Record-breaking powerboat racing team Vector Martini will be competing in next year’s Venture Cup, which will take the form of a round Ireland race
Entries have opened for the 2016 Venture Cup and, as expected, Vector Martini are one of the first teams to sign up for this round Ireland race.
The all-star team, which recently signed up celebrity drivers Bruno Senna and David Gandy, will be one of the favourites to win the 1,000nm epic.
In 2015 alone, the Vector V40R raceboat has broken four speed records on Coniston Water and retained the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes title.
As we previously reported, the race will start in Cork on June 12 and take in the entire of Ireland’s western and northern coastline before finishing up in Dublin on June 19.
At the official launch last week, chief organiser Aidan Foley said: “It’s something the sport has needed for a few years now. There is incredible activity happening around powerboat racing.
“We know that we can deliver spectacle, real adventure, real adrenaline, an element of danger and boats that are at the very, very peak of what can be achieved right now.”
Other competitors signed up so far include 18-year-old Adam Brennan, son of Irish hotelier and television personality Francis Brennan.
The teams will be competing for two main trophies: the eponymous Venture Cup for best individual team, and also the Harmsworth Trophy, which will go to the country of the winning team.
Both trophies date back more than 100 years, bringing a real sense of heritage and glory to proceedings.
And as part of the race’s partnership with the Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster, the Venture Cup team will also be handing out a special innovation award worth €20,000, which will go towards funding research into high-speed boating technology.
The 2016 Round Ireland Venture Cup is now accepting applications. The entry fee is €500 per team and the fleet will be limited to 25 boats overall.
