ROUND BRITAIN 2012 – SEA – Some history

Offshore powerboat racing was first recognised as a sport in 1904 with a race across the straits of Dover. Internationally, the American Power Boat Association was formed around the same time; the USA's first recorded race was in 1911 in California.

These seeds having been sewn, the sport gained in popularity over the next few years mainly in the United States, with 10 races being scheduled during the 1917 season. Though in Europe, for obvious reasons, the sport virtually died out during the First World War and again during World War II. During the 50s and 60s however, the sport caught the mood of the times on both sides of the Atlantic, taking advantage of the technological advances in materials, fuel and engine power and tapping in to the optimism and economic prosperity that followed the immediate post war years.

Marathon events became the vogue in the late 50s and 60s, and racers started to make names for themselves in events such as the Bahamas 500. During that time the navigator was extremely important as finding a checkpoint over a hundred-mile open-ocean run was a major challenge. As with many sports, this is rightly regarded as a golden era when men worked hard and played harder – many had seen action in WWII and Korea so returning to the 9-to-5 had a dull edge that needed sharpening. In 1969 the first Round Britain Powerboat Race took place. This was won by "Flying Finn" Timo Mäkinen, world renouned rally driver for Mini Cooper and Ford Escort. Among his many achievements behind the wheel, he went on to score a hat-trick of wins in the RAC Rally (1973, 74 and 75).

During the 1980s the sport entered the catameran, and then the superboat era with restrictions lifted and all-out speed was sought without compromise, again illustrating the sport being a product of its time. At the speeds being achieved however, the chances of surviving an accident were mimimal so, reluctantly, adjustments had to be made. It was in 1984 that the second Round Britain Powerboat Race took place, won by Fabio Buzzi, a multiple world water speed record holder and renouned hull designer responsible for the "Bugatti Veyron" of the sea - the £1.2m XSR48.

Modern races developed as short, track-style events with improved viewing for spectators, and categories of boats multiplying far beyond the 4 classes that were common up to the end of the 80s.

In 2008 the third Round Britain Powerboat Race was won by Blue FPT with Vassilis Pateras, Panos Tsikopoulos, Lefteris Vasilou and 75-year-old navigator, Dag Pike in a time of just over 20 hours. The fact that a full day's racing was lost to the weather only serves to illustrate the gruelling nature of the event - it is a true endurance test of both man and machine. One such man is Neil McGrigor, the World speed record holder for circumnavigating Great Britain, and competitor in Round Britain 2008. So inspired was he by the experience that he started to plan RB12, but on an even grander scale than anything that has preceded it. He says he could not wait 24 years to have so much fun again.

For more information about entry to RB12 contact the RB12 office +44(0) 1590 626444