It is not about the fastest boat, although it is important to be consistent. Fabio (Buzzi) has proved to be an excellent teacher.” “Racing and living together for 10 days is not easy but we are a strong team and were able to build great harmony. The only time we argued was at the very beginning when we were not totally sure of the boats characteristics.”

“It was tough but very enjoyable,” continued driver Panos Tsikopoulos.“The last stage was the most difficult. We knew that we were so close, just a few hours from making powerboating history and perhaps we could have held back but decided to race hard as we had done every day.  I can say now that it was the correct decision.”

Remarkably, the winning boat included the oldest person in the race, 75 year old Dag Pike, a sought-after team member who had taken part in the previous two events and was the navigator in Richard Branson’s record-breaking Atlantic Ocean crossing. His preparation included, “a visit to the dentist to ensure his teeth were in top form before subjecting them to a bone-crunching!”

It was the type of event for hull and engine manufacturers to demonstrate and test the capabilities of their products and, testament to the events stature, many of the worlds leading engine manufacturers were represented including Ilmor, Yanmar, Mercruiser, Cummins, Isotta Fraschini and FPT. The winning engine manufacturer was naturally delighted by the outcome.