Shaki Easton and Andrew Cottingham suffered their first defeats of the powerboat racing campaign during the season-ending Spanish Point Grand Prix and National Championship at the weekend.

Easton, an A Class pilot, was forced to retire from the timed event held on the Great Sound because of a mechanical breakdown, while Cottingham was upstaged by D Class rival Steven Eversley.

Easton suffered a double blow as his lead in the national championship was also wiped out by Cleveland Maybury, who overcame a 30-point deficit to pip his rival for the title.

However, there was to be some joy for Cottingham, who did enough to clinch the national title in his class despite having to play second fiddle to Eversley.

“National points definitely took everybody by surprise and one can see now that anything can happen in the race,” Kim McCallan, the Bermuda Power Boat Association commodore, said.

Ryan Resendes, who was joined in the cockpit by McCallan, had already secured the championship in the B Class, having entered the last race of the season with an insurmountable lead.

Claiming bragging rights on the day were Matthew Smith, Mark Selley Jr and Eversley, who was making a cameo, having missed the majority of the season.

Smith claimed A Class honours competing with co-pilot David Selley. The team of Ryan Davidge and Brian Haynes were second, with Maybury and co-pilot Joshua Usher in third.

Selley and co-pilot Jordan Fletcher won the B Class with Jody and Tony Carreiro taking second, and Resendes and McCallan third.

Eversely and co-pilot Jahkai Spencer took the chequered flag in the D Class, with Cottingham and co-pilot Shane Madeiros finishing second and the team of Shawn Butterfield and Jamal Woolridge completing the podium.

“With the short season we didn’t know what to expect with our first race day, but we had a good turnout, which we hadn’t seen in a while for a first race day,” McCallan said.

“The amount of boats and spectators that came out for the season race was phenomenal; it was a great race day. The guys went out there to have fun.”

The winners of the season points series, which concluded before the last race day, were Easton in the A Class, Shae Johnston in the B Class and Cottingham in the D Class. The C and S classes featured only one entry this season.