A Legacy of Speed First launched in 1961, this race quickly earned its reputation as the “world’s longest-running offshore powerboat race”—and for good reason. Conceived by Sir Max Aitken, the inaugural event captured the imagination of boating fans and helped spark a wave of offshore races across Europe and the Middle East. With a course charted from the Solent to the English Channel’s southern coast and back, the race throws every challenge at crews—choppy seas, variable tides, coastal hazards like Portland Bill and Start Point, and the demand to average long stretches at thrilling speeds.