Energiza expects to finish strong

T&T Powerboat Association 2013 Boat of the Year, Energiza will be stepping up into the 80mph category when the Carib Great Race takes off on Saturday morning from Chaguaramas to Tobago in one of the most challenging but exciting racing trips over the open Caribbean seas. Having won the 70mph class two years in a row, the 38’ Bowen’s crew has set its sights on a new batch of opponents including White Heat, Elixir and Hero III. Speaking to the Guardian yesterday, driver Sheldon Edghill said he and throttleman Anthony Brash needed a new test to keep them interested. “There’s no fun in winning all the time,” he revealed. “Where’s the challenge in that? Moving up to this class gives us more work to do. We might get beaten this year. We might get beaten next year, but eventually we will win.”

After additional work on the boat’s hull caused them to miss several of this season’s regattas, the team were handed a two minute penalty for Saturday’s race. “We will have lots of catching up to do since the boats in our class are all strong,” said Edghill. “This is one of the most competitive classes.” He added that preparations for the new class had taken a lot of energy.
“There’s a lot of technical and structural work to sort out to get that extra speed. We’ve been going back and forth, trying out different configurations and fine tuning everything to get an optimum performance. It’s a very time-consuming process but we will be finished in time.”

Edghill and Brash, who have been friends since their time at Fatima College, will be racing together for the fourth time this Saturday. He said that their familiarity with each other had been a key to their success. “We’re both are long acquainted with the sea and can read it well. There’s good coordination between us. Sometimes things can go wrong but that’s racing.”  
As a lifelong mariner with over 20 years of Coast Guard experience, the Great Race has always been special to Edghill. “My father was a sailor and I’ve always been in and around the sea. My family always looked forward to watching the Great Race every year and as a Coast Guard, I would be on the patrol boats,” he said. “It’s man and machine for 95 miles in the open water. It’s a pure thrill.”

Contenders 
Carib Great Race 2014 
A Class (130 mph)
Monster, Mr Solo, Paramount
B Class (120 mph)
Fire One, Stampede
C Class (110 mph)
Global Warmer
D Class (95 mph)
Sheriff Lobo, Rush, Chris Gone Wilder
E Class (80 mph)
Hero III, White Heat, Elixir, Energiza
F Class (70 mph)
Rite Formulal, Energiza, Extreme Measures, Cynisca
G Class (60 mph)
Matrix Reloaded, Chris Gone Wild, Infusion IV, Wethead, Outcast