Spec class boats to make Great Race debut

THE 2023 TT Great Race will welcome a new class when the 55th edition of the annual event is held on August 19.

The launch of this year’s event was held at the TT Yacht Club in Bayshore on Thursday. Members of the TT Powerboat Association (TTPBA), sponsors and participants attended the event.

President of the TTPBA Jonathan Tardieu said, “It’s just been a lot of work going into this and the team has been working really hard to make sure Great Race comes off, so I have not had time to feel nervous or excited or anything.”

Tardieu expects another strong turnout this year. He said, “This year we expect between 25 to 30 boats. We have one new entrant that supposed to be in the 95 mile per hour class called Tyrant. He has been trying feverishly (to compete). He was supposed to make it to the last regatta, (but) could not make it (because) he had little issues to sort out. Other than that it is just the usual suspects. Mr Solo is in the running (and) Iron Man.”

The 130 mph class will feature the fastest boats.

A new class will enter the competition this year. “We have the spec class. There are six boats in that class (and) out of those six, four of them would actually be new to the Great Race, this will their first Great Race as well.

“Spec class is a new class that we introduced this year. All the other classes have speed brackets. This is the only class that does not have a speed bracket, but all the boats are the same length, same hull, same engine, everything.”

This year the boat show, held in the build up to the event, will take place at the West Park Savannah (opposite West Mall) on August 5. Tardieu thanked the Diego Martin Regional Corporation for allowing the TTPBA to have the boat show at West Park.

Tardieu thanked the sponsors for getting on board again, but also encouraged members of corporate TT to contact the association to show support.

“This year we’ve only had Carib and NLCB (National Lotteries Control Board) on board to help us with Great Race, so we still really need corporate Trinidad to buy into the Great Race and help support this sport. This is the 55th running of the race, the longest running race in the world so we really need them to jump on board and help us make this into an event that it deserves to be.”

Antron Forte, category manager for beer and beyond beer at Carib Brewery, said, “For Carib it is about promoting national culture and sports and one of the most fundamental things for us is to support people really pushing towards betterment…these guys continue to come out every year and they are very dedicated to their craft, so for us it made sense as a local brand and one that is very much invested in people.”