column-2005

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Powerboat P1 2005 - 3

But Bohinc and his team know from experience that outright speed in endurance racing is just one element; reliability, expert seamanship and good fortune are all essential ingredients!

The third event of the season, the Grand Prix of Germany on the Baltic in Travemunde, would be the turning point of the season as the Sony dominance ended, Wettpunkt.com winning its first P1 Grand Prix and signaling to all-comers that this would be no Italian whitewash.  The team moved ahead of OSG into second place and now turned their attention to the home of powerboating - Cowes, Isle of Wight - and a venue in which all three Wettpunkt.com pilots had a history of racing successes. A hard fought battle over two days that included a Round the Island endurance event resulted in a first GP win of the season for OSG with Wettpunkt in second place.  With Sony disqualified in both races, the championship had become a three way battle - Sony 50, Wettpunkt.com 44, OSG 42 - as the teams headed to Gallipoli, Italy, for the European GP.

Packed with drama off and on the water, Sony once again failed to make the podium as Wettpunkt.com and OSG battled for supremacy and the championship lead. Wettpunkt’s challenge was timed to perfection, the team winning the GP and taking a narrow lead into the final two races, although its initial disqualification and subsequent appeal victory dampened the achievement somewhat as the final event in Naples beckoned. The team knew that its rivals would have to win by a clear margin and, having adjusted its race strategy accordingly,