COSTA RICA: Registration was opened on Saturday, January 20th at 2:30 pm on the Capelli stand at the Düsseldorf Boat Show. This year, from November 30th to December 7th, the breathtaking beauty of Costa Rica will be the setting for the first edition of a new International RIB-Adventure Championship: The Costa Rica RAID.
This innovative event aims to bring environmental awareness to the world of marine motorsports and boating as a whole, by promoting Costa Rica, the “green” country as the stage. The 80 competitors (20 teams of 4) selected to take part will discover the exotic, preserved paradise that is Costa Rica through a unique human adventure. A real Dakar on the water!
“I was blessed to discover the beauty of Costa Rica in 2016 and continuously explored the most remote areas of this magnificent country since then. By creating an innovative adventure-racing championship and carefully designing its race route we hope to help promote tourism and foreign investment in specific regions of Costa Rica while providing racing enthusiasts and water sports fans with breathtaking entertainment. We are delighted to collaborate with the Ministry of Tourism and other local authorities to this end.”
Over a week, of which 6 days of competition, the teams will cover more than 500 nautical miles (+900 km) along the country’s two coasts. Indeed, the first three days of racing will link Puerto Limon to Tortuguero, then pass through Barra del Colorado to reach Puerto Viejo de Talamanca – the destination on the Caribbean coast. At this point, teams will be able to enjoy a rest day in San José while the organization’s logistics team transports the boats to the next point. Over the next three days, along the Pacific coast, they will travel from Caldera to Quepos, then to Drake Bay, and around the Osa Peninsula to the championship finish line in Golfo Dulce, at the extreme southern border of the country.
During each stage of the competition, the teams will have to perform speed trials for time, regularity sectors where specific speeds will be imposed by the organization as well as orientation challenges. The organizers integrated a strong identity of social benefit in the Costa Rica RAID once again inspired by the original Dakar spirit, which is why impactful partnerships with local environmental protection organizations like MareBlu and PlantaMiArbol have been put in place. It is also through close collaboration with each local authority and numerous other associations that the organization hopes to generate the greatest positive impact.
For the first edition, the Costa Rica RAID is teaming up with Cantieri Capelli, a world-renowned boat manufacturer specializing in high-quality RIBs and the Official Main Sponsor of the Costa Rica RAID. They will produce 25 units of a limited-edition Costa Rica RAID Racing-RIB, especially for the event. The 7-meter boats, powered by a 225 hp Yamaha 4-stroke engine, will be supplied to each team by the organization and will be fully equipped for adventure-racing conditions.
“The unique feature about this championship from a competitive aspect is that every team will be racing with the same boat forcing teams to call upon skill and talent to come out on top. Even our Staff, Media crew, Security, and Press boats will be identical to the ones racing to keep up with the competitors!”
The organizers of the Costa Rica RAID will announce the official opening of registration and conditions of participation on January 20th at 2:30 pm on the Capelli stand at the Düsseldorf Boat Show. It will be possible for teams to be accompanied by sponsors to finance all or part of their entry fees and enjoy premium visibility on the boats and other communication media. Media distribution partnerships will be signed with international and Costa Rican channels throughout 2024, to offer teams and their sponsors the best possible coverage.
The Costa Rica RAID team is also working closely with the FFM (French Federation Motonautism) to develop suitable sporting regulations, an innovative championship format, and safety requirements to ensure a competitive, fair, and exciting adventure racing experience for all.
The cherry on top for participants will be the reward: The Winning Team will receive their boat as a prize!
Text Credits: Costa RIca RAID
Photo Credits: Costa RIca RAID
Video Credits: Costa RIca RAID
