In the year 2003, Union International Motonautique (U.I.M.) granted to Endurance race "24 hours of SAINT PETERSBURG" status of the World Championship. New high status of the race and new hard requirements of U.I.M concerning preparation of the technical equipment and pilots, makes preparation to the competition much more expensive and complicated. With this new “rules of the game” one’s expectation to get the prize place without serious embedding, have left in past forever...

To the World Championship our team has accumulate a good experience of victories. In our "assets" there were a first place in the class PR-1500 of the Open Championship of Russia (2001 year), second place in the class PR-2000 and first place in the class PR-700 on Open Championship of Russia (2002 year), and also a number of command victories in not so prestigious competitions. All these victories were reached on YAMARAN serial boats powered with the serial YAMAHA motors. On the World Championship we have decide not to change our principles and prepare to racing basically serial boats and serial motors in "junior" class 1 (700 сm3) and "senior" class 4 (2000 сm3).

For the 1st class (700 сm3) we choose outboard motors YAMAHA 40VETOS, with displacement 698 сm3. These motors belong to one family with the engine 50HEDOS, on which last year one of our team wins Open Championship of Russia in this class. Choice of the motor in this class was to a considerable extent compelled - 50HEDOS and 50HETOS in 2003 year have left YAMAHA’s model line-up. 40VETOS, unlike 50HEDOS are equipped with power trim, that gives certain advantage in speed on open parts of the distance. At the same time, passport power of this engine is lower, that could not tell on the average velocity and dynamics of boats.

For the class 1 we choose serial boats YAMARAN B430R “Burevestnik” and YAMARAN B500R “Sapsan”, produced by "Mnev and Co".

For the class 4 (2000 сm3) we choose engines YAMAHA Z200PETOL. These motors are from V-max series, having displacement 2596 с.c. The motors are equipped with High Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI), that allows them to fit in the 2000 cc class, with 30% handicap for "ecologically clean" motors.

Let’s note again, that our team never was a supporter of this handicap, in reality allowing two-stroke injector engines by the power up to 200 h.p. to participate in one class with the serial carburator motors by the power 115-140 h.p. However, lowered by that major competitors in our class will be injector 200-h.p. outboard motors Mercury Optimax and racing motors Mercury XR-2, power also under 200 h.p., at last we have come to a conclusion to prepare the 200-h.p. Z200PETOL HPDI engines for the race.

Choice of boats for the class 4 was not simple - in Russia nobody is producing serial RIB boats, designed for motion at the speed of over 100 kilometers per hour. After studying several options we decided to use a boat "YAMARAN B640R" manufactured by the enterprise "Course", and absolutely new boat “Akula” ("Shark") constructed by S. Fedorko.

Four boats takes 16 pilots, same number of technicians and “gasoline crew”, plus a group of support… The whole is more then 50 people. It’s not a “small” group at all….

The pilots of boat “Akula” (№5) in the class 4 are professionals. Valerii Starokozjev, Alexei Sinitsyn, Vadim Ushakov, and Sergei Fedorko - famous names in water motor sport.

The team of boat YAMARAN B640R (the traditional #7) - "advanced users". Champions of Russia 2001 year Andrei Gerashenko, Dmitri Sandler ("Petroset-Bolshoi") and Konstantin Dmitriev ("Aquatrade"). Igor Boldin - a big enthusiast of varied extreme amusements.

Teams of boats in the class 1 - an alliance of the youth and experience. Repeated Champion of Russia Alexander Smyrnov ("Petroset-Bolshoi"), trainer Jurii Smyrnov, German Belousov, Eugeni Savchenco, Alexei Kostromin, Alexei Piatygin, Sergei Condratiev and Anatoly Bykov - all the members of "YAMARAN" Sport Club.

The most difficult was preparing the boats of class 4. For a week of serious work, with considerable help of Mr. Tsunamoto of Yamaha Motor Japan, we managed to obtain a stable run of boat YAMARAN B640R on speed up to 110 kilometres per hour.

Boat “Akula” was ready to put on water just in 2 days before the race. In the test drives is reveal fault of fuel system of the boat, on repairing of which we spent all remaining time, so we can’t prepare this boat as well as we wish.

Technical control of the boats at Friday morning beyond the race lasted several hours. The whole night before the race was spent on eliminating problems fixed by the control, so at Saturday - a day of beginning of the race - a crew of mechanical engineers looked "powerfully tire, but not beaten". Recurrent technical commission was held at Saturday morning, and, finally, permission for the boats participation was received.

In the class 4 eleven (11) boats declared.

Two racing motors Mercury XR-2 – were declared by “Mercury NIITM - Service Boat" (Russia) and "Autonautique" (Belgium).

Three 200-horsepower injector motors Mercury Optimax – teams "Latvia" (Latvia), "Akvashelf" (Latvia), "Veda" (Russia-Austria).

…There is to many of them!…

Two “ours” 200–horsepower motors YAMAHA Z200PETOL .

Three engines YAMAHA 130-140 h.p.

One – Mercury 125 – of «Costroma» team (Russia).

In the class 1 – 11 demands too.

Two more motors YAMAHA of 50 h.p., and one of them is 4-stroked.

Two motors were Tohatsu M50.

Two motors - Honda 50B.

Three others were four-stroke Suzuki 50, Mariner F40, and one Selva 50 –S - 700.

Start of the race was mildly delayed. Around 4-30 p.m. boats leave from quays and lined up on the start area. Start…. From beneath of Cronwerksky Bridge after the first circle is wrest leader - our “Akula” №5, trace for him - "YAMARAN B640R" №7. Start is ours. Remaining task is “just a peace of cake” – to keep leadership in 23 hours 58 minutes and 20 seconds of the race.

Since the first hours of the race hard and uncompromising struggle begins in all classes. Fresh pilots “burn at full trottle”, as if not twenty with spare hours of racing remains, but just 20-30 minutes. From this time it is an impression, that route of this year is harder, and struggle is more hard, even the price of the victory - a rank of Champion of the World.

Immediately collisions and re-gates of boats begun. Amongst the first un-lucky ones - a DSK team from Samara (№61). Their boat with the motor YAMAHA 85AETL, emerge in the class 3, is was overkieled already in the test run. Boat in the upright position was towed to the repair pontone, crane gets it from water… Team merges water from engine and boat, free cylinders from water and goes back in racing … Bravo, YAMAHA.

Sometimes hard sporty struggle grows in the contact struggle without rules. Particularly "are distinguish" team №10 ("Mercury NII TM Service Boat", Mercury XR2) and №1 ("Autonautique", Mercury XR2). Through several hours after the start №10-team has in it’s “asset” above ten penalty circles. Our №7 team gets 3 penalty circles too - but not for the roughness but just "For nothing". A pilot, directing the boat to gasoline pontone, did not get a prearranged signal from the gasoline crew, and directed the boat to the additional circle. Main judge decided this manoeuvre dangerous, in spite of there was not no one boat close to us.

In the beginning of the race "relapse" failure of fuel system of our boat №5 appears. Boat was raised and the crew proceeds with the searching for the failure. Here to time a boat №5 already reached a record of velocity of the trace - a fantastic figure of 120 kilometres per hour! To look forward, will say that team of №5 boat could not repair the failure - a boat was several times raised, repaired and newly put in the race, however finally the boat defect was not avoid. But on speed and impression of it’s motion №5 was the best in the race.

After four hours the №1 boat descended ("Autonautique", Mercury XR2), winner of the last year Open Championship of Russia. This boat – made by "Service Boat" company - gives a rift in front part and slicing on the whole length. Belgian all team left for sleep in the hotel - for them this race has ended.

Technical problems also begun with №10 boat soon (NII TM Service Boat, Mercury XR2). This boat several times was raised on the coast, repaired and put back on water, but final reparation was found impossible. At last they managed to finish, but with backlog from the leader nearly on 200 circles – this is more than 500 kilometers - here is it, price of reliability in our sport.

Through six hours descends our boat YAMARAN №41 (in the team of this boat - a winner of the last year Championship of Russia Alexander Smyrnov). Reason of the descend - a rift on the body from the collision with some floating subject. Offensively, this boat had quite good chances for the victory in the class 4. Our second "tot" №42 goes while third, difference with the second revenge in the class - just a couple of circles.

To night main struggle in the class 1 is between YAMARAN B640R №7 and boat №4 "Latvia" team. Their boat Viking R6 with the engine Mercury 200 OptiMax shows sufficiently quick and stabile move - is seems that on adjusting this boat they worked a lot. Our boat does not have such stability, but in speed of move we are better - our YAMAHA Z200 Vmax faster, especially on upper rpm. To this time we already “became friends” with our boat, so feel ourselves comfortable and continue to run circles, even so big part of racing else ahead of. Techniques works as a watch – not even a minute lost.

By 7 a.m. №4 leaves the race. Reason is a gear breakdown of engine Mercury 200 OptiMax. But №10 (NII TM - Service Boat, Mercury XR2) – is back in the race, and №6 (Aquashelf, Mercury 200XS OptiMax) goes while enough quickly – so we cant relax a while. And our boat is new-comer in long race, and nobody can issue a warranty till end of the race….

In the morning our "tot" №42 "loses a pilot" before Ioannovsky bridge. He tried to reach a maximum velocity by putting trim over. Here are you unpleasant aspect of use trim in racing. The pilot is brought back into the boat and continues the racing, but precious minutes are lost, and chances on the second place in the class 1 melt on eyes.

To the Saturday midday we have a take-off from the second place in the class 4 near 60 circles, go calm and not hurrying. With the time a confidence in the successful finish of the race comes. General situation in the race also became much more calm – at least a half of boats already stopped, and the remaining ones still wants to finish the race in a “moving mode”.

About two p.m. №6 (Aquashelf, Mercury 200XS OptiMax) loses a speed. Reason is not known, but looks like the fault of motor suspension. Remaining time of the race this boat will run at the speed of 50-60 kilometers per hour.

