Max Holzfeind
Max Holzfeind – Driver – was a relative latecomer to top-line powerboating. After buying a Buzzi RIB in 2003, he acquired a taste for racing and subsequently competed alongside his business associate and fellow Austrian Hannes Bohinc in a number of events, including the 2006 Powerboat P1 World Championship.
A calm and composed competitor with a strong technical mind, Holzfeind comes prepared for any eventuality, and remains un-phased by the prospect of throwing himself into any situation in order to secure victory.
Though he became a very competent seaman at an early age, having enjoyed sailing and motorboating, the 2008 Round Britain Race represented the first major on-water endurance challenge for the Austrian entrepreneur from Klagenfurt.
Any inexperience was unnoticeable as Holzfeind and the team secured five wins overall, including a hat-trick of successive victories, during the event.
The consecutive wins came between Bangor, Northern Ireland – Oban, Scotland (day four), Inverness, Scotland – Edinburgh, Scotland (day six) and Edinburgh, Scotland – Newcastle, England (day seven), underlining the credentials of the Wettpunkt.com craft and its crew.
Holzfeind again joined up with Bohinc and Ed Williams-Hawkes for the 2009 Cowes–Torquay–Cowes. In arduous conditions, the Buzzi 39’ RIB SF, powered by FPT engines, led with the chequered flag in sight.
With the team set for glory, the title was cruelly snatched away on account of a ruptured fuel tank, a mere one-and-a-half miles short of the finish line following almost four hours of grueling race action.
Despite that disappointment, the trio of Bohinc, Holzfeind and Williams-Hawkes intend to once again show they remain a force to be reckoned with at the highest level of competitive powerboat racing as they aim for top honours in the 2010 Cowes Torquay Cowes event and Harmsworth Trophy.
