2008 SuperSport - team-by-team
We take a look back at the highs and lows of the SuperSport class in 2008, and track how the #44 Conam Yachts team dominated the title chase
If you look in the dictionary, under the word ‘invincible’, there will probably be a picture of the #44 Conam Yachts boat. Throttleman Aaron Ciantar and his Italian-based Racing Project team comfortably clinched Powerboat P1’s SuperSport title in 2007, and the addition of rapidly emerging young-gun pilot Angelo Tedeschi to the crew only served to bolster their dominance this year.
Ciantar and Tedeschi once again seem to have extracted the perfect combination of pace and reliability from their Mercury Racing-powered Chaudron 41 hull, and were pretty much unbeaten on-track. Their only two ‘lost’ wins were caused by a jump-start penalty in the Sprint race at the season-opener in San Benedetto del Tronto, in Italy, and a second-place finish behind the #38 Baia High Performance crew in Vigo, Spain – a ‘win’ that ultimately went back to #44 Conam Yachts after #38 Baia High Performance were penalised for repeatedly breaking the 85mph limit.
So, whether it has been leading at the green flag, or fighting from behind, the #44 Conam Yachts crew have invariable been well ahead of the pack by the chequered flag. A second title for Ciantar (and a first for Tedeschi) is justifiably deserved.
Leading the chase were the #07 VoomVoom.com team of throttleman Vahid Ganjavian and pilot Gareth Williams. The only real shortfall for the hard-charging Brits were a few, rare niggling technical problems with their Yanmar-powered Hustler boat. Their title loss definitely wasn’t through any lack of effort on-track, as their dramatic incident in Malta – when Ganjavian was almost thrown clear of the boat – proves. They’ve been on the podium in almost every race they’ve finished (with only one retirement in France and another in Vigo) and they’re the only team to have won a race other than #44 Conam Yachts. But sometimes even a ‘great’ year isn’t enough to beat perfection.
That’s equally true for the #38 Baia High Performance team. The SuperSport-class offshoot of the Evolution class OSG Racing squad have used their Mercury-powered Donzi twin-canopy hull (now allowed in the usually open-topped SuperSport class) to solid effect in 2008, with Stefano Acanfora at the wheel, Renato Guidi in the throttle seat and Roy Capasso as navigator. It was more a lack of consistent podium results that hampered the team’s campaign, rather than poor reliability, as they have posted points finishes in almost every race.
It’s equally difficult to point the finger of blame at any particular part of the #47 Silverline Buzzi Bullet package of Jan Falkowski and Drew Langdon. The Cummins Mercruiser-powered Buzzi FB42 is certainly a potential front-running boat, and has been a regular points-scorer, but the lack of any big finishes, a crucial retirement in France and a DNS with engine problems in Tunisia have left them fourth in the points standings. Certainly, the team acknowledge they have spent too much time doing endurance events such as the Round Britain and Cowes-Torquay-Cowes, and that this has put a strain on the engines. They’re putting together a revitalised attack for 2009.
The #08 Phoenix crew of Martin Lai and Andreas Chalkiopoulos have also been blighted by problems that have denied them the chance to show their true form. A pair of podium finishes in France in front of a bumper crowd of Chinese fans were the high point, but a pair of DNSs in Malta – Lai’s first missed races in years – were a real low. Allied to retirements in Italy and Tunisia, they’ve left Lai and Chalkiopoulos (replaced in Spain and Portugal by Sarah Donohue) some way behind the top-four points frontrunners in fifth place.
The #46 Spirit of Portomaso just edged the battle for sixth place in the standings. The father and son team of Benjamin van Riet and Robbe van Riet had a great package in the shape of their short and nimble Mercury-powered Chaudron 33, but a lack of consistent points finishes hampered their ability to challenge #08 Phoenix for fifth place. The #22 Big Sergio team lived up to the legend of Sergio Carpentieri with pilot Alfredo Nuzzo and throttleman Alfredo Amato putting together some strong results in the latter half of the season to secure seventh place in the standings. Sadly it wasn’t enough to challenge for a higher finish in the points, but they’re confident they’ll be able to put together a vastly improved package for 2009.
The #11 Sunseeker Challenger team had a particularly difficult year, with pilot Andy Wilby and throttleman Pete Little struggling for top-end pace in Italy and then missing France and Malta after capsizing and sinking their Fiat Powertrain Technologies-engined XS2000 hull in Marseilles. A brief return to form in Tunisia wasn’t enough to prevent them calling time on their 2007 campaign, but their eighth place in the standings isn’t a bad showing considering their lack of time on the water.
The #59 Saho team of pilot Maurizio di Stasio and throttleman Federico Terenziani couldn’t match the high of a second place in France, and ultimately missed the final two rounds of the year. There were also a bumper crop of Wild Card entries that joined the Powerboat P1 brigade, with the #05 Team Tullio Abbate and #26 Team Konrad outfits showing podium potential, despite their limited outings. If they – and the #17 Going Lean team who joined us in Portugal – sign up for 2009, it looks like we could be in for another cracking year…