For the couple of hours before the end of the race №10 (NII TM - Service Boat, Mercury XR2) is back in the race again. Lagging behind the leader nearly on 200 circles and stain on the last place in the class, №10 boat driven by Andrey Bernitsyn goes as it is fighting for the prize place. For the last hours of the race it does several outstrips in “safety corridors”, provokes a scramble and series of collisions in the safety corridor before Cronversky Bridge.

But times run, racing ends, we cool up off and forget about this situation – difficult to imagine what can be more serious punishment for the professional, than backlog on 500 kilometers…

"YAMARAN-MNEV" team (№7), equipped with serial boat YAMARAN B640R, with serial (not racing) motor YAMAHA Z200PETOL HPDI, wins a first place in "senior" and the most prestigious class 4 (2000 сm3), and in total competition of the U.I.M. World Championship in water sport - unique 24-hours race "White Night Endurance".

Same time "YAMARAN-МNЕV" №7 reached absolute record on distance, passed during 24 hours of this race - 675 circles (1856 kilometers).

"YAMARAN-MNEV" team №5, equipped with the new serial boat "Akula" with serial (not racing) motor YAMAHA Z200PETOL HPDI, has made an absolute record of speed of the trace. The maximum velocity fixed in the course of the race has form 120 kilometers per hour.

This fantastic success of our team was reached in hard and uncompromising struggle - we practically destroyed 5 (five) teams, using specially prepared racing boats, racing engies Mercury XR-2 and 200-horsepower injector motors Mercury OptiMax. Our take-off from the team which occupied second place in the class has form 77 circles - more than 200 (two hundred) kilometres !!

"Sportclub YAMARAN" team (№42), equipped with the serial boat YAMARAN B430R "Burevestnik" with serial not racing motor YAMAHA 40VETOS reached third place in the class 1, in the competition with motors of greater passport power, having proved advantages of reliability of outboard motors of YAMAHA and YAMARAN boats.

Multiple and systematic victories of YAMARAN teams, equipped with same-named boats with YAMAHA outboard motors on all significant competitions during three last years, persuasively prove, unexcelled reliability and giving technical perfection of technology (technicians), produced under YAMAHA trade mark and YAMARAN trade mark.

Dmitri Sandler:

It looks like that all possible and impossible troubles has happend with us in the last year race (2002), and so on the share of race of this year no trouble remains. We did not face any serious problem in the 2003 race. Generally, the whole preparation, which lasted nearly half of the year, and racing - simply big and hard job, which was needed to be done with the needed quality and responsiblity.

The base of our success was a right choice of boat and engie for racing. Our trust in serial models was justified completely. Body of boat №7 - production of company "Course" was rendered quite reliable, but on reliability of our YAMAHA outboard motors now they will tell legends - during 24 hours of the race we even did not open the engine cover.

Great role has played by technicians, having prepared boat that well, so during the competitions no problem was faced with technicks. All 24 hours team of technicians, gasoline fillers, and "group of support", consisting mostly of employees of our company, worked hard and well organised. Our victory is their victory too. Also many thanks to Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., for its support of our participation in the race.

It's a pity for the boat YAMARAN-Mnev №5 - if not problems with the fuel, it could be our "golden double" on the World Championship..

Igor Boldin:

This racing around "Petropavlovka" is not first and became a good tradition. In jubilee for Petersburg a year else and has gain a status of Champioship of the World. This race is not only a competition of boat's teams and crews. This is a competition of technology too. YAMAHA engines have shown all their own best once more. Single technical stop, just for a minute, caused by a litterring a coolling system was quickly eliminated.

Those did a mistake that has done a shutter not on serial engies, as our command, but on racing ones. Giving advantage in the short rides, they are not able to work numerous hours in limiting modes. And we can say the same about boats too. Greatly relieve a design, forgot on toughness. Result - a heavy Nevsky wave one for other removed participants from distances.

Already in burn-in rides become clear, that YAMARAN-Mnev (№5) is running quicker then we can. Skill of pilots, original design of boat and motor YAMAHA Z200PETOL gave it maximum chances for the victory. However, boat deflated before the most competitions, to enourmous regret, was not sufficiently test and exasperating small technical mistakes at the fabrication have reduce these chances to the zero. It's a pity.

Meantime, struggle already in the first hours of racing was serious. Racers felt not only greater physical, as well as psychological pressure. Desire to win in first World Championship has done a struggle particularly edge. Trying at any cost outstrip an adversary, many of pilots drives risky. Often these ended a turnover, damaging the balloons. However, in the competition else on stage of organizations was greater attention for safety.

Nothing bad has happened. Victory of our command is convincing. Improved record of the race - 675 circles! We, pilots, enjoyed sport struggle, and merry life on the island Zayatchii. We split our joy of victory, with mechanical engineers and technicians who prepared the boat, designers of the boat, representatives of Yamaha Motor Co., friends from other teams, group of support and with their own native, certainly and close. Good luck all and new victories!