TEAM PROFILE
OSG Racing, the 2006 Powerboat P1 Evolution champions and 2007 runners-up are named after Operation San Gennaro - an 1968 Italian film about a group of Americans stealing the treasures of San Gennaro from Napoli. They’ve pushed the throttles wide open for 2008 as they bid to recapture their crown from the US #99 King Of Shaves Fountain crew.
The Italian squad have opted for a potentially potent partnership with the US manufacturer Outerlimits that makes the #88 Kiton Outerlimits entry a real title-contending package this year. The Outerlimits SV-43 is an all-new, longer hull designed specifically for the wider variety of water conditions in the expanded 2008 Powerboat P1 season, and has been tested extensively off the American Atlantic coast during the winter, leaving OSG team owner and throttleman Giancarlo Cangiano in confident mood.
Other changes in OSG’s campaign includes the arrival of Joe Sgro behind the pilot's wheel. Sgro joined Outerlimits owner Paul Fiore and Nigel Hook in the #97 Lucas Oil Outerlimits boat last year, and has been working closely with Fiore on the new SV-43. A former world champion, Sgro knows the SV-40 intimately, and his knowledge will be a valuable asset to OSG in the new SV-43.
Cangiano, meanwhile, is typically robust and to the point about his aspirations. “We anticipate a very successful season," he suggests. "We plan to regain our world championship in this new Mercury-powered Outerlimits boat!” It will be a very good team that stops him achieving his goal.
2007 RECORD
Giancarlo Cangiano and his #88 OSG Racing crew narrowly missed out on the 2007 Evolution title in their Sterling-powered Donzi when they were shaded into second by the #99 King of Shaves Fountain Team, despite an extremely strong year. Their only win came in the season-opener at Malta, but they picked up six other podium places. Such consistency – which allowed them to outscore faster boats – is characteristic of OSG, who were the 2006 Evolution champions. Their new-for-2008 SV-43 hull is an evolution of the SV-40, which collected four race wins for the #97 Lucas Oil- Outerlimits squad in the Evolution class last year, so the potential is clearly there to go one better in 2008.