XCAT GP Lugano: Spectacular speedboat race

Last weekend we were invited to experience live the only speedboat event in Switzerland, the Grand Prix of the XCAT World Series in Lugano. We did not want to miss this opportunity, when do you get the chance to experience such exquisite and spectacular events up close.

The whole thing was a show of the very best and not only for boat lovers. The entire event was set up near the Lido with access to the VIP area with a great view of the racing action, boat park where you could see the boats between the races, and of course the public park on the shore of Lake Lugano, where thousands of onlookers gathered.

Trial runs were held in the morning, and in the afternoon the race started at 3:30 p.m. each day, lasting a good hour. The Grand Prix took place on Sunday afternoon.

The first boats appeared in the water a good quarter of an hour before the race, engines roared, the teams pressed the pedal for the first time to see if their speedboat also worked and brought the power to the water. At 3:30 p.m. the race got underway, with the boats first moving from one shore to the other, and it seemed from the outside that the circuit was first being run. Unfortunately, there was no map of the course and also a speaker was missing, who explained the race or informed about the status of the race, a shortcoming that should be changed at the next race in a year. But when the engines roared and the boats became faster and faster, it was clear to everyone, now the race has started. Right from the start, Team Victory was able to pull ahead, closely followed by Teams Abu Dhabi, Gold Coast and Australia. With a mighty roar the mighty projectiles shot over the water and past the spectators, for spectacle was now fully provided. Unfortunately, it was difficult to follow the position of the individual teams from the shore, but Victory was always the first to cross the finish line. The field was getting more and more stretched out. While the leading teams raced past the far opposite shore, the following teams only shot past the finish line one by one. Since this sequence was repeated again and again, the spectacle remained the same, and no speaker informed about the current race events and thus fueled the spectators, the field of spectators on the shore of Lake Lugano thinned out more and more, since the first spectacle was probably already gone for many. We, however, enjoyed every second of the race and were delighted to see the winning Victory team cross the finish line after just over an hour. The team had completed the 17 laps with an average speed of nearly 154 km/h. Fabulous! Shortly after the end of the race, unfortunately, a massive rain shower began, which caused many spectators to flee the event area.

All in all, the XCAT World Series Grand Prix in Lugano is a unique affair, spectacular, in front of a beautiful backdrop and with the right ambience. The organizer can only be congratulated for bringing such a spectacular event to Italian Switzerland. There is room for improvement in terms of crowd control, a separate press area and live coverage with a speaker.

You can find the race results of the GP Lugano here.
The overview in the XCAT World Series after the GP Lugano you will find here.