Powerboat P1, the exclusive worldwide rights holder for the UIM Class 1 World Championship, has announced that Doug Wright Powerboats will be joining the race series in 2024. The team, consisting of throttleman Ricky Maldonado, driver Logan Adan and team owner J.R. Adan, are based in Palmetto, FL.
“We are building a new Doug Wright 44-foot Class 1 spec hull,” said veteran offshore racer Maldonado. “This has been a dream of mine, and it's something that we've been working on for about two months. The boat is being built right now. It will be an all-carbon fiber construction that includes a rudder bustle as well as the Doug Wright signature wing. It will be built under the latest UIM/APBA safety rules and include extra reinforcement in the cockpit areas and engine bay. It will be really sleek and aerodynamic.”
Best known for throttling the Super Stock race boat Jackhammer, Maldonado is competing this season in the 38' Doug Wright catamaran in the Factory 450 Stock Class alongside 18-year-old Logan Adan, the son of company owner J.R. Adan. “Considering we are campaigning a new team with a rookie driver and a new hull, we are happy with our results," Maldonado says. "Logan has mastered the class with great performances and multiple podium finishes. He’s a quick learner and we’ve spent a lot of time together in the boat, becoming wired to one another and evolving and improving.”
Adan acquired his racing skills from the super-competitive Mod Lite dirt track circuit and made his offshore powerboat debut in Key West last November. Meanwhile, Maldonado grew up watching his father winning offshore races in Puerto Rico since the early 1980s, and he entered racing in 1993 at the age of 18 and has raced in just about every class.
“This will be a big move for Doug Wright Powerboats and I believe it’s the right time to join the Class 1 series,” Maldonado says. “I’ve always dreamed about competing at the very top of the sport and I’m going to grab this opportunity with both hands.”
Maldonado told Speedboat that he'll continue to race in the Factory 450 class once he starts competing in Class 1—in fact, he reveals that the red 38' Doug Wright catamaran he's been running in the 450 class has been sold, and the team is already building a brand-new boat to run in that class as well. "So much has been going on, I'm a little overwhelmed by it all," he confides.
The team has its sights set on breaking Steve Curtis’s record set in 1985 of being the youngest Class 1 world champion, and with Adan being only 18 years old, they have time to achieve that. The duo will spend the off season testing in the new boat and also honing their racing skills in different motorsports, including dirt track racing and karting. Powerboat P1 CEO Azam Rangoonwala is delighted to welcome J.R. Adan and his team to the world championship: “By attracting more teams and building the world television audience we are returning Class 1 to the summit of the sport," he says. "My aim is to have a fleet of 12 boats by 2025. Our principal goal is to grow the world championship commercially and promote the series both in the United States and internationally to deliver enhanced value for race teams, host venues, sponsors and partners. We will be announcing the 2024 race calendar by the end of October.”