Malta Ocean Grand Prix 2011 - Offshore racing at its best

by Martin Allerton on 10 Jun 2011 Ocean Grand Prix World Powerboat Championship 2011 opening rounds takes place in Valletta, Malta, this weekend (11th-12th June).

For Sigi Greve, owner and throttleman of Searex, the German offshore powerboat racing team, today’s battle for Pole Position can’t come soon enough.

Alongside co-pilot Douglas Verbanck, Greve will take on all-comers in pursuit of a win in the Malta Ocean Grand Prix, the inaugural event of the OGP Powerboat World Championship. His boat, Hercules Sägemann, has been out of the water for seven months and now Greve is raring to go and optimistic that the team are ready to take an historic victory.

'It’s a new championship and a new start,' enthuses Greve, 'This afternoon we shall be sprinting into Valletta, there will be a massive adrenaline rush as we power-down the throttles with the sound reverberating across the harbour. For offshore racers, there is no backdrop quite like the stunning fortified city of Malta, glistening in the sun.'

The forecast is for high temperatures but with strong winds predicted, calm waters are unlikely.

'The OGP World Championship is offshore racing at its best and what better way to show off V-hull boats to the world than in the roughest and toughest conditions?' continues Greve.

'I can’t wait for the racing to start, like a man who has been in the desert for two weeks, I keep shouting out in my sleep, water, water!'

Hopefully, the only water the pilots will taste in Malta is from the rooster tails of competitor Ocean Grand Prix website