Richard Carr (powerboat racer)
Richard Carr (born 1958) is a British business man and former offshore powerboat racing champion, who competed in the sport around the world. He is a property developer, chairman of Fortitudo, and former chairman of Allied Leisure, which previously ran and operated the Megabowl, now TenPin, franchise.
He is regarded as one of the United Kingdom's most experienced and successful powerboat racers[1]
Career
Richard Carr had been involved in boating since he was seven years old, when he learned to sail a mirror dinghy. However, he only started racing when he was 25.
He has competed successfully at all levels, from Class 2 UK National racing, through to racing in the UIM Class 1 Offshore World Championship and the European Championship.[2] The latter in which he raced in a Cougar Lamborghini, a 39-foot Cougar catamaran.
Well known for his aggressive racing character,[2] Richard Carr won numerous domestic and international honours:
- British Class 1 Champion, 1991[3]
- Needles Trophy, 1992[4]
- World Super V Unlimited Champion (OSS), 2011[5]
Two weeks after winning the 1992 Needles Trophy, Richard finished second in the controversial 1992 'Cowes Torquay Cowes', which was raced in difficult conditions and saw three of the top five finishers disqualified.
In 2011, he raced in the USA for Team Geico.[6]
Return to powerboat racing
On 13 January 2016 Richard Carr announced that he would return to the sport alongside friend and powerboat racer Steve Curtis.[6] Carr and Curtis will team up to take part in the one of offshore powerboat racing's longest and toughest challenges, the Round Ireland Venture World Cup.[7]
Cowes Torquay Cowes 2016
Richard and Steve were joined by Paul Sinclair and won their first ever Cowes Torquay Cowes title. On Sunday 4 September, the trio raced to glory in just over four hours to claim a historic victory in horrendous conditions for offshore racing.
Business Activity
Richard Carr is also a businessman and entrepreneur and has run many multimillion-pound companies in the leisure, nightlife and commercial and property development sectors.[8]
Richard is the former chairman of Allied Leisure, which previously ran and operated the Megabowl (now TenPin) franchise.[9]
Property Development
Richard has been involved in property development, primarily around the Poole area, for over 30 years.
Major developments that Richard has been involved with include the renovation of Dolphins Quay, Hennings Wharf and the £100million development of Salterns Marina.
Richard Carr is the current Chief Executive of property developers Fortitudo Property Ltd.[10] He regularly releases content discussing and advising on property development in the UK.[11]
References
- "Sail-World.com : New Skater399 for UK team of Carr and Sinclair". Sail-World.com. Archived from the original on 2014-10-29.
- http://bigbadboat.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/former-honeyparty-skater-to-debut-as.html
- http://richardcarrracing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Richard-Carr-1992-Motor-Boat-and-Yachting.pdf
- "History of the Needles Powerboat Trophy". www.hotribs.com. Retrieved 2018-01-25.
- http://superboat.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/7-25-12-2012-RECORD-BOOK.pdf
- Chris Jefferies. "Big names confirmed for 2016 Venture Cup race". MBY.
- Richard Carr. "Richard Carr set to return to powerboat racing alongside Steve Curtis". Richard Carr Racing.
- "About Richard Carr". richard-carr.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-01-25.
- "First Leisure strikes pounds 111m cash deal over bowling alleys". The Independent. 1999-08-17. Retrieved 2018-01-25.
- "About | Fortitudo Ltd". Fortitudo Ltd. Retrieved 2018-01-25.
- "Richard Carr Blog | Richard Carr Blog". richard-carr.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-01-25.