New FPT powered Buzzi rib to join Cowes line-up
Austrian Hannes Bohinc will aim to become only the fourth man in history to complete a hat-trick of wins in the classic Cowes-Torquay-Cowes offshore race when his Wettpunkt.com team lines up for powerboating’s most demanding endurance events on Saturday 29th August.
Twice winner of the Harmsworth Trophy and currently challenging for the Powerboat P1 Evolution Class World title, Bohinc will race the very latest Fabio Buzzi design (pictured), a 39ft rigid inflatable (RIB) powered by twin (Fiat Power Train) FPT N67 560hp diesel engines.
Whilst the FB Rib 39′, will be officially launched at the Festival International de la Plaisance in Cannes later this year, Buzzi and Bohinc have chosen the Cowes Torquay to debut Wettpunkt.com. A lighter racing version, the pair feel that the 170 nautical mile race, through notoriously difficult waters, will provide the most arduous challenge possible for man and machine.
Wettpunkt.com will be one of the most easily recognisable craft when around 50 boats muster off the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes, at 9.50 am on Saturday 29th. Its distinctive snake design has been created by Knud Tiroch, one of the worlds most celebrated airbrush artists.
“My intention all season had been to race at Cowes but it was difficult to find the right boat/engine combination until Fabio Buzzi presented his latest creation,” explains Hannes Bohinc, owner and throttleman, Team Wettpunkt.com.
“It is a fantastic craft, very strong and durable. Fabio tells me it is unsinkable which is important to know for this tough event. I hope the spectators enjoy the snake design I have chosen.”
Bohinc, a founder member of the British Powerboat Racing Club and passionate supporter of the Cowes classic, will race with fellow Austrian Max Holzfeind and English navigator, Ed Williams-Hawkes; a formidable line-up for a craft designed for pleasure use.
“The FB RIB 39 has no racing history so we may not be capable of winning the Cowes Torquay Cowes this year,” continues Bohinc. “Nevertheless, we are not travelling to England just to make up the numbers.”
