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The B-Class boat benefited from an unexpected break-down from the overwhelming favourite Mr Solo only moments after the start just outside the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain yesterday mornin.
Mobile Heatwave raced past the new finish point at the Esplanade in Scarborough in a time of two hours and six minutes. Mr Solo, a 16-time winner of the event in the M-Class, experienced electrical problems and could not even make it out of the First Boca.
Yesterday navigator Darrin Marshall was disappointed with the outcome. “You can check everything else but you cannot check for electrical problems. Yesterday we lost our MSB and could not even finish the race, much less win it,” he said.
Aboard the 40-foot Scism Fountain Cat and the lone participant in the “M” Class, Marshall explained that while they were the fastest boat in theory, the practicals proved that Heatwave are the winners.
He boasts of a powerful 1700 hp engine that surely would have earned them the beaver-trick of wins in the gruelling 93-mile course.
“This just goes to show that the Great Race is for everybody and not just any one boat”Marshall said.
Heatwave driven by Gary Johnson with James Hadeed as the Throttle man and Nick Gomes as the Crew Chief, stole the win in the “B” Class as well as the overall victory.
Hero III surprisingly crossed the line for the overall runner-up position, well ahead of the bigger and more powerful boats. The 23-foot Ochne Mannerfelt, driven by Hero Boodram with Neil Samaroo as the Throttle man, also copped the top position in the S11 Class.
They were made to fend off a stern challenge for the class win by Energiza in the 93 mile grind but they held out.
Energiza which was driven by Christopher Ross and Anthony Brash (Throttle man) secured the overall third place finish in a time of two hours and 15 minutes while Blaze— another S11 Class boat — placed fourth overall.
Gulf FX claimed the fourth place in the S11 class with PapiChulo in fifth and Alien in sixth position.
Meanwhile Too High also ended yesterday’s race with a credible performance that earned them fifth position overall. They moved to the front of the S1 Class early and never gave up the lead despite strong challenge from the eventual second place boat— Rite Formula.
The other boats in this class either did not finish or failed to get going. Newcomer Gulf Dragon performed creditably in their debut race as they, not only won the “C” Class, but were the only boat in the class to finish. The other Rage and Rush failed to get out of the First Boca with Mr Solo while Miss Trinidad did not start.
