Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/994982
MOTORING & BOATING M2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 JUNE 2018 AARON Ciantar, 38, a five-time world powerboating champion, has outspo- ken views on success and what it takes to make it in the world. He has been in the industry ever since the foundation of his family-run business Chaudron Powerboats in 1988, when he was only ten years old. The business, one of the leading boat constructors in the world, was named after the three siblings – a compilation of letters from each of their names; Charlotte, Audrianne, and Aar- on. It was in 2004 that Aaron decided to take up powerboat racing competi- tively, entering the championships as a wild card entry together with his sister, racing a client's pleasure boat he had built from scratch. After placing sec- ond amidst severe weather conditions, Aaron was determined to keep moving forward. Being the only contractors holding the record for best powerboat contractor title; eight times to be precise, Aaron claims he always envisioned the compa- ny would end up being one of the best constructors in the world, especially after winning both the driver and con- structor world championships in 2007. Two Chaudron powerboats took the 2011 Key West World Championship by storm, winning both their respective categories among a total of 70 boats. Aaron came up with an idea to create his own 'one-design class'; a Chaudron SVR-27 canopy race boat which he had been working on for four years, after acquiring the rights and specifications from the UIM, the international gov- erning body of powerboat racing. Together with Martin McDonald, he went on to found 'VOOMQUEST', an exciting new Motor Racing and Life- style Platform. The UIM have given them the rights to move forward with a new championship; 'one-design class v2 International Powerboat champion- ship'. A one-design class makes racing more sustainable, avoiding logistics and the high costs of transporting boats around the world. The boats used in the race are all Chaudron products and come with a sealed engine. The team must purchase the boat which will be kept and stored in Malta. The VOOMQUEST 2018 V2 Interna- tional Powerboat Championship sea- son features nine races in total, across three new venues in Malta. They plan on remaining on the island for the first two years, but won't exclude races away from Maltese shores in the future. It was only recently that VOOM- QUEST announced Enemed as an of- ficial fuel partner. Executive Chairman, Kevin Chircop, said that when he met up with both Aaron and Martin, he im- mediately wanted to get involved as it is something Enemed believes in. Kevin claims that the company would not only be supplying them with fuel, but it also aims to give a helping hand with regard to marketing. It is a great marketing venture beneficial to both Enemed and VOOMQUEST. "What we don't want to do is run," said Kevin, stressing on the fact that if they work together and take it step by step, the partnership will last more than a mere two years. In fact, even though their current focus is Mal- ta, there's already talk on where to take the races in other parts of the Mediter- ranean in the future. Kevin makes it a point that Enemed is staying on top of its game. He states that it is important to stay in close contact with VOOMQUEST, working hand in hand and being constantly innovative in order to have a solid product. It is important for the company to perfect its business locally before expanding beyond, in order to be ready to face future challenges head on. According to Aaron, the impact of Enemed on VOOMQUEST is already being felt in a positive way – "People are coming to the garage asking about the fuel," said Aaron. Kevin agrees, stating that the better VOOMQUEST is, the better it is for Enemed in the long run. If Enemed eventually expands outside of Malta, VOOMQUEST would be able to help out with its international contacts as well – "It works both ways," Kevin said. Enemed's involvement in power- boating comes from a passion for per- formance and the opportunity to de- velop the best possible products for its customers. The work it's doing with VOOMQUEST is the perfect proof point of this, and an ideal shop window through which to communicate this to customers in Malta and eventually even abroad. Enemed's core values are honesty and integrity. Kevin emphasised the fact that if high octane fuel is not used for a period of time, it loses its value, so the necessary research is done to see which petrol stations take longer to fill their tanks, ensuring the client always gets the best fuel. At the moment, the E-power being produced is 99.3 octane, making it almost racing fuel. "This shows you that Enemed is really showing their pas- sion in their product," Aaron said. VOOMQUEST provides the perfect test bed in which to develop their fuel, not just for the V2 international Pow- erboat Championship competitors, but for all other Enemed customers. Kevin claims that they are "selling an experi- ence, not a fuel." Enemed has just provided fuel to the June V2 International Powerboat Cham- pionship and was responsible for ensur- ing the racing fuel was consistent for all the V2 teams. The team Marine Dif- fusion with French drivers Dominique Martini and Jean-Luc Martini, finished on top with a total of 1200 points. Steve Bezzina and Michael Abela representing Team Cutting Edge from Malta finished in second place with 825 points overall, followed by Team Lethiec in third place with a total of 652 points. With the recent announcement of Enemed becoming official fuel partners of VOOMQUEST, PHILIPPA ZAMMIT met five-time powerboating world champion, Aaron Ciantar and Enemed's executive chairman, Kevin Chircop, to see how they've been working hand in hand and redefining the industry together Powerboat royalty It is important for the company to perfect its business locally before expanding beyond, in order to be ready to face future challenges head on