Vector Martini Racing has signed male supermodel David Gandy to a powerboat racing contract in the hopes of turning Gandy into world-class powerboat racer who is as fierce on the water as he is on the catwalk. Gandy is the first of six celebrities that Vector Martini Racing will recruit to its iRace Pro Team.
Part of Gandy’s training would be to learn how to drive a V40R, a powerboat that packs a walloping 2,200 horsepower on full blast. The goal, as is always the case in high-profile signings like this one, is to set a new world endurance record, which is what Gandy will eventually try to accomplish as part Vector Racing’s four-man crew. Gandy’s training exploits will also be documented for an unnamed TV documentary series. Vector Martini Racing has yet to announce the specifics of the record attempt, the TV documentary, and the identities of the five other celebrities it plans to enlist with the former Dolce & Gabbana supermodel.
While the man is mostly known for his work as a supermodel, Gandy does have a certain affinity for vehicles, specifically that of the automotive variety. In addition to having written about cars for British GQ, Gandy also caught the attention of automotive racing world when he completed the Millia Miglia in 2014 with Jodie Kidd in a Jaguar.
For now at least, Gandy will trade a race car steering wheel for a different variety. It’s a challenge that he and Vector Martini are embracing ahead, as they should considering their hope of turning this bit of news into more than just a publicity stunt.
Continue reading to read more about David Gandy signing with Vector Martini Racing
The Cannes Yachting Festival is considered one of the most prestigious boat shows in the world. Every year, over 80 brand new boats make their world debuts at the show, making it one of the most exciting days for millionaires who have nothing better to do but buy boats in their spare time. This year, the Cannes Yachting Festival will also be the site of a history-making event as it hosts the first-ever night-time long-distance stand-up paddle boat race.
If you’re wondering why an event normally associated with super yachts and super models will have a paddleboat race, well, get in line because I’ve asked myself the same question.
As out of place as a paddleboat race is at a show like the Cannes Yachting Festival, the sport has actually become a very popular competition all over the world. The event’s organizers apparently wanted a piece of the action, and to their credit, this isn’t just going to be a leisurely race around the bay. It’s going to be an all-out competition, covering a total distance of 62 miles (100 kilometers). Solo competitors and relay teams - oh yes, there’s a distinction! - will set off at 7pm on Friday, September 11, 2015 all the way until about 10am the following morning.
An awards ceremony has been scheduled at 1130 for those who are still presumably healthy enough to walk to the awards podium.
In case you somehow find yourselves interested in joining the competition, there’s a registration fee of €75 for individual competitors, or about $85 based on current exchange rates. If you’re entering with a team, the fee doubles to €150, or about $170.
Continue reading to read more about the Cannes Yachting Festival’s first-ever all-night-standing paddleboat race.
Broadcaster, sailor, and all-around adventure junkie Hannah White is on a collision course with history as she attempts to become the fastest woman on water. Before you start dismissing this as another minor record attempt, consider first what’s at stake here. White is no stranger to daring escapades, having earned her fame as a professional sailor before later on transitioning to television as host of the British show “Go Hard or Go Home.”
For her record attempt, White has teamed up with Project Speedbird, the team that will be supplying her the Speedbird, a state of the art boat that White will use as she attempts to break the women’s speed record over one nautical mile. She’s also trying to become the first woman in history to set the record above the 40 knot barrier, which is roughly equivalent to 46 mph.
That speed may not mean much to land speed records, but it’s been characterized as a holy grail of sorts for women in the boat racing world. It’s a big reason why White and the team over at Project Speedbird are treating this record attempt with the seriousness and gravity it deserves.
White, in particular, has set her sights firmly on the prize by taking great lengths to get herself in the best possible physical condition as possible. That includes a lot of training sessions, especially on how to sail the Speedbird using the hydrofoiling moth that engineers used to design the boat. She’s also received positive support and council from some of the sport’s most experienced sailors, many of whom are rooting for White to achieve her record-breaking attempt.
Then there’s the issue of physical fitness. While White is already in impressive physical shape, she still needs to do more to get into record-breaking shape. That involves losing close to 10 pounds and developing new muscle groups that she’s going to need if she wants to be successful in her attempt.
It helps that her sailing background is in endurance sailing, but that doesn’t mean her attempt will be no less difficult considering that nobody has ever attempted to cross the English Channel using a Moth in the past.
It’s going to be a tough record to beat but with the proper training and enough assistance from Project Speedbird, I’m confident that Hannah White will be able to pull it off.
Continue reading to read more about Hanna White’s record-setting attempt to become the fastest woman on water.
Anytime you can ride on a jet ski that feels like you’re in perfect harmony with it on the water, then you must be sitting on the Yamaha SuperJet.
Ultimate quickness and control is the SuperJet’s trademark, with the ability to out-carve rival racers by diving deep on the inside and turning like a sharp blade. All that can be attributed to its amazing power and acceleration, which if you didn’t know, comes courtesy of the race-bred 2-stroke engine that has been combined with a smooth, ultra-light hull.
The SuperJet is faster and also more stable than any other jet ski. It’ amazingly agile with unbelievable grip and bite on the water. Moreover, the SuperJet is also easy to ride with the wide-front hull, the clever, spring-assisted handle pole design and the great lean-forward riding position making a world of difference.
With the SuperJet, you’ll definitely know that the rider can easily get the fun of riding out on the open water.
Find out more about the Yamaha Superjet after the jump.
Extremeboat with Jackie Hunt and Mike Shelton showed us a superb tactical performance obtaining the victory for the second consecutive year in the British Grand Prix SuperSport title for the husband and wife pairing. Sun Lik Beer, the Anglo-Chinese boat of Martin Lai and Andreas Halkiopoulos finished second and Roscioli Hotels Roma third.
VoomVoom.com, piloted by Vee Ganjavian and Charles Williams-Hawkes, had undertaken major development work in the build up to this event, including two (...)
Britain’s Johnny Herbert has put on-hold his debut in the Powerboat P1 World Championship to support his daughter in an Olympics equestrian trial at the weekend.
Herbert had planned to race in the Powerboat P1 British Grand Prix of the Sea, taking place in Cowes over the August Bank Holiday weekend, but now hopes to compete at a World Championship event later in the season.
The ex-Formula One driver and 24 Hours of Le Mans race winner had asked for a Powerboat P1 “wildcard” entry after a (...)
Sail gives way to power on the Isle of Wight over the August Bank Holiday weekend when the Powerboat P1 British Grand Prix of the Sea roars into life, building upon the 47 year heritage of the Cowes Powerboat Festival.
More than 120 craft are expected to assemble in Cowes, including many of the world’s top racing craft and crew, and organizers predict spectator numbers will exceed last year’s estimate of 70,000.
The racing starts in earnest on Friday 24th with the highlight of the programme (...)
The WPPA has issued yellow cards to Abdullah Al-Sulaiti and Luca Nicolini, Qatar 95, for their part in the first corner incident during the Scandinavian Grand Prix, which saw Jotuns’s, Jorn Tandberg and Christian Zaborowski crash out. “Drivers were warned at the pre race briefing to pay particular attention from the green/start flag and the run to, and into the first corner,” said WPPA Chief Commissioner, Rory Power. “We looked at the TV footage to evaluate the situation, and it is clear that (...)
Jackie Hunt doesn’t trust many people to take the helm of her P1 SuperSport World Championship winning powerboat, but when Darren Turner, driver for the SEAT Sport UK British Touring Car team, arrived at Southampton yesterday (Wednesday 15th August) along with a Channel 4 film crew, Jackie handed over the steering wheel while Darren took it for a spin on the Solent.
"It was absolutely fantastic and something I’ll never forget!
I’ve heard that Jackie doesn’t let many people drive the boat (...)
After being short listed by The Transat race organizer, OC Events Ltd as one of two UK cities bidding for the start of The Transat 2008, Plymouth has succeeded in defeating the close competition to retain this most historic of ocean yacht races formerly known as the OSTAR.
The Transat, which has started from Plymouth ever since the inaugural race in 1960 when Sir Francis Chichester won the event in just over 40 days, has become synonymous with the city. Steeped in maritime history, The (...)
On Saturday 1600 hours, RORC race management announced a 24 hour delay for the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race (initially planned for Sunday 12th August) with the possibility of an ensuing postponement.
For the ORMA class, in agreement with all the enrolled skippers, the race has been cancelled. This cancellation was motivated by 3 main reasons:
Weather conditions – A violent depression is deepening off the English coast with 35 to 40 knots of wind and very big seas (4 to 5m). In these (...)
The damage to Jotun, sustained after dramatically crashing out of last Sunday’s Scandinavian Grand Prix, has left the team facing a race against time to be ready for the Romanian Grand Prix in Mamaia at the beginning of September (August 31 – September 2).
“The damage is not really too serious but there is a lot of work involved to get the boat repaired and ready,” said team manager and co-owner, Per Carsten Michelsen. “We have to replace hatches and of course change both engines. But we also (...)
Former Formula 1 star Johnny Herbert swapped horsepower of the four-wheeled variety for a rather different type, as he tried out P1’s Wettpunkt.com on Lake Como in Italy, describing the experience as totally alien to anything he had ever done before.
The 43-year-old took to the driver’s seat of the 11.3-litre, Evolution Class front-runner Wettpunkt.com, alongside throttleman Hannes Bohinc and navigator Ed Williams-Hawkes and in place of regular driver Miles Jennings. It was, the three-time (...)
The 3rd round of the WPPA World Powerboat Championship – the Scandinavian Grand Prix – was won by Bjorn Gjelsten and Steve Curtis with Spirit of Norway putting their world title defense back on track. The second place was won by Victory 77’s Arif Al Zafeen and Jean-Marc Sanchez followed by Sheikh Hassan and Matteo Nicolini in Qatar 96.
The first corner of the start lap produced a spectacular incident when the crew of Jotun, Jorn Tandberg and Christian Zaborowski crashed after taking evasive (...)
Gitana 11 is preparing to start the Rolex Fastnet Race on Sunday 12 August. The skipper Lionel Lemonchois and his team of five sailors hope that the name Gitana appears again on the trophy this year.
The Fastnet is one of the most prestigious ocean races in the world, and has been organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club since 1925. The minimum length of boats competing in the Fastnet is 9.10m (21 feet), and they can reach maximum lengths of 25m (70 feet).
The race is renowned for its (...)
The Chevrolet Cup at Seafair held this weekend in Seattle was an amazing hydroplane race won by Steve David of the Oh Boy! Oberto team with an average speed over 136 mph. David declared after the race: “This was an emotional weekend for the entire team. This team worked so hard and they gave me a little pep talk before I went out there and I think it all worked.”
David Bryant of the Hoss Mortgage Investors team won the second place with an average speed over 133 mph followed closely by J. (...)