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After just missing a podium finish in the 2009 Powerboat P1 World Championship season weeks ago in Sicily, British-American powerboat racing veteran Nigel Hook has not been idle; he is preparing to defend his 2008 SBI Super Vee Unlimited World Champion title, won with teammates Joe Sgro and Mike Fiore in an Outerlimits. This November in Key West, he will be doing it with a newly formed team, the #77 LUCAS OIL SCANDINAVIAN OFFSHORE CHALLENGE.

Hook will be joined by driver Michael Silfverberg, a Swedish adventurer, businessman and entrepreneur. A native of Stockholm, Silfverberg brings new energy and a trove of seafaring knowledge, having served as a commercial captain, navy submariner and the head of Supreme Marine, a Swedish high-performance boat and yacht dealer.

Hook and Silfverberg will pilot a V399 Skater with Mercury Racing P1 engines, a detuned version of the 850 SCi developed specifically for P1 race teams two seasons ago. Hook won the 2006 SBI Championship in this Skater and also ran this boat in the last race of the Powerboat P1 World Championship with Belgian Nico Huybens, as in the Scandinavian Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season, he and teammate Joe Sgro barrel rolled the Outerlimits SV43 and could not finish the 2009 season together. The Lucas Oil Outerlimits team took fourth place in the Championship.

An enthusiastic Silfverberg said “I feel confident racing with such an experienced pilot as Nigel and look forward to racing in Key West--I have a good feeling about this!” Hook, likewise has good vibes about his new team mate. “I’ve test driven on the water with Michael at speeds in excess of what we’ll be running on the Key West track,” Hook said, “I’m keen to play out our race strategy.”

Hook sees the 2009 SBI Offshore World Championships, November 11-15, as “an ideal catalyst to ignite the new international partnership between Lucas Oil and Scandinavian Offshore Challenge.”