Bragging rights and prestige will be up for grabs during the Rubis Around the Island Powerboat Race tomorrow.

As of yesterday there were 12 entries confirmed for the powerboat race spread across five classes, seven for the jet-ski event and eight for the junior race.

Janae Nesbitt, the Bermuda Power Boat Association secretary, is looking forward to what promises to be another exciting event.

“The expectations are big in terms of who is going to show up, who is going to run out and who is actually going to make it,” she said. “It’s going to come down to who makes it across the finish line.”

The jet-ski race and junior race are new additions to the event this year while the intervals between the start of each class in the powerboat race have also been shortened since the last race was held in 2019.

“The times have changed drastically, they are a lot closer together so it might be a big surprise this year that we haven’t seen in the past few years,” Nesbitt added. “The times have been pushed up almost like five minutes for some of the classes due to previous records being broken in 2019.

“A class and B class broke the records by approximately five minutes in 2019 which pushed the times forward, so this year it’s going to be exciting to see which class takes the line first.”

Siblings David and Mark Selley set records competing in the A and B classes during the previous race two years ago.

David Selley and co-pilot Scott Barnes clocked 50min 19sec in the A class and were also the first boat across the finish line.

Mark Selley set a record of 43:52 in the B class competing with co-pilot Jordan Fletcher to complete a memorable day in the Selley household.

Nesbitt says conditions will be favourable for records to be broken.

“The competitors are excited and looking to break the records,” she added. “The weather forecast is supposed to be a flat water, so it might be a really fast race on Sunday.”

All of the winners from the previous powerboat race are back to defend their titles among the respective A, B, C, D and S classes.

Rookies Lee Wilson and co-pilot Callum Conningham are making their debut in a racing fleet that also boasts the father-and-son team of Craig Nesbitt Sr and Craig Nesbitt Jr.

The jet-ski race will pit father and son Delton White and Dakari White, the Bermuda Personal Watercraft Association president, against each other.

Also featured will be two female competitors in Jahlae Raynor and Dorann Simons.

Seasoned driver Cleveland Maybury will be an extremely busy man, as he is competing in the jet-ski race and powerboat race in the B class with co-pilot Ernie Mello.

“This is my first time doing this and it’s just an outing to me,” Maybury said.

“I just love to race and I think my chances are great.”

Mello, who owns the boat he and Maybury are racing in, added: “The boat is competitive and has proved itself on multiple occasions.

“My partner [Maybury] and I have been doing this for a long time and I think it’s going to be a great deal of fun.”

Racing begins with the junior races at 10am, followed by the jet-ski race at noon and powerboat A class at 2pm.

The juniors, jet skis and powerboats will compete on different racecourses.