11:46 AM Mon 31 Aug 2009 GMT
#17 Spirit of Belgium's throttleman Patrick Huybreghts says he holds nothing but admiration for his Belgian compatriots from the Team 2B1 Racing.
Both crews had a successful Scandinavian Grand Prix of the Sea with the Spirit of Belgium hull finishing second in Saturday's Sprint Race and the Furnibo boat winning its first ever race topping the Evolution class bill on Sunday.
'What a weekend it was for our country!' he recalls. 'Our second place was amazing but what can you say about our fellow countrymen and their achievements on the Sunday? They raced fantastically, especially after the accident with the Lucas Oil boat; they maintained their focus and won the race.
'It was also a great joy to hear our national hymn and for a small country like Belgium we put powerboating on the map.'
Huybreghts was also keen to highlight the strong relationship the Belgian teams have even though their paths only crossed for the first time at the Turkish Grand Prix of the Sea.
He said: 'The spirit among us it amazing, regardless of the fact we race in different classes and considering we met a few months ago. I can tell you since our first handshake we have enjoyed the nightlife of Istanbul, San Benedetto and Gothenburg together.'
And although the Spirit of Belgium boat may not be the fastest in its class, the throttleman feels the Sicilian Grand Prix of the Sea circuit could suit his team down to the ground and bring about their maiden Powerboat P1 Grand Prix victory.
'We like the look of the course,' said the man from Knokke. 'There are quite a lot of turns which definitely helps us and with the right conditions we will be in the running.
'Normally we would go for a safe race to keep our third place overall, but that is not me, I will hammer the horses!'
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