SuperSport champion – Aaron Ciantar Q&A

Aaron Ciantar has quickly emerged as a shining light of Powerboat P1. This year he secured his first SuperSport title with Angelo Tedeschi in the Racing Project-run #44 Conam Yachts. He tells us all about it...

You’ve been a rising star of Powerboat P1 in recent years, but this year you moved to a reigning champion team. Did that raise the pressure on you to do even better, or did it change the way you approached the season?
I was so happy to this season be joining forces with Angelo Tedeschi and his team as reigning champions, but – as my family’s Chaudron company built the boat – I knew that it would be strong enough to win another title. Plus, I know how it works, I know I can make it more competitive. In every race, the pressure is always there. But we always knew that the relationship between Angelo and myself would be good. We knew we could always aim to win, and that meant we didn’t have to change the strategy. We’d always go full throttle on the fast lap, and then take it from there…

The links between your family’s Chaudron factory and Angelo Tedeschi’s Racing Project team have been strong in the past, but this year they got even stronger. How has that helped the racing, and your boat-building business?
Our family and our Chaudron business are working well with Racing Project, because we attend all the races and this is good for us to offer our support the team. For the business, it’s good, because this Chaudron 41 boat has won the world championship two times in 2007 and 2008. Now we have to wait for a boat to beat us. There has been a slight increase in sales, but what is important is that the racing definitely helps how you are perceived. If you have a good boat for racing, you have a good boat for everything.

Angelo Tedeschi is one of the most experienced racers in Powerboat P1. What have you learned from him?
In the past, I’ve raced as throttleman and driver by myself, and this is first year that I’m the pilot and he’s the throttleman. It’s a very big thing to operate them separately, but we work well together. He is very happy with how I’m performing, and I know that he’s a good throttleman. On the team management side, we’ve also learnt different things from each other because we’re very different people. Our teams work well together as a result, and that’s a great partnership.

One of the highlights of the season must have been your double victory on home soil in Malta. You were already something of a home hero, but now you must be a Beckham-style superstar...
When I come back at the airport, even at 2:00am in the morning, there are many people. Malta now is like superstar. It’s good for me, but more importantly it’s good for the company that I’m a world champion.

To end the season as champion must be a very special achievement for you. Especially coming so early in your career…
In my second year of Powerboat P1 in 2005, we came third in the SuperSport world championship. When we built the mould for the Chaudron 41 hull that we’re racing this year, we knew the boat would win the championship some day. We knew what we were doing, and that it would become one of the boats that would be difficult to beat. But you don’t need just a boat, or one person to win the championship. You need mechanics, a good crew, a good throttleman, a good boat and good engines. You need the whole package.

What are your plans for 2009? Are you looking to continue working with Angelo, or do you want to make a move to the Evolution class?
We have spoken together, but – for now – I’m not really thinking about next year. For sure, next year, we’re not going to Evolution, we’re staying in SuperSport, but we will talk about our plans and see what happens.