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.[1] Before switching to boats in 1983, Curtis had a career as a motocross rider,[2] winning the British schoolboy and junior motocross championship.[3]
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:[4]
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).[5]
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.[3]
Curtis have also won the SBIP-APBA Offshore World Championship in 1987, becoming the first Briton to do so[6] and again in 2008 with Tom Abrams[7]