Norway’s Marit Strømøy will become the first woman to race in Class 1 for over a decade when she makes her debut at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro, 26-28 March. 

Welmax Offshore Racing has confirmed that the team will run a two-boat entry in their bid for title honours in 2010, with Strømøy joining her fellow Norwegians Jorn Tandberg and Kolbjorn Selmer and the second newcomer to the team, Italian, Giorgio Manuzzi.

The two-boat line-up will see the team running MTI and Maritimo designed and built hulls, both powered by Mercury V8 power-plants, but the team has stated that it will not finalise its pairings until they arrive in Brazil.