Heat proving to be a real factor in Tunisia

Saturday 12 July 2008

The Powerboat P1 chequered flag shines in the afternoon sun

With 38C temperatures in Hammamet today, the heat and humidity could prove to be the decisive factors for victory in this weekend’s Tunisian Grand Prix of the Sea. The vast majority of the teams are suffering a loss of engine power (and potential reliability problems) and race success could come down to a matter of who has found the best cooling solution for their engine bays.

“It’s incredibly hot here, and it makes a real difference to the power,” said #66 Cranefields Wine team boss and pilot Siegfried Greve. “You push the throttle forward and you keep pushing it forward, and there’s absolutely nothing. We reckon we’re losing perhaps 15 per cent of our maximum engine power this weekend, but it’s the same for everyone.”

The hot temperatures are also proving a drain on the mechanics working on the boats in the dry pits and wet pits, and the crews racing them out at sea. Although the SuperSport crews have the benefit of racing in an exposed cockpit, they have the disadvantage of the sun beating down on them. The closed canopy Evolution class racers have to cope in the stifling heat of their poorly-ventilated cockpits, where temperatures can easily top 50C.

With today’s SuperSport and Evolution Endurance races expected to last well over an hour, expect the fitter drivers (and the canny crews who have fitted air conditioning) to do well.