Watch Powerboat Racing
If you like speed, thrills and excitement and feel the need to infuse your holidays with a healthy adrenaline rush, then you’ll get a strong dose of all of the above if you check out a powerboat race in Malta.
The pristine and calm seas that surround the island make an ideal racetrack for these high-powered turbo-charged machines to plough around. For this reason, the Maltese Grand Prix of the Sea has become a popular feature of the Powerboat P1 calendar.
Spring brings the opening of the racing season when it’s launched in the Grand Harbour in Valletta. There, the general public can be free to admire the powerboats up close and personal in their full glory. During the following two days the powerboats cut across the blue waves in the Super Sport Class Sprint and the Super Sport Class Endurance.
The races are interspersed with a variety of evening activities ranging from performances by live bands, activities for kids, night parties, and podium presentations for the winners.
Locals and tourists alike flock to the waterfront in their tens of thousands to view this event. The races also include the traditional ‘round the island’ race, which enables spectators to witness the action from just about any shoreline. Also, with the regular breakthroughs that are being made in this relatively new sport, it’s not unusual to see history being made as an old world record is shattered and a new one confirmed.
The Maltese Grand Prix of the Sea is a continuation of the Grand Prix races, which take place all over the world. Here, modern day heroes face blinding speed, deafening sounds and challenging conditions as they hurtle through the sea in state-of-the-art boats mere metres away from each other.
This feat of mechanical engineering and human ingenuity combined with a breathtaking historical site like Malta’s Grand Harbour makes for a spectacle that’s not to be missed.
Additionally, the Malta Powerboats Association boasts a full racing calendar with local powerboat races being held on a monthly basis between March and September. Check out the MPA website for a full list of events.
