Cowes-Torquay - 6 August 2010 -- The gentleman racer may be a dying breed in motorsport but he remains the lifeblood of endurance powerboating and will feature prominently in Cowes over August Bank holiday when around 40 boats set off from The Needles for the 50th running of the Cowes Torquay Cowes.

One of these is Austrian Hannes Bohinc, a successful gaming entrepreneur whose racing career spans 18 years and includes two world championship titles, international speed records and wins at Cowes in 1995 and 2003. If he succeeds again this year, he will become only the fourth man in history to win the event more than twice.

One of the oldest and most demanding races on the planet again promises drama and the spectacular with craft – some generating speeds of over 100mph – heading across the Solent in the hands of the powerboat racing World’s elite.

Bohinc’s boat Wettpunkt.com is an FB 39 Rigid Inflatable powered by twin N67 560 Fiat Powertrain engines. It was built for pleasure, not for racing and he is the first to accept that his challengers for this coveted title will race with purpose built and faster craft.

“It is an honour to be in England for this historic occasion and winning is not everything,” says the owner and team throttleman.

“But we almost won last year and when the boats hit the seas around Lyme Bay the balance always tips in favour of experience and determination.”

Bohinc will again race alongside fellow countryman Max Holzfeind and experienced English navigator Ed Williams-Hawkes.

In 2009, the stability of the hull in even the roughest waters and high level performance and reliability of the FPT engines brought the Wettpunkt.com team within touching distance of victory.