Italian Team Thuraya , with Adriano Panatta on throttles, claimed victory in the first grand prix of the Powerboat P1 season and also notched up a new world record circumnavigation of the host island of Malta.
Italian Team Thuraya , with Adriano Panatta on throttles, claimed victory in the first grand prix of the Powerboat P1 season and also notched up a new world record circumnavigation of the host island of Malta.
Team Thuraya‘s time was 42min 50sec thanks to peak speeds approaching 94mph, despite sea conditions in the 1m-1.5m range. Panatta said: “Our team are delighted to have achieved victory in both races this weekend and to have gained the world speed record is a fantastic bonus. We have loved racing in Malta and hope to be able to come back again next year.”
In the SuperSport category Fainplast took both races to win the class. Saturday’s racing was over a shorter ‘storm’ course but the weather moderated sufficiently on the Sunday to allow for the world record to be set.
The event attracted a total of 15 teams, three of them in the prototype Evolution class.
Speaking to the Times of Malta after the event, promoter Martin McDonald stated that he hoped the Powerboat P1 championship would return to Malta next year, provided it attracted the right levels of investment and commitment from local businesses and the government.
The next round of Powerboat P1 will be held in Rome, Italy on 19-20 June.
World Championship Standings
Evolution Class
Thuraya 20 points
Wettpunkt.com 10 points
OSG Donzi 7 points
SuperSport Class
Fainplast 20 points
Tullio Abbate 10 points
OSG Junior 10 points
Buzzi Bullet 9 points
