Team Chaudron for UIM ClassOne Worlds

By Wilfred Sultana

Chaudron made its international racing debut as a “Wildcard” entrant on the P1 circuit in May 2004 during the Malta GP with 24-year-old Aaron featuring as trotter-man and driver.  For seasons 2005, 2006, and 2007 the Chaudron brother-and-sister team - Aaron and Audrien – as driver and trotter-man were powerful enthusiastic protagonists in a World Championship full of excitement, contest and spectacle.

In 2008 after four seasons of great experience and opportunities – where the local constructor even sold a number of racing boats to foreign owners – Aaron decided to join Italian World Champion Angelo Tedeschi.  A decision which indeed paid for season 2008 saw Aaron as driver and Angelo Tedeschi (throttle-man) on Racing Project and again in season 2009 on Seagull Chaudron, the crew being throttle man Angelo Tedeschi, Aaron Ciantar as driver, and Ukrainian Victor Shemchuk as an owner and navigator conquer two consecutive editions of the P1 World Championship – both on Chaudron built racing machines as was Tedeschi’s winning boat of 2007.

In 2011 Ukrainian Spirit and Seagull, two boats of Ukrainian Victor Shemchuk ownership and Malta Chaudron-built origin, made history by winning both their respective categories at the 31st Key West World Championship on their first outing in powerboat racing in the United States.  Here again Aaron was in the driver’s seat of the 13-metre Chaudron Canopy 41 with twin inboard 800hp engines, Ukrainian Spirit (P1-55), that featured in the Manufacturer Production 1 Class.

Now the legend continues with Aaron Ciantar and Chaudron Powerboats ready to test their talent and power in the 2014 UIM ClassOne World Powerboat Championship widely regarded as the pinnacle of international offshore powerboat racing. The 2014 Worlds, organised by H2O Racing under the auspices of the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), will be made up of three meetings.  The Ibiza Grand Prix (Spain), to be held between the 5th and 7th September will mark the first event on the 2014 Calendar with the second challenge scheduled for the 17th and 19th October in Terracina Italy. Abu Dhabi hosts the U.A.E. Grand Prix between the 29th and 30th November definitely pledging a grand finale to a spectacular Championship.

The revised World Championship events format ‘ClassOne’ will see the Class 1 Catamarans and V1 Monohulls running together on a simple mirror-image circuit with separate sets of turn-buoys, Class 1 turning on the inside marks, V1 the outside.

Class One V1, where Team Chaudron will be positioned, should include prototype racing craft that, with a minimum length of 36ft and maximum of 43ft,  using inboard motors only, can reach speeds in excess of over 100mph.

Team Chaudron boat is the 13-metre Chaudron Canopy 41 which had its last international outing at the 31st Key West World Championship in the United States – the ex-Ukrainian Spirit.  The twin 800hp inboard engines’ boat – a World Champion - now flies the Malta flag.

Team Chaudron will have a powerful pair of professionals in the canopy cockpit for the 2014 UIM ClassOne World Powerboat Championship, a new partnership sharing the same dreams and ambitions.

Aaron Ciantar will retain his traditional driver’s role with French Corsica man Dominique Martini featuring as throttle-man. Since crossing path in 2012 they worked hard to combine their experiences and competencies in order to get the best out of their professional partnership.

Dominique Martini is a known personality on the French National Championship of offshore racing circuit having won 3rd place in 2009, finished Vice-Champion by reaching the podium for each race in 2010 and eventually became French Champion in 2011.

Dominique is also familiar to Chaudron boats for together with his brother Jean-Luc, the Martini brothers won 3rd place in 2012 and 2nd place in 2013 of the French Championship on a Chaudron 25.

“We are enthusiastically looking forward to this huge but significant challenge. We have trained hard, tested the boat thoroughly and we are pleased with its performance”, remarked three-times World Champion Aaron Ciantar.