The International Cowes-Torquay-Cowes Powerboat Race is a true classic amongst powerboaters. Drivers compete in several classes in a course covering more than 160 Nm of non-stop racing along the Britisch South coast. Just competing in this race is already a sparkling diamant on one’s palmares.
Our fellow countrymen Jean-Pierre Neels and Thomas Vandamme will compete in the Marathon C Class in their Fabio Buzi designed RIB called ‘Birretta’. The race is held on Sunday August 28th 2011. Amongst the other competitors we also recognize Martin Lai, Drew and Ali Langdon, Marco Penesi, Giampaolo Montavoci, Stefano Bonanno, Steve Curtis, Vahid Ganjavian, John Cooke and many more.
This unique race has quite a history. Wikipedia states: “The Cowes-Torquay was launched by Sir Max Aitken as the first offshore powerboat racing sport in Britain in 1961. It can rightly claim to have introduced offshore powerboat racing to the rest of the world outside the United States where the modern sport was launched with the first Miami-Nassau Race in 1956. When the UIM (Union Internationale Motonautique), the world governing authority for powerboat racing, introduced the World Offshore Championship in 1967 as a memorial to Sam Griffith, the American founder of modern offshore racing, the course was found to be too short at 125 miles (201 km) to qualify as a championship heat. The race format was therefore changed and instead of finishing at Torquay, the fleet returned no-stop back to Cowes, a pattern that remains to this day. The race is currently organized by race director John Moore of the British Powerboat Racing Club.”
Lucci Levi, the 17-year old granddaughter of power-boating legend Sir Max Aiken, is preparing to race for the first time in Cowes. You can see her interview here.
For those who cannot attend this classic powerboat race all marathon class boats will carry trackers which will provide safety control and with an online map showing the position of every competitor. So you can follow your favorite powerboating team in real-time by following this link. A great added value.
Here are the specs of Birretta:
| Make | Yanmar | Length | 33 ft | Total HP | 880 |
| Number of units | 2 | RIB or Vee Hull | RIB | Petrol or Diesel | Diesel |
| Inboard or Outboard | Inboard | Construction Material | GRP / Hypalon | Designer | Fabio Buzzi |
| Total CC | 13 000 | Makers Name | FB Design | Year of Manufacture | 2003 |
| Colour Top | Grey | Colour Hull | Grey |
Powerboating.be whishes all competitors a fast and safe race and hopes that Jean-Pierre Neels and Thomas Vandamme bring home a nice trophy.
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