Steve Curtis
Encyclopedia
Steve Curtis MBE
(born 9 June 1964 in Wimbledon
) is an English
eight time offshore powerboat racing
World Champion.
Curtis's father Clive ran boat building business Cougar Marine, and also was a powerboat racer, making entry to the world championship for Steve easier after leaving school at 17. Before switching to boats in 1983, Curtis had a career as a motocross rider, winning the British schoolboy and junior motocross championship.
Curtis won his first title in the U.S.
aged 21 in 1985, becoming the youngest ever Class 1 champion and the first Briton
to win the title. He won his second title in 1987, but it wasn't until 1998 that he won his third title as throttleman on Spirit of Norway, with driving partner Bjørn Rune Gjelsten
. The pairing became the most successful team in Class 1 so far:
In 2005 Gjelsten retired, and Bard Eker took over as both owner and pilot of Spirit of Norway, and they took the championship again. In 2006, Curtis again paired up with Gjelsten, taking all four world titles (World Championship, Pole Position Championship, Middle East and European titles).
Curtis runs his family business, Cougar Marine, based in Hampshire
. Curtis won the Segrave Trophy
in 2003, and was awarded an MBE in the Queen's
80th Birthday Honours list.
Curtis have also won the SBIP-APBA Offshore World Championship in 1987, becoming the first Briton to do so and again in 2008 with Tom Abrams
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(born 9 June 1964 in Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
eight time offshore powerboat racing
Offshore powerboat racing
Offshore powerboat racing is racing by large, specially designed ocean-going powerboats, typically point-to-point racing.Probably one of the largest, most dangerous, and most powerful racing machines of all, the extreme expense of the boats and the fuel required to participate make it an expensive...
World Champion.
Curtis's father Clive ran boat building business Cougar Marine, and also was a powerboat racer, making entry to the world championship for Steve easier after leaving school at 17. Before switching to boats in 1983, Curtis had a career as a motocross rider, winning the British schoolboy and junior motocross championship.
Curtis won his first title in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aged 21 in 1985, becoming the youngest ever Class 1 champion and the first Briton
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to win the title. He won his second title in 1987, but it wasn't until 1998 that he won his third title as throttleman on Spirit of Norway, with driving partner Bjørn Rune Gjelsten
Bjørn Rune Gjelsten
Bjørn Rune Gjelsten is a Norwegian businessman and Offshore powerboat racing World Champion. He was also a joint owner of Wimbledon Football Club and involved in the controversial relocation of the team from London to Milton Keynes.Gjelsten made his powerboat racing debut in 1994 in the U.S.,...
. The pairing became the most successful team in Class 1 so far:
- The World Championship - 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004
- The European Championship - 1998, 2002, 2003
- The Middle East Championship - 2003, 2004
- The Pole Position Championship - 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
In 2005 Gjelsten retired, and Bard Eker took over as both owner and pilot of Spirit of Norway, and they took the championship again. In 2006, Curtis again paired up with Gjelsten, taking all four world titles (World Championship, Pole Position Championship, Middle East and European titles).
Curtis runs his family business, Cougar Marine, based in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. Curtis won the Segrave Trophy
Segrave Trophy
The Segrave Trophy is awarded to the British national who accomplishes the most outstanding demonstration of the possibilities of transport by land, sea, air, or water. The trophy is named in honour of Sir Henry Segrave, and has been awarded in most years since 1930.A subsidiary award, the Segrave...
in 2003, and was awarded an MBE in the Queen's
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
80th Birthday Honours list.
Curtis have also won the SBIP-APBA Offshore World Championship in 1987, becoming the first Briton to do so and again in 2008 with Tom Abrams