Cowes - Torquay
All that is great about powerboat and endurance racing is encapsulated in the 180 nautical miles it takes to win the Cowes Torquay Cowes.
Desire, determination, bravery and fortitude are all minimum requirements.
Hannes Bohinc returns to the scene of two of his greatest triumphs on 29th August 2010 looking to become only the fourth man in history to win the event on three separate occasions.
One of the world’s great endurance challenges, it was launched by Sir Max Aitken as the first British offshore powerboat racing event in 1961; this year sees it celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Its initial success encouraged several countries across Europe and the Middle East to follow suit, though, even now, few races across the globe can rival the status of Cowes.
The race remains as strong as ever and is recognised as one of the toughest challenges and most prestigious events on the powerboat racing calendar, comparable with the Indy 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Bohinc – Team Owner and Throttleman of Wettpunkt.com – has enjoyed a great love affair with the competition, having won it twice and come within touching distance of making it a hat-trick in 2009.
Alongside his crew – fellow Austrian Max Holzfeind and English navigator Ed Williams-Hawkes – and the twin FPT 560hp diesel engined FB RIB 39, Bohinc returns to the south coast of England determined to make amends for the ruptured fuel tank that put paid to the teams’ chances last time out.
“I have always enjoyed racing in Britain and especially at the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes,” he explains. “This classic endurance event is steeped in history and has played an important part in shaping the future development of the sport.”
“I am passionate about the race; for me, it is the powerboating Mecca.”
In what has been a highly distinguished career, the Cowes Torquay Cowes winning years of 1995 and 2003 will always be golden ones in the career history of Hannes Bohinc. 2010 could be another.
