A photo essay, as pictures speak a thousand words. Once a year, the circus comes to town. The Thai league of powerboat racing in the small fishing village I call home. 45 photographs, and captions added to all of them. I could add more words, however, I don't see how they'd help once you see all these pictures and comments below .... So, without further ado, let us begin.
Our local lad and his boat, sponsorship available plus rides if you can visit!
"See? Just a normal engine!" ... Need more Powerrrrr!!!!!
Tohatsu. There's an option.
Powerboat. Petrol. Mmmmmmmmmm Thatcher's Gold. Sweeeet.
All of a sudden I'm looking at a having a whale of a time in Bang Saray and realizing Tohatsu are probably pretty sweet outboard motors. And I'm craving a bottle of Singha. Water.
The Silver Arrows livery looks just perfect on this local Mercedes dealership sponsored steed.
A Formula One car for the water, through and through, but with the atmosphere and grass roots access of an early 1970's F1 pit lane, in 2022. Welcome to heaven.
The future is water we just don't know it yet.
It's a supercar for the water ... the build effort and finish is what really struck out also, the engineering in this sport hasn't stood still in recent years. All made in Thailand.
Beyond words now what kind of man would not just want to hop in and go for a cruise?
That's some subtle breathing apparatus force feeding that Mercury F1 outboard. These are completely uncompromising race engines, absolute top of the range, invite only kinda stuff. You don't casually stick one of these on your ski boat - they need a full time mechanic.
Those aren't the drones you're looking for .... said nobody. Seriously, these helicopter drones are the only thing fast enough to follow the top category F1 boats.
Singha TV had an entire tent full of really cool gadgets and toys, broadcasting the event live on national television.
Singha Sports TV production crew in full swing
Thailand .. Proof of Land of Smiles #2 - you can even make out the guy on the right is smiling!
These were the most professional and serious looking folks, they are the rescue team and first responders to any incidents out on the water. Their job was to ensure the event upheld the highest possible safety regulations for motorboat racing, and it was evident that Skywave Rescue knew how to do this job to a world class standard.
Check out the carbon weave on that windshield!
In this lower class, the boats are a lot shorter. Believe it or not, in some complex physics - this will limit top speed. The longer the boat, the faster it can go. (Feel free to look up the physics).
It was a great time for all the visitors and you can get up and personal with the racing machines, which is normally rare (for example at a car racing events).
The 'Art Boat' ... great hand painted vibe here
This boat had a very Pop-Art hand painted style. with streaks and wonky lines like it had been painted by an 9 year old. Very funky!
Capturing the weigh in, the truck picks up the boat with a digital scale attached whilst the ground crew ensure the boat remains balanced. Marshals were very comprehensive in checking especially winners, no cheating here!
It's a great paint job, isn't it?
Can you get enough pictures of these boats? Here with some more background atmosphere.
This guy was an owner or part of the team, taking a moment in the shade to sit on the trailer under the team tents.
Any color you like ... lucky 7 in Black works for me :)
Proof of Land of Smiles. The public first aid tent for all, spectators or injured racers. A little more relaxed lot that the rescue team we'll see in a moment.
Trying to line up the perfect shot of all those noses ...
By now looking at all these boats, I really want to drive one. Perhaps one day it can happen ...
Like Sci-Fi, Gladiators, and Wipeout but for real. Only in Thailand! Oh man do Thai's love their motorsports, on track, on water, on dirt, on mud, you name it.
40hp open class, our 'local lad' seen in blue top is competing.
Coca-Cola bottle with a ridiculous engine strapped to the back - would you dare race it?
They remind me so much of the old Playstation game 'Wipeout'. Expect the ships are real and in front of my eyes!
Private entrant in the 50hp class.
Sponsorships are varied, all companies with presence in Thailand. The series is run by Singha, the biggest drinks company in Thailand and all the boats feature the Singha lion emblem.
Racer is getting ready to go, exchanging friendly words with a Singha Watersports marshal.
It's like an F1 car in there .... cramped, hot, and loud. Note the carbon fibre weave, there is some very good engineering talent in the making of these boats - all made in Thailand.
Thai legends decorate this ship. That outboard engine looks so sweet.
These outboards run high octane race fuel, which smells sweet, so sweet a smell that hangs in the air, just like race cars.
The full monty - longer, meaner, all carbon fibre, race tuned 300hp + motor. An F1 category powerboat - all sharp edges, no compromise. This ain't no pleasure craft. Check out the machining of that propeller.
These boats might be in the lower racing category, however as you can observe they're still serious pieces of machinery
A good number of the local expat community gathered at this shady spot and someone bought along a BBQ.
At the end of the day, Bang Saray delivers with another of it's signature sunsets...
Posted from my blog with Exxp.
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