France, Marseille – 23rd - 25th May

CAN anyone stop them? That's the question being asked of the Powerboat P1 reigning world champions just two weeks into the 2008 season.

At the French Grand Prix of the Seas in Marseilles at the weekend, it was another clean sweep for driver James Sheppard and throttleman Craig Wilson, as they stormed to victory in both Evolution races in the Fountain 99, 1st4Boats.com.

They now head the championship table, taking the maximum 200 points for their efforts. The team's lead may get even bigger if 100 penalty points which were docked in Italy a fortnight ago are handed back on appeal.

A delighted Sheppard said: "It was a fantastic race despite the difficult start and the conditions but we never pushed the boat to the maximum. Our team has done a fantastic job."

Team owner Ben Matley, boss of Bournemouth's 1st4Boats.com, added: "It was an incredible effort. Five of the boys worked all through Saturday night to fix the damage from the accident."

In Sunday's race, the Fountain came from behind and then fought off several challenges to hold on for top spot.

France Race Gallery

Click on any of the below images to open the gallery