Ciantar and Tedeschi to race new Chaudron for Ukraine team

Although the 2009 P1 World Championship is scheduled to start in May and uncertainties abound on the number of teams and venues in this year's campaign, Victor Shemchuk has already done his homework for the new season.

Shemchuk, a businessman from Ukraine, will be venturing for the first time in the P1 championship and wants to leave an instant mark after securing the services of Aaron Ciantar and Angelo Tedeschi, 2008 Supersport world champions for Conam Yachts.

The Italo-Maltese tandem will now lead the challenge of Shemchuk's newly-formed blue and yellow team Seagull. They will race on a new Chaudron which was built in Malta.

Shemchuk, the president of the Ukraine Powerboat Federation, was in Fgura yesterday to unveil the new boat he hopes will steal the headlines this season.

"This is a really exciting venture," Shemchuk, 39, told those present at the Chaudron factory via an interpreter.

"I am very grateful to the Ciantar family who have built this boat in a relatively short period of time.

Now, we are banking on Aaron and Angelo to lead our team to a memorable world championship.

"We do not intend to be in the P1 Championship just to make up the numbers. We want to show that in Ukraine there is a new generation coming up ready to put our country closer to Europe. I am hopeful that this new team will be the start of a fruitful co-operation between Ukraine and Maltese businessmen as well."

The 2009 P1 championship is planned to get underway on May 8-10 in Malta. So far governing body UIM has decided on four other venues this year. These are: Sweden, Turkey and Bahrain - all new - along with a race in Italy.

With the factory job done, Ciantar is now eager to test the new boat on the water.

"This Chaudron was built by my father Charlie and myself and we have been working on it since last October," Ciantar, 28, said.

"Last year, we had another reliable Chaudron but this time we are expecting a tough challenge from the others. So, we made sure that we improved most of the racing aspects in our boat. We have a stronger engine and applied some modifications that will help us establish ourselves as the fastest team in Supersport."

Tedeschi said he was happy to have extended his racing partnership with Ciantar.

"I feel I am part of this Chaudron family now... this will be my third year on a boat built by the Ciantars," he said.

"Conam Yachts was a pleasant experience. Now, they are trying to stay in the championship and looking to appoint new personnel at the helm."

Also present for the launching yesterday was Parliamentary Secretary for Sport, Clyde Puli.

On behalf of the government, he congratulated the Ciantar family for their success in the powerboat industry and augured that more foreign businessmen like Shemchuk will be attracted to invest in our country.