Offshore Powerboat Racing

The Offshore Powerboat Racing is a motor boating, be driven in the near shore to the open sea, sometimes large inland waters, long-distance races. On board are at least two people, one takes care of the navigation, so that the boat reached directly as possible to the next turn buoy. The rules in this respect shall the world umbrella organization Union Internationale Motonautique ( UIM ) firmly.

Without sponsors for races and teams to do it, especially by the financial outlay for larger classes, not. Who is funding a team, often sitting at the race on board.

Classes and boats

There are offshore racing different classes, which differ in size of boats and motorization. The largest and most motorized boats are the "Class 1", which may have a maximum displacement of 16 liters ( in gasoline engines without turbocharger ). Catamarans have a length of about 12-14 meters and engines with up to 735 kW per screw. Dangers are here path lengths 100-105 nautical miles (about 180 km). In the smallest class with outboard engines up to 1000 cc of the path length is shorter.

In some series, such as the " Powerboat P1" or " Honda Formula 4 - Stroke" only boats of the type consisting triangular file.

Championships

The Class 1 runs a world championship series with about 8 events per year. 2008, this race were: Doha ( Qatar), Budva (Montenegro ), Moscow (Russia), Arendal (Norway ), Constanta (Romania ), Porto Marina (Egypt ) and twice Dubai ( UAE).

Smaller classes, such as the "Class 3A " (up to 1000 cc ), bear world or European championships in two or three heats from at one ( extended) weekend.

History

Rumor of offshore racing has arisen because smugglers late 40s always built faster, ocean going boats to " import " cigars from Cuba to the USA.

In fact, there are newspaper reports that in 1904 about 20 boats to a race more than 22 nautical miles from Dover to Calais competed. It won the approximately 11 -meter-long boat " Mercedes IV " with a 59 kW (80 hp) Daimler engine. In 1921, the race- obsessed Americans Gar Wood to a speed record for the route Miami - New York, who was for 41 years can not be bettered.

With the race " Miami - Nassau " (1956), " Cowes - Torquay - Cowes " (1961) and " Viareggio - Bastia - Viareggio " (1962) flourished offshore racing on the world. In 1964 there was the " Sam Griffith Trophy" as the unofficial world championship, in 1977 it became an official UIM World Championship.

Known Pilots:

Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft
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