H2O Racing
Union Internationale Motonautique
GRAND PRIX OF PORTUGAL - ALGARVE
APRIL 21/23, 2017 - PORTIMAO, PORTUGAL
PORTIMAO

Portimao is a Portuguese town (Portuguese: cidade) located in the District of Faro in the Region of Algarve, the southern coast of Portugal. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimao. In 1924, it was incorporated as a cidade and became known merely as Portimao. The town has 45,000 inhabitants and the Portimão Municipality has 52,000 (as of 2006). The two most populous towns in the Algarve are Portimao and Faro.

Portimao is ideally situated for exploring the Algarve, a region truly unique in its diversity. The coast consists of sandy beaches, magnificent colored rock formations, caves and protected nature reserves like Ria Formosa, Ria de Alvor and Costa Vicentina Park where migrating birds make their stopover amidst an undisturbed environment of indigenous flora and fauna. The southern coastal area, developed with tourism in mind, has a wide range of daytime activities and a vibrant nightlife to offer whereas the interior presents a more relaxed way to spend the day. Caldas de Monchique is a perfect example.

The beautiful scenery and traditional villages in the hinterland should not be forgotten. Admire the local arts and crafts, try the homemade bread, smoked ham "presunto"and sausages "chorizo” accompanied by the special mountain firewater ”medronho”, distilled from arbutus berries. The historic past of the Algarve, Roman and Arab occupation followed by its integration in the Portuguese kingdom, is shown in the many museums or, better still, by a visit to historical sites like the Castle and Cathedral in Silves or the Cape Vicente and Henry the Navigator’s fort in Sagres.

Summertime is clearly the busiest time of the year but the mild climate of the Algarve, and many sunny winter days attract a multinational crowd in all seasons, exploring the regional markets, visiting interesting places, strolling along the river boulevard or just sipping a drink in a garden bar. Golfenthusiasts are drawn by an exceptional choice of first class golf courses and comfortable, pleasant resorts like Quarteira, Portimão and Vilamoura. Especially during the tourist season, there are many concerts, festivals and fairs to enjoy. The highlight of the summer is probably the sardine festival, a popular annual event that lasts a whole week. It is held in the Valhalla of sardine culture in the Algarve: Portimao.

THE CIRCUIT
NATURE OF WATER Salt Water TOTAL LENGTH OF CIRCUIT 1937 m
NUMBER OF BUOYS 7 Buoys DESCRIPTION OF TURNING BUOYS 6 Orange / 1 Yellow
MINIMUM DEPTH OF CIRCUIT AT JETTY 6 m MINIMUM DEPTH OF RACE COURSE 4 m
MINIMUM WIDTH OF RACE COURSE 75 m HEIGHT OF THE BANKS 2.0 m
ENTRY TO WATER By crane (two cranes) PLACE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC Yes
PROTECTION OF PUBLIC Metallic Barriers ALTITUDE OF VENUE Sea level
CATEGORIES TO RACE F1 MAX NUMBER OF BOATS TO RACE 22 Boats
POSITION OF SOUND LEVEL METER
PROMO
EVENT NEWS
April 23, 2017
CHIAPPE TAKES VICTORY IN PORTUGAL
Sunday, 23 April, PORTIMAO (Portugal): Defending world champion Philippe Chiappe marked the start of his title defence in emphatic style with Victory at the opening round of the season in the UIM ...
F1H2O
April 23, 2017
F1 ATLANTIC’S BRISSET WINS F4-S IN PORTIMAO
Sunday, 23 April, PORTIMAO (Portugal): Jeremy Brisset completed a good day for the F1 Atlantic Team with a lights to flag victory in the F4-S race, just moments after seeing team owner-driver Duarte ...
F4-S
April 23, 2017
TORRENTE TAKES POLE IN DRAMATIC QUALIFYING SESSION
Sunday, 23 April, PORTIMAO (Portugal): Shaun Torrente made the perfect start to the season and will start the UIM F1H2O Grand Prix of Portugal from pole position after going quickest with a 42.80 ...
F1H2O
April 23, 2017
WINDS OF CHANGE BRING PERFECT CONDITIONS
Sunday, 23 April, PORTIMAO (Portugal): After two days of strong winds and rough water teams head into this morning’s 90 minute BRM Qualifying session with perfect conditions. The winds have ...
F1H2O
April 22, 2017
REVISED TIMINGS FOR UIM F1H2O GRAND PRIX OF PORTUGAL
Saturday, 22 April, PORTIMAO (Portugal): The UIM F1H2O Grand Prix of Portugal which was originally scheduled to start at 13.30hrs tomorrow [Sunday 23 April] will now start at 13.00hrs ...
F1H2O
April 22, 2017
WINDS FORCE POSTPONEMENT OF BRM QUALIFYING
Saturday, 22 April, PORTIMAO (Portugal): The strong winds that have plagued this weekend’s opening round of the UIM F1H2O World Championship have forced the hand of race director Luis Ribeiro ...
F1H2O
April 22, 2017
SENSE OF DÉJÀ VU FOR SELIO AHEAD OF BRM QUALIFYING!
Saturday, 22 April, Portimao (PORTUGAL): Finland’s Sami Selio heads into the weekend with a severe sense of déjà vu with weather disrupting the schedule as he bids for a second ...
F1H2O
April 22, 2017
STRONG WINDS CONTINUE TO DISRUPT SCHEDULE
Saturday, 22 April, PORTIMAO (Portugal): Strong winds sweeping across the Arade River continue to hold the upper hand and disrupt the schedule at this weekend’s Grand Prix of Portugal in ...
F1H2O
April 21, 2017
GALE FORCE WINDS DISRUPT GRAND PRIX SCHEDULE
Friday, 21 April, PORTIMAO (Portugal): Gale force winds have forced race officials at this weekend’s UIM F1H2O Grand Prix of Portugal to cancel today’s free practice which was scheduled ...
F1H2O
April 14, 2017
F1H2O SET FOR A VINTAGE SEASON AS DRIVERS PREPARE TO RENEW RIVALRIES IN PORTIMAO
Friday, 14 April, PORTIMAO, (Portugal): Nineteen drivers from 11 countries will renew competitive rivalries when the UIM F1H2O World Championship, the flagship international series in world powerboat ...
F1H2O
February 10, 2017
SEASON PREPARATIONS BEGIN IN EARNEST
Friday, 10 February: With the majority of the containers housing the raceboats and equipment now back in Europe and being liberally dispersed to team bases in France, Italy and Portugal, the vital ...
F1H2O
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