CARR Mill Dam will host some hotly competitive boat racing for the opening of a prestigious national competition.

The home of the Lancashire Powerboat Racing Club has been chosen to host the opening round of the 2015 Powerboat GP National Championship.

The event will take place over two days on the weekend of Saturday, May 2 and Sunday 3.

And the Carr Mill-based club will be hoping for similar success to last year when in the fiercely contested F4s class drivers Ben Morse and Natalie Craddock took first and second place over the year respectively.

The club also celebrated an F2 national champion as Paul Balfour won a record-extending fifth national title and will launch his defence on home territory.

Last year also saw Bill Owen, 58, a member of ‘The Last of the Summer Wine’ racing team drive to victory as last year’s Powerboat GP National Champion in the T850 Monohull Class. Bill, from Ashton-in-Makerfield will be competing alongside his teammates once again at car Mill to launch his defence.

Over the two days, six classes of boats will take to the water over the weekend with plenty of locations around the lake for spectators to enjoy the competition for a real family day out.