Powerboat Racing debuts at the '08 Olympic Games

[Jim O'Toole]

sadly the 1908 games in London....

Three classes, five brits and a frenchman

There were three classes:

Class A - Won by Gyrinus, a motor boat owned by Tom Thorneycroft who won the event for GBR beating the Quicksilver boat which did not finish the race.
Class B- Gyrinus again beat a boat called Sea Dog which also did not finish.

Class C Camille (FRA) driven by Emile Thubron took the Gold whilst the Duke of Westminster’s (GBR) long awaited ‘Wolseley Siddeley’ did not finish in this class. His Grace apparently - in trying to cut a fine course - ran aground on a sandbank and became stuck!

Unfortunately this is set to be the only motorboat action the Olympic Movement was set to see as the Olympic Charter no longer prohibits mechanical propulsion...