pilots in the world for the first of the 3 last rounds of the championship he will compete in over the next few weeks.    

Malcolm has been racing powerboats for over 15 years now and currently competes in the F2 British National Championship where his own boat regularly reaches speeds of up to 115mph. These experiences have helped prepare him for the challenge ahead of him.  

Taking part in the biggest race of his life to date Malcolm must have been nervous leading up to the first event on the 27th November. Even more so as the night before Team Qatar Goodman and reigning World Champion Jay Price (QAT) both were still awaiting their boats to clear customs, just hours before the free practice session and qualifying heat.

“It was touch and go for awhile,” stated the World Champion. “I was proud of our crew as they worked all evening making up for lost time getting everything prepared for today's race. We were actually two days behind and now we are catching up in a hurry. Hopefully we can put together a good result today to make the boys hard work last night worthwhile.”

Price qualified in second for the starting grid and Malcolm 17th as they headed into the days race. And so they were under starters orders and the race was underway. The reigning World Champion was forced to retire on the 5th lap, which left Malcolm leading the way for the home crowds and Team Qatar. Guido Cappellini (ITA) took the chequered flag and the UK’s Malcolm Goodman secured a phenomenal 5th in his first race.

On speaking to Goodman close family friend Adrian Morse commented “I’ve just spoken to Malc and he’s over the moon with his result in his debut race.” He continued “He had a problem with his power steering which wasn’t working properly for the first 15 laps and then his mirrors moved and he couldn’t see who was behind him. so he’s really happy with the result and wants to thank everybody back home for their support and best wishes!”

Sunday’s Racing saw Malcolm qualify 15th on the grid. Jay Price suffered further technical problems and retired from the race on his third lap. Malcolm fought hard throughout the race but had to retire after the 19th lap when he clipped a buoy due to an electrical fault that affected his power steering forcing him to pull out.

Malcolm will be back in action for Team Qatar tomorrow and saturday as the World Championships head into the penultimate Event at the GP of United Arab Emirates; Abu Dhabi over the 4th & 5th December.

Watch it live as the race gets underway at 15:30 (local time) or 11.30 GMT by following this link Watch Live