A TEAM of Hampshire powerboat stars have smashed a world speed record on water.

Trevor Leigh and Southampton powerboat champion Steve Curtis, below, were part of the Spirit of Qatar team.

Theb team pushed its Al Adaa'am 96 catamaran to a breathtaking 244mph top speed during a competition in Sunrise Beach, Missouri, last night.

Daily Echo:

Crew chief Trevor, below, who is married to Hampshire British powerboat champion Shelley Jory Leigh, guided his team to the astonishing feat at the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout competition.

Daily Echo:

 

The effort established the new record by beating the 224mph mark set by My Way Mystic at last year's event.

The vessel hit technical difficulties during its first run after the parachute was deployed early in the one-mile course.

It still managed to reach dizzying speeds of 210mph before the repaired boat smashed the record by 20mph in the second run.

The shootout competition has been running for 26 years and raises money for the Lake of the Ozarks area's charities.