Throttleman - the Golden Era of Powerboat Racing

THROTTLEMAN

Offshore Powerboat Racing is one of the most spectacular sports on the planet. It is also one of the most exclusive. Even though we can go back as early as 1904 to find the first offshore race, a 22 miles run between Dover and Calais, it was not until 1956 that the sport really became structured and organised with the first running of the Miami-Nassau race. In 1961, the first European race was organised on the South Coast of England and in 1964 the World Championship was created. The sport did act as a catalyst in the progress of hulls and engines, and the performance and speeds reached, even in rough seas became impressive. The evolution of racing had a definite impact on the distribution of tasks aboard of competing boats, with a crew of usually three sharing driving, throttling and navigating duties. Created in the late 1960s, the position of throttleman has become vital as Offshore Racing requires for a boat to sustain as high a speed as the sea conditions and equipment durability will allow. In constantly varying conditions, the throttleman has to judge the power he will unleash with utmost precision, shutting down every time the propellers leave the water to avoid terminal engine damage and avoid repetitive impacts on the hull which could also lead to damage. The driver has to concentrate on keeping the course indicated by the navigator, a difficult task at speed approaching 100 mph, trying to guide a two and a half ton boat which spent as much time out of the water as in, while negotiating the various checkpoints as neatly as possible. Offshore Powerboat Racing is one of the most costly forms of motor sport with costs comparable to Formula One. In previous years, only very few wealthy individuals could pretend to compete over the course of a World Championship campaign which visited far away destinations all over the World. This required at least two boats, several spare engines and transmissions, as well as the logistics of moving the lot from race to race and be ready to compete. Generally, the boat owner is listed as the driver and is the crew member who will score points towards the championship contested. Throttlemen, tend to be linked with engine manufacturers or boat builders. The best throttlemen were loaned to favoured customers, almost as a guaranty of success. A premier throttleman is a highly sought after commodity in the sport.

Offshore Powerboat Racing requires strategy from the crew, from choosing the correct navigation option to choosing the correct tactic and the balance between increasing or easing up the pace. It has been said by one of the top drivers that the best way to win a race is by going as slowly as possible but still faster than your opponents. That said, offshore race results always place a lot of emphasis on the winner's average speed as an evaluation of his performance. In other forms of motorsport, this concept is rather meaningless. The high average speed of a track such as Hockenheim have little in common with the lower speed of the twisty track of the Monaco Grand Prix, if and when compared head to head. In powerboat offshore racing, the sea is a constant factor, even if influenced greatly by the weather. As such, the race winner's average speed is the best indicator of the intensity of his performance.

The game comes with the 1979 & 1980 seasons