Press > Releases > EBX brings unprecedented event to South America
01.Mar.10 Monday
The EBX Group, of entrepreneur Eike Batista, will bring the biggest powerboat race in the world: Class 1, which is considered by many to be “The Formula 1 of the Seas”. The race, set to happen from March 26 -28, will be held in South America for the first time, and will be based in Marina da Glória. The partnership to make the event in Brazil possible was signed between EBX and IOTA (International Offshore Teams Association) and it signals that Rio de Janeiro will hold the competition for the next ten years.
The “carioca” stage circuit will have eight nautical miles and the final stretch will be located in front of Praia do Flamengo. At least 10 powerboats will participate in the competition. Each one of them is operated by a pilot and a throttleman, responsible for the acceleration and deceleration of the powerboat. Renowned pilots from Italy, Norway, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, among others, will join the race for the title.
The event weekend starts with free training on Friday so that the pilots can adapt themselves to the circuit. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, new free and qualifying trainings will set up the starting grid. There will be two races, both in the afternoon, which count toward the World Championship point standings. At the same time, the Pole Position Championship will take place, where only the pilots that take off in the first positions receive points.
The expectation is that one million people will follow Class 1 in the Flamengo coastline. The audience will be able to watch the competition, free-of-charge, from Praia do Flamengo. In Marina da Glória, bleachers are being assembled for a paying attendance of around 3,000 people, who will be able to watch the event with full access to exclusive food and shopping areas. The infrastructure set up for the event will be disassembled beginning on the last day of the event up until the next six days at the most.
The event is budgeted at R$ 12 million and has the support of the Rio de Janeiro State Government and City of Rio de Janeiro Mayor’s Office. Class 1 integrates a series of initiatives from the EBX Groups in the city of Rio, including the acquisition of the concession of Marina da Glória, which will be recovered and serve as the headquarters for sailing competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games and Special Olympic World Summer Games.
After Rio, the Class 1 circuit moves to Arendal, Norway, for the second stage of the Word Cup, to be held July 16-18. The competition also occurs in Uddevalla, Sweden; in Constanta, Romania; in Stresa, Italy; and in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.
ABOUT CLASS 1
The Class 1 Powerboat Championship is the world’s premium powerboat race, with more than 40 years of existence. The first edition was held in 1964, still under the name “Powerboat Championship”. It was only in 1922 that the category became known as “Class 1”.
Each boat measures approximately 14m in length and 3.5m in width, and weights five tons. The boats require two pilots, one for steering and the other for acceleration/deceleration.
The 2010 World Circuit will have seven stages. The winning team will be the one that obtains the highest amount of points during the season. The first ten places score points in each stage: 20 for the winner, 15 for the runner-up, and 12 for the third place. The others score points in a variable scale (9, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1). Each race has between 14 and 16 laps around the circuit or a maximum duration of 45 minutes.