Picture the scene: 24 sleek lightweight catamarans with awesome engines mounted on their backs line up on the start pontoon. Inside each cockpit, a lone individual peers forward out of his tiny windscreen. One hand grasps the steering wheel while a finger on the other hand is poised over the start button. The tension inside the capsule can be cut with a knife as a white board with 30 seconds appears directly in his vision 100 metres ahead. An eerie silence descends over the arena, you can hear a pin drop, a spectator’s cough is met with glares from the crowd.
A red line of lights appear followed by another, then another until four rows are lit. The lights are switched off and almost 10,000 hp’s worth of highly tuned engines burst into life and the fleet of 24 storm away from the grid amidst a fountain of white spray. The pole-setter reaches turn one first followed by three or four rivals only inches behind. The second and third placed boats are almost invisible through the spray yet the drivers keep on full power. This is what F1 racing is all about, men with little fear and an abundance of skill, pitting their wits against each other. Two boats mid-field touch and head skywards and the crowd gasps in horror. Crash, both rigs land in a gigantic splash and the rescue boats head towards a scene of carnage. The yellow flags are waved and the fleet slow to a crawl but within minutes both accident victims are heading for shore aboard the rescue boats and both manage a wave for the crowds.
The field continues to circle while tow boats remove the stricken outfits. The green flag appears and once again we witness the spectacle of F1 racing at its best. Drivers enduring brain numbing G forces as their rigs take turns at 90mph and the brilliance of the leaders as they dice deck to deck often in zero visibility. If an F1 motor racer was asked to drive his car over a ploughed field at 140mph he would suggest you visit a ‘funny farm’ yet week in week out during the F1 season, these gladiators of the sea put their lives on the line every time they step into the cockpits in search of that most elusive award…..a World Title.
For more information please visit the F1H2O website
