Powerboat P1 can reveal the extraordinary lengths to which legendary Italian powerboat racer Marco Pennesi is going, to ensure that the Metamarine