Historic P1 Race has Italians Scrambling to Make the Race
It is said there is “no rest for the weary,” but as the Powerboat P1 World Championship prepares for its historic debut in Istanbul, Turkey, it can also be said there is no rest for the injured as legendary Italian racer Marco Pennesi defies doctor’s orders to help team Metamarine Corse Pignolo 53 make the green flag when the Turkish Grand Prix of the Sea takes the water the weekend of June 19-21.
Despite the fact that he has not yet fully recovered from injuries suffered when Metamarine Corse Pignolo experienced a dramatic spin-out during the Maltese Grand Prix of the Sea last month, Pennesi puts in a full day running European food giant MetaMeccanica, then joins the rest of the team repairing and prepping the Seatek-powered Metamarine hull into the wee hours of the morning in a race against the clock in order to race in the Evolution Class completion on the Bosphorous River which separates the Black Sea from the Mediterranean Sea and divides Europe and Asia.
Needless to say, with a schedule like that it is hard catching up with Pennesi, but teammate Max Ferrari, a race legend in his own right, has nothing but praise for his partner’s dedication. “Marco is a great teammate and not just because of his incredible technical preparation. Despite not being an engineer, he is extremely capable of looking after all of the technical aspects of the boat. Also, he’s not afraid of having me next to him in the boat,” Ferrari says, tongue planted firmly in cheek.
More information on the Turkish Grand Prix of the Sea and the entire Powerboat P1 experience is available at
www.powerboatp1.com.
