Vector Martini Racing Prepares to Shake Up Europe

I guess I was asleep at the wheel when I missed the unveiling of the new Vector Martini Racing boat, which took place at the Monaco Grand Prix in France at the end of May. A while back, I remember hearing about a new raceboat from Vector Powerboats and its London-based distributor Vector World that was expected to participate in some overseas endurance races, but this—the first boat to feature the Martini racing stripes in a couple of decades—was news to me.

The V40R from Vector Powerboats is powered by twin 725-hp engines from Ilmor Marine. Photo courtesy Vector Martini Racing

It had been a while since I caught up Rex Jardine, who founded Vector Powerboats in 2005 when he launched the V28, which was based off Ocke Mannerfelt’s batboat design. I think I ran into him a couple of years ago at the Desert Storm Poker Run in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., but that’s inconsequential. Thanks to a heads up from the fine folks at Livorsi Marine, who provided parts for Vector’s latest V40R raceboat, I reached out to check in with Jardine on Tuesday.

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