By IW Observer.co.uk
Drew Langdon and Miles Jennings held off their Italian rival, Maurizio Schepici, to narrowly win the 2022 Round the Island powered by Shamrock Quay race. It was the opening round of this year’s UKOPRA World Offshore Championship, and saw 25 teams compete in the Solent last weekend.
In a closely-fought race, in which they circumnavigated the Island in under 35 minutes, only four seconds separated the big two. Both the British and Italian teams averaged a staggering 102 mph, with the Italian boat ‘Tommy One’ driven, for the first time, by Isle of Wight property-developer, Richard Bendy.
Class 3, with the biggest fleet of boats, was dominated by D28 Renegade, who also finished the race in under an hour.
There was local interest in Class 3C as Adam Leal and George Hobart competed in their very first Offshore Powerboat Race and crossed the line in twelfth overall with a very respectable 55 mph average speed. Adam and George managed to cross the line virtually on fumes as they ran out of petrol to cross the line off Gurnard.
The next round will be held in six weeks, racing around Poole Bay, and is followed, on the August Bank Holiday weekend, at the annual Cowes Classic.
Isle of Wight Observer