Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/606717
21 Sport maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 25 NOVEMBER 2015 POWERBOATS Final hurdle costs Team Chaudron world titles WILFRED SULTANA WITH two teams, Team Chaudron and Team RG87 of Italy - on equal points leading the VI classification of the 2015 UIM ClassOne Worlds, a most aggressive grand finale was expected at the third and last Championship's meeting held at Abu Dhabi. Yet, this was not to be, as in the second out of six laps Team Chaudron developed hot en- gine problems and against all expectations the Maltese team had to retire from the race and eventually from the event as the sustained damage could not be repaired. Was it a case that could have been avoided? "Sometimes cer- tain mishaps could be avoided but in racing, like in all other sports, anything could hap- pen from small setbacks which give that odd chance to recover to unfortunate and unpleasant surprises which cause major and serious damage - like what hap- pened to us in Abu Dhabi", re- marked four times World Cham- pion Aaron Ciantar. The 2015 UIM ClassOne Worlds were made up of three events - Venezia-Rimini (V1 only), Salermo (C1/V1) and Abu Dhabi (again C1/V1). When a competitor encounter technical problems and is compelled to abandon the race it is most dif- ficult to regain the lost points in the remaining programme when having just three meetings. One satisfying aspect even in such a disappointing finale was that in Race 1 Team Chaudron, even though it stopped after two laps registered the best average speed of the Race. In fact the best recorded three average speeds in the V1 Class were that of Team 55 Chaudron - 79.69mph, Team 81 RG87 (Italy) - 72.97mph, and Team 47 Silverline (England) - 69.48mph. Team Chaudron once again had the powerful pair of profes- sionals in the canopy cockpit for the Abu Dhabi Worlds - Aaron Ciantar retained his traditional driver role with Frenchman Do- minique Martini featuring as throttle-man. Following the Abu Dhabi Meeting the 2015 UIM Clas- sOne World Champions were determined. In C1 Class the World Champions were Team 6 Abu Dhabi (UAE)/(Gary Bal- lough/Jerry Tomlinson) with 71 points, joint second place were Team 3 Victory (UAE) and Team 10 T-Bone Station (Italy) with 57 points. In V1 Class the World Champi- ons were Team 81 RG87 (Italy)/ (Giuseppe Schiano - Antonio Schiano) with 71 points, second Team 4 Bernico-New Star (Rus- sia) with 53 points, and third Team 55 Chaudron (Malta) with 35 points. While in the UIM ClassOne World Championship racing Team 55 Chaudron finished in third place and registered the best V1 Class speed, the year 2015 was a most gratifying one for Chaudron from a boat build- ing aspect. Here the Maltese company won the trust of the renowned Ital- ian designer Fabrizio Giugiaro. Indeed a 45-footer build specifi- cally to the explicit lust of its dis- tinguished owner whose name is partially incorporated in the model's name - Chaudron 45G Edition. Definitely a significant acknowledgment to the Maltese company's positive experiences and success. For 2016 Chaudron 45G Edi- tion will be making its baptism of fire in racing when it will contest the IX Edition of the 1,500 miles Venezia Montecarlo Race. In the cockpit there will be world champion Aaron Ciantar as Driver and world renowned designer Fabrizio Giugiaro as Navigator. Team Chaudron will again be in V1 Class of the 2016 UIM Clas- sOne Worlds naturally aiming to regain the world title again. Faces Say It All! Two contrasting expressions on two different experiences - 2014 when Aaron Ciantar and French- man Dominique Martini are crowned World Champions.....2015 when Team Chaudron had to retire because of engine brake down.....and both episodes happened in Abu Dhabi BOV GFA Players of the Month VICTORIA Hotspurs forward Miguel Montano is the BOV GFA Player of the Month for Septem- ber 2015 and Daniel Bogdanovic (Xewkija Tigers) won the award for October 2015. Twenty-four year old Colom- bian Miguel Montano joined Victoria Hotspurs after trials in the BOV Premier League in Mal- ta during the summer months. Montano was very present throughout September in the first matches of the Gozo Cham- pionship 2015/2016. He scored the Spurs' only goal in their 1-0 win over Kercem Ajax and also scored four goals in Victoria's 7-0 routing of St Lawrence Spurs. With a determined style of play, Montano is spurring his team- mates to be major contenders for the League this season. During October, Bogdanovic provided the spark in Xewkija's 3 league games as well as their sec- ond round victory over Marsa in the FA trophy where he scored twice. Bogdanovic also scored twice in Xewkija's 3-2 loss to Kercem as well as scoring the winning goal in their 2-1 victory over Victoria Hotspurs. Horace Laudi, Bank of Val- letta's Gozo Regional Manager presented the BOV GFA Player of the Month trophies for Sep- tember and October 2015 to Montano and Bogdanovic who both chose Fondazzjoni Arka to benefit from the donation asso- ciated with this award. Miguel Montano - Victoria Hotspurs Daniel Bogdanovic - Xewkija Tigers Sport POWERBOATS