The Powerboat P1 world championship gets underway this weekend with the first event, sponsored by Portomaso, being held in Maltese waters.
It is the second time that the event is being held locally. Addressing the press yesterday, Martin Macdonald, commercial director, said they were glad to be back in Malta after having organised such a successful event last year. He said he hoped this year would even be a bigger event as it promises to be a memorable weekend with highly competitive racing and a truly international flavour.
Among the teams taking part will be the Chaudron Powerboat which will have the Maltese brother and sister team of Aaron and Audrienne Ciantar racing among the giants of motor sport. As Audrienne said yesterday, “this is a big challenge. We have entered for the whole championship this year, and we hope to see somebody helping us with a good sponsorship. Last year, we even managed a third place finish in Sardinia and in the other race in Catania, we faced engine trouble and had to retire. Yet, we are convinced that having two new engines, this year we will have a very successful season.”
Nathan Knight, the chief executive officer, said Malta was a special place for them. “We have a great ambition, that of putting our sport in third place in professional motor sport, that is, behind the cars and the bikes. To do that we have to be very selective in choosing our venues. We are making progress in the sense that this year we have 14 teams taking part, against the 13 of last year and six in the first year. We also have nine different engine suppliers and this all shows that our sport is continuously growing.
“Moreover, we also feel TV coverage is also very important. In fact, the event is to be broadcast in 40 different countries and will be watched by an estimated audience of 200 million viewers,” he said.
The Minister of Tourism, Dr Francis Zammit Dimech, said his Ministry was proud to have the Powerboat P1 world championship back in Malta for the second year running, adding he hoped it will be a repeated event in future. “We are glad to have become partners with such a sport for which we can offer a lot of attractions, among them some of the best climatic conditions which make Malta an ideal venue for such a sport. I am looking forward to the Grand Prix and I extend my appeal to the Maltese public to attend the event and enjoy the big treat,” he said.
The programme
The event started yesterday with a motorcade from the Race Village at VISET, Valletta Waterfront, in Valletta. Today between 6pm and 9pm, enthusiasts will be able to see the boats from close range as they will be allowed into the village where they can feel the real professional racing environment. The boats will be practising this afternoon as well as tomorrow and on Sunday morning.
The Grand Prix starts tomorrow from Portomaso at 3pm. Spectators can have good views of the proceedings along the coast from the Grand Harbour, Valletta, through Sliema, and up towards Madliena Tower. The teams will multi-lap along the coast before heading off at high speed to circumnavigate Malta in an anti-clockwise circuit, powering across the finish line at Portomaso.
Sunday’s Rally Circuit Race will also start at 3pm with boats leaving Grand Harbour just after 2pm.
All those who intend watching proceedings on their boats are advised, for their own safety, to follow the instructions from the law enforcement officers patrolling the area.
The line-up
Evolution class
OSG (Italy); Offshore Unlimited (France), Wettpunkt.com (Austria), Thuraya (Italy), Cantieri del Mediterraneo (Italy), Fairplast (Italy), Sony (Italy).
Supersport Class
Pietro Pellegrini Allufer (Italy), Jolly Yanmar (Italy), Buzzi Bullet (United Kingdom), Chaudron (Malta), OBA OBA Racing (Italy), Club Italia (Italy), Swiss Offshore Racing (Switzerland), Top Gun C (Italy).