Offshore powerboat racing started in Europe back in 1961 when Sir Max Aitken, a former Battle of Britain pilot and the owner of the Daily Express ran a race from Cowes to Torquay.
Five teams from the Isle of Wight will compete in this Sunday’s event including veteran racer Alan Goodwin from Cowes, who was born 24 years before the first race!
Goodwin’s Mr Noisy team will be up against near neighbour Hugo Peel who leads the 2023 Class 3E Championship in his vintage Bertram hull Thunderstreak, with his crew of Richard Jessel and Adrian de Ferranti.
150 points behind the Royal Yacht Squadron team are Peter Hall and Terry Parsons in Mango Crazy, a Hunton designed and built boat.
Richard Jackson and Colin Gibson’s Top Banana won the MDL Marinas Group – KMO Marine – Round the Island race back in June, those points with a second place at Poole in May give them third place in the championship.
Local hopes for the Cowes Torquay Cowes race rest with Andy Twemlow and Tristan Ormiston after they drove their Dragon – AT Offshore Racing to a second place in Falmouth last month (above).
