Flying the flag for Malta

Chaudron, the first Maltese team to compete in the Powerboat P1 World Championship, will once again fly the flag for the Islands, starting with the Grand Prix of Malta taking place on May 13 and 14.

The brother-sister combination of driver/throttleman Aaron and navigator Audrien Ciantar performed exceptionally well in the 2005 season, finishing third overall in the SuperSport Class of the Powerboat P1 World Championships despite competing against highly experienced teams in more powerful craft.

For the opening round of the 2006 World Championship in Malta, Chaudron will be looking to take advantage of its local knowledge, the enthusiastic home support and a new more powerful boat as it embarks on its championship challenge.

Team owner and proud father Charlie Ciantar saw 2005 as a great success as the team, competing in a 33ft powerboat designed and built by the family business, defied the odds to secure third place in the championship.

With Aaron and Audrien taking on Europe's racing elite in a better equipped, new purpose-built 33-footer - once again designed and assembled with the Chaudron magic touch there is every chance that the Maltese duo will be pushing for top honours as this exciting racing spectacle reaches its climax in October.

Boats are his babies, and he has been associated with them since his childhood: Chaudron Boats is the family business in Malta for Aaron Ciantar. He recalls being only eight the first time he took to the water at the helm of a 16-foot 30hp boat. He had his initial taste of P1 in the first Grand Prix of Malta in May 2004.

Since then Aaron has raced eight Grand Prix in two seasons where the team was aware of its limitations with regard to the rest of the fleet, both in experience and equipment.

"It was just like comparing a speedboat to a racing powerboat". In 2005 at Cowes the team got its first placing while at the end of the season it secured a third place overall in the Supersport Class. Aaron, who excels in drag car racing, is enthusiastically looking forward to this year's championship where, with a new better-equipped boat, he has set his sights on the number one spot.

Audrien's powerboat racing involvement came as a natural continuation of her life in the family boating business administered by her father Charlie, who is also team manager. Like her brother Aaron, boats have always been her profession and passion too. Being the only female pilot on the circuit gave her no inferiority complex whatsoever. On the contrary, she looks at her baptism of fire in 2004 at the Grand Prix of Sardinia with great pride. Audrien and Aaron make an excellent team both in racing and at work.

"Even as youngsters we used to make up a good partnership, playing basketball with the other kids in our street. While powerboat racing is her favourite pastime, Audrien finds time for music and cinema where she finds the voice of Madonna and charms of Spanish actor Antonio Banderas simply adorable. When it comes to P1 venues she is undoubtedly a patriot, her preference is her native Malta.