Marc Sluszny has told his #17 Spirit of Belgium crew to target top spot next season.
Alongside team-mates Patrick Huybreghts and Micha Robijn, Sluszny helped the Belgian outfit to a fourth place finish in the overall SuperSport standings despite a limited financial budget which prevented major improvements to the Mercury-powered boat throughout 2009.
And the keen bungee-jumper knows exactly what improvements need to be made in order to see them the challenge for the top spots.
“We definitely hope to get some more pace if we compete next year. Hopefully we would be competing with a newer and faster boat,” says Sluszny.
“Will we be back next season? Well it depends on the sponsors and it depends on what kind of boat we can get and what it will take financially to put it all together. But we have definitely got a great team.”
He added: “It just proves with the budget and the lack of power of the motors we had compared to the other teams, we still managed to finish fourth. So if we can put it all together then we will have a chance.
“We finished just short of an overall podium position so next year we would hope to go for a win.”
Sluszny, who works as a commodity trader as his full-time job, is in no doubt when questioned as to his personal highlight of the Powerboat P1 World Championship season.
“It has to be the Endurance race in Sweden. The team managed to finish second and had an amazing race with a great start and we were able to hold off the world champions as well as the team who would eventually finished second overall too.
“We drove a very technical race and were able to stay third from the start and then squeeze into second position.
“Yes,” confirms Sluszny. “That race has to be top of our racing this season.”
And the lowlights?
“During one of the races in Italy we almost rolled over - that was quite hot! And we had a spin out in Turkey which shook my ribs up a little bit! However, for the rest of the season, we pretty much had everything under control.”
With their compatriots finishing third in the overall standings in the Evolution class, the crews of #33 Furnibo and Sluszny’s Spirit of Belgium have put Belgian power boating well and truly back on the map.