TWO fearless friends are making waves this summer as they ‘rev up’ to represent Inverclyde at a high octane powerboat event.

Lifelong boating enthusiasts Dino Zavaroni and his friend Gordon Wicklow will make a splash when they compete in the 2016 P1 SuperStock UK Championship — a five-venue race series that will include the first ever P1 Scottish Grand Prix of the Sea on June 18 and 19 off Greenock’s Esplanade.

The dynamic duo, whose team name is the ‘Spirit of Inverclyde’, will race the specially-branded 28ft P1 Panther race boat worth £65k at the championship, which gets underway in Scarborough in May before heading to the Clyde, Gosport, Cardiff and the series finale in Bournemouth in September. 

The Tele joined the thrillseeking pair, pictured, as they took their boat for spin on the Clyde outside the Beacon Arts Centre.

Dad-of-two Dino, who lives with his partner Ann Marie Cockburn and their two children Marco, 15, and Dario, 17, in Wemyss Bay, said he can’t wait to ‘seas the day’ at the major event.

He said: “It’s great to be selected and we’re both excited about racing here.

“You need to have a good understanding of the sea and the weather conditions, which both Gordon and I have.

“We have both spent a lot of time on the water.

“I set up my own marine business DDZ Marine in Largs 30 years ago doing repairs and maintenance so we have got good back up and good engineers to look after us.”

Gordon, who was born and brought up in Bridge of Weir before moving to Auldhouse, said there is no better feeling than whizzing on the waves at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour.

He told the Tele: “It’s going to be really exciting and it’s great to see something like this happening in Scotland.

“The boat can really move quite quickly, so if it’s a little bit choppy, it’s quite exciting.”

The P1 Scottish Grand Prix of the Sea has been up brought here by Inverclyde Council and regeneration company Riverside Inverclyde. 

P1 chief operating officer Robert Wicks said that the event is expected to generate £2.5m for the local economy – and will be broadcast on Sky to 400 million homes worldwide.

He said: “We are delighted to have such a fantastic pair to represent Inverclyde and Scotland.

“I think it’s great that they know each other so well.”

If this summer’s event is successful, it could be repeated here in 2017 and 2018.