Boatmad.com


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 01-04-2012, 03:05 PM   #1
Registered User
 
Black_Tornado's Avatar
 
Country: Italy
Location: Viareggio
Occupation: no
Interests: Offshore powerboats/Motor racing
Boat name: no
Boat make: no
Engines: no
Cruising area: no

Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Viareggio
Posts: 388
Send a message via AIM to Black_Tornado Send a message via Yahoo to Black_Tornado
The Offshore Champ Vincenzo Balestrieri has passed away

Last night the Offshore ace Vincenzo Balestrieri two-time World Champion the sport has passed away at the age of 86 in Rome.

With a sporting history of boxing, football, basketball, japanese wrestling and car racing, Gold Medal in athletics in 1940 at the age of 14, Vincenzo Balestrieri began his sporting career in offshore racing in 1962 at the first edition of the Viareggio-Bastia -Viareggio with the "Cohete" a Picchiotti motoryacht. Since that time, for 13 years Balestrieri was one of the main protagonists of the sport by winning 28 international competitions, such as 4 editions of the Viareggio-Bastia-Viareggio, in 1964,68,70 and 1972, the Sam Griffith Memorial 1968 with Don Pruett, a controversial edition of the Miami-Nassau in 1970 with Jack Stuteville, two Wills International Trophy in England in 1969 and 1970 and then in the Punta Del Este Uruguaian race in 1971 and two Rio de La Plata in 1971 and 1973, two Naples Trophy in 1968 and 1970, two Rosa D'Oro in Yugoslavia in 1968 and 1969, a Gettingloppet in Sweden in 1968, two Dauphin D'Or in France in 1968 and 1971, and more. He won two World Titles UIM-Sam Griffith Trophy in 1968 and in 1970 finished second in 1971 and third in 1966,1969 and 1972.Ha also received two National Titles in South America in 1971 and 1973 and an Italian title in 1974.

He was the first non-American driver to win a US competition, the Sam Griffith Memorial in Miami in 1968.

He raced on hulls of Levi and Bertram but mostly with those of Aronow. Legendary boats like the Tornado a 28'Magnum in 1968, two Black Tornadoes 32' Cary in 1970-1972, two Black Tornadoes 36' Cigarette from 1971 to 1975.

Vincenzo Balestrieri was undoubtedly one of the main protagonists of the Offshore sport, along with the legendary Sam Griffith, Dick Bertram, Jim Wynne, Don Aronow, Bob Magoon, Carlo Bonomi, Betty Cook.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	VBv72bt1rid.jpg
Views:	1343
Size:	137.3 KB
ID:	34178   Click image for larger version

Name:	VBV70WinnerRid.jpg
Views:	264
Size:	106.3 KB
ID:	34179   Click image for larger version

Name:	VBV62BalestrieriPicchiottiResiz.jpg
Views:	299
Size:	205.2 KB
ID:	34180   Click image for larger version

Name:	VBV1975Balestrieri1aResize.jpg
Views:	816
Size:	61.5 KB
ID:	34181   Click image for larger version

Name:	YellowTornadoMiamiNassau1969cResiz.jpg
Views:	323
Size:	146.7 KB
ID:	34182  

Click image for larger version

Name:	BlackTornado1resiz.jpg
Views:	385
Size:	151.0 KB
ID:	34183  
__________________

Black_Tornado is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2012, 05:55 PM   #2
Registered User
 

Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 57
Really Sad news.

He was truly one of the legends of the sport through the 1960s and 70s.

I remember the White, Red and Black Tornadoes racing in England and whilst always unlucky in the Cowes Torquay race, the Championship battle against Tommy Sopwith in 1970 (Black Tornado v Miss Enfield 2 )was a world wide epic that no longer exists in the modern era of the sport.

-he was a true champion and the first to take the challenge accross the Atlantic and beat the Americans in thier back yard.

He will be missed

RIP
__________________

Guy41 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2012, 05:34 PM   #3
Registered User
 
littlenige's Avatar
 
Country: Spain

Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,726
Thanks for sharing Marco. Sad news.
littlenige is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:58 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
×