The definition of the word “motorsport” is way broader than we normally think. It does not only include competitions with cars or motorbikes, because what matters is simply the presence of motorised vehicles, including boats. Therefore, it was almost natural for the OMP, Bell Racing and Racing Spirit brands to accept the challenge of supporting Team Brady in the E1 World Championship, the new electric boat racing series. Team Brady succeeded in the challenge and came out on top, winning the inaugural season.
“We are so proud to be crowned World Champions in the first ever E1 World Championship. It was a hard-fought battle, and our team’s fierce competitiveness and relentless drive left no stone unturned throughout the season. We worked hard behind the scenes to identify and implement improvements wherever we could, striving to be our best at every turn”, Ben King and Joe Sturdy, Co-Team Principals of Team Brady, said.
OMP and Bell Racing boast a history rich in world titles, but this time they have reached the pinnacle of an unprecedented discipline. The adventure alongside Team Brady began last winter, with the supply agreement announced on 18 January 2024 comprising fireproof racewear and helmets for the pilots, as well as Racing Spirit clothing for the entire team staff. Team Brady is owned by someone accustomed to excellence, such as the American football legend Tom Brady, the only player in history to have won seven Super Bowl rings.
The lead-up to the debut race on February 2-3 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was a whirlwind, with limited time to choose and customize the best products to support Team Brady’s campaign to become Champions of the Water. The E1 World Championship is governed by the UIM (Union Internationale Motonautique), which for safety components follows FIA regulations, requiring pilots to use suits, shoes, gloves and helmets approved for car racing. The demands of the Team Brady pilots were for top of the range items, combining protection, comfort and low weight, as well as the possibility of enhancing the team’s visual identity.
Each team in the E1 World Championship fields a mixed male-female pilot pair, who alternate driving the boat in the various sessions. Team Brady lined up Britain’s Sam Coleman, a powerboat specialist with two previous world titles, and Finland’s Emma Kimiläinen, who comes from the circuits, with victories in single-seaters and touring car championships.
“We are thankful to OMP, Bell Racing and Racing Spirit for supporting us from the beginning. They took a leap of faith entering the world of electric boat racing and for that we are so grateful. Together, we set out to develop cutting edge racewear solutions to maximise pilot performance and safety, and we achieved exactly that. Not only were the pilots able to perform at their best in the comfort of their OMP racesuits and Bell helmets; the wider team were also able to operate at their best in Racing Spirit technical clothing”, King and Sturdy added.
The start of the championship could not have more brilliant, with a historic triumph conquered by Sam and Emma in the opening event in Jeddah, then replicated in Venice. There, the new One-Art suit was also introduced, with a complete aesthetic customization thanks to OMP’s patented sublimation printing technology. The third triumph out of five rounds came in the waters of Monaco. Team Brady was crowned World Champions with a total of 71 points, scored also in Puerto Banús (Spain) and at Lake Como (Italy), the venue of the final round.
“This victory is just the beginning. We’re excited to build on our success and defend our title in Season Two, which kicks off in January 2025”, concluded the Team Brady’s Co-Team Principals.
