Legendary powerboat race docking in Torbay tomorrow

The 63rd running of the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes powerboat race takes place on Saturday, August 24 and for the first time since 2017, the boats are scheduled to re-fuel in Torquay.

The fleet will leave the start line in the Solent at 9.30am for the 100-mile race to Torbay. The teams will moor up alongside Haldon Pier, Torquay for approximately 90 minutes before racing back to Cowes.

The race is the highlight of the Cowes Powerboat Festival organised by the newly formed partnership between the British Powerboat Racing Club and Powerboat P1 with support from their new sponsor, Experience Kissimmee, the world-famous tourism destination in Central Florida.

Spectators will be able to watch the action unfold from Haldon Pier and view the boats moored up in the wet pits.

The CTC is the world’s most famous powerboat race and attracts an international entry. The top boats will reach speeds in excess of 100mph as they race across Lyme Bay. Depending on conditions, the lead boats should arrive in Torbay from 10.30am.

Starting as favourites for the win are Exeter based businessmen, Drew Langdon and Miles Jennings. They have won the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes race for the last five years in their boat, “Silverline” - an American produced Outerlimits hull powered by two Mercury engines developing 1,800hp.

Both men have been racing powerboats all over the world for many years with considerable success.

Chasing them for the win will be the Anglo-American crew in “Good Boy Vodka” – British racers Robert Lockyer and Scott Younger with American Alex Pratt. The two boats had a close battle during the race to Torquay last year, however, GBV – another Outerlimits hull - was forced into retirement - they will be looking for revenge this year.

And amongst the fleet, as well as the latest race boat designs, there will be some classic boats too. One of those is Kiekhaefer Aeromarine III known as KAM III - a 36-foot Cigarette wide body hull, designed by Harry Schoell for Don Aronow at Cigarette Racing Team in 1971.

The hull design won multiple World Championships and with the Aeromarine engine package, dominated the sport in the 70s.

KAM III was raced by Miami based eye surgeon, Dr Robert Magoon and Fire Chief, Gene Lanham. This formidable crew and boat combination won a total of five United States Championships. In 1974 they also set a UIM world speed record of 83mph. The boat was then sold to British racer Charles Gill who competed in the 1975 and 1976 seasons.

In the 1976 CTC, Charles caused quite an upset by beating the latest creation from the Cigarette factory. The boat raced on during the late 70s with new owners Brian and Mike Bontoft, and they then chartered it to Frank Wyatt.

After all its success, by the early 80s the Bontoft’s had sold the boat and it was languishing in Norway with little prospect of it returning to racing - the hull and the engines had become separated.

However, finally, after many years, a Norwegian, Joern Amudsen, managed to re-unite both the hull and engines and he completed a full restoration. His target was to exceed 100mph in the boat. By 2015, he felt he could take the project no further.

The boat was then purchased by Christian Toll, a lifelong powerboat enthusiast, who undertook a full restoration with the assistance of his highly skilled team. Everything was blasted and sanded off back to the original gelcoat, a new transom was fitted, new fuel tanks were made and fitted and the engines were sent to America for a complete rebuild. With incredible attention to detail, even the graphics on the hull were hand painted as they would have been originally in the early 70s.

It will be wonderful to see this iconic powerboat racing again in this year’s CTC with Christian Toll, James Shepard and James McVrae at the controls. The project is being followed with much interest from America by Gene Lanham, now 93, who was on the throttles during its 70s Championship run, and Fred Kiekhaefer, the son of Carl, founder of Mercury Marine and Kiekhaefer Aeromarine engines.

Haldon Pier, Torquay is the place to be for some glamorous and high-speed action!