MILLIONS of TV viewers around the world will see spectacular powerboat and jet-ski races off Greenock’s Esplanade next year.

The Powerboat P1 Grand Prix of the Sea UK Championships is to be held in Scotland for the first time.

It is being brought here by Inverclyde Council and regeneration company Riverside Inverclyde on 18/19 June to coincide with one of the larger cruise ships being berthed at Greenock Ocean Terminal.

Organisers say the close-to-shore race course and the fun of the race village means P1 events are designed to excite and entertain, ensuring spectator enjoyment and sponsor value, with a significant economic impact for the host venue.

Up to 14 powerboat teams will take part, and there will also be a jet-ski championship with around 40 racers.

The world’s jet-ski freestyle world champion is being lined up to entertain the crowds between races.

It will cost £160,000 to stage, but is expected to attract between 20,000 and 40,000 spectators each day, generate a direct economic impact of around £3 million and be beamed to more than 100 countries.

Tourism-related businesses will have the opportunity to highlight themselves on the Esplanade — which would be closed to traffic — on a ‘mile-long Inverclyde Showcase’.

The event was hailed as a ‘fantastic’ opportunity for Inverclyde at a meeting of the council’s economic and regeneration committee, which gave enthusiastic backing to it.

Councillor Michael McCormick, said Inverclyde’s ‘tremendous assets’ made it the ideal location to host the first Powerboat Scottish Grand Prix.

He said: “Not only will this be a fantastic free event for Inverclyde residents to enjoy, it will also be a chance to showcase Inverclyde to a wider audience.

“This event shows the scale of our ambition to bring more high profile activity to Inverclyde, and encourage more people to visit and enjoy all that Inverclyde has to offer.” Gerry McCarthy, chair of Riverside Inverclyde, said the regeneration body was determined that the first ever Scottish Grand Prix of the Sea would be held in Greenock.

He said: “Apart from the great spectacle this will bring to the people of Inverclyde, the accompanying international profile provides a unique platform to supplement Riverside Inverclyde’s activities in positioning Inverclyde for mobile investment.

“Furthermore, creating an Inverclyde showcase along the Esplanade can help to lay the foundation for sustainable economic growth for Inverclyde’s tourism businesses.” He added: “This can be the catalyst for attracting return visits to Inverclyde from the thousands expected to travel here to watch this spectacular event.

“The collaborative efforts of Riverside Inverclyde and Inverclyde Council — supported by Peel Ports, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, HM Coastguard and Blue Sea Marinas — demonstrates the ongoing success of the Inverclyde economic development and regeneration single operating plan.” Powerboat P1 is the world’s leading marine motorsport promoter, successfully staging more than 200 events in 17 countries on three continents since 2003. If next year’s event is successful, it could be repeated here in 2017 and 2018.