International powerboat racing promoter Powerboat P1 has announced that 345 Racing, a new Cayman Islands team owned by Mario Rankin and Jason Butcher, will be competing in this year’s UIM Class 1 World Championship with Alex Pratt as throttleman alongside driver Miles Jennings. The team will be based in Florida and make its first appearance in the six-venue series at Cocoa Beach in May.

The 27-year-old joins the crew of the newly created 345 Racing team’s 42-foot Victory hull boat with its twin Mercury Racing 1100 Competition engines. The principal team sponsor will be XINSURANCE, a business established some 40 years ago that provides customized specialty insurance for ever-changing risks and issues such as specialty liability, property and casualty insurance.

Pratt splits time between his hometown of Clearwater on Florida’s Gulf Coast and Southwest Michigan. In 2020 he founded Good Boy, a premium, lifestyle vodka brand, which is positioned to support animal charities and veterans. Its slogan of “Every Pour Helps a Pup” means a portion of every bottle purchased is donated to foundations supporting its mission. He has been involved with motorsports for many years, initially racing motorcycles in Unlimited Supersport Road Racing Events before moving into performance boating.

Good Boy Vodka and XINSURANCE are now expanding their partnership into offshore powerboat racing where they will be providing a unique racing experience at each Class 1 event. “XINSURANCE President, CEO and Chairman Rick J. Lindsey and his team provide solutions for almost every industry across the board,” explains Pratt. “They truly think outside the box for their customers. One of the best products they offer is true umbrella coverage. Rick is an exceptional individual and I am very excited to continue working with them.”

“The company was initially built by providing coverage to high risk classes such as white water rafting and helicopter skiing, and we continue to provide solutions to those classes and many others, putting our support where it matters the most,” Lindsey says. “All the events we are involved in are with good people and those are the kind of relationships we will support and insure—it’s a good rule for life and business.”

“Class 1 is the summit of the sport with the best boats, best drivers and the best equipment in the world,” comments Jennings. “The Mercury Racing 1100 turbos have brought a modern, reliable package to the class and P1’s international TV broadcast deals and live streaming take the racing into fans’ homes worldwide.”

Jennings has racing in his blood. He started his powerboat racing career in the 1970s and has won more than 50 national races with more than 100 appearances on the podium. His titles include 5-times world champion and 12-times British champion. Earlier this month, Powerboat P1 announced the race calendar for the 2022 Class 1 World Championship that will see eight races at six venues in the United States from May to November. In October 2020 the UIM assigned to P1 the international rights to Class 1 offshore racing in a ten-year agreement and P1 CEO Azam Rangoonwala has confirmed that five teams from three continents have already committed to racing this season. “The pairing of Alex and Miles in the new 345 Racing team, with backing from XINSURANCE, is an exciting addition to our international fleet and we are delighted that Alex will become the youngest racer in the championship,” adds Rangoonwala.

2022 Race Calendar
• Cocoa Beach: May 19-22
• Sarasota: July 1-3
• Michigan City: Aug. 4-7
• St. Petersburg: Sept. 2-4
• Clearwater: Sept. 30 to Oct. 2
• Key West: Nov. 6-13

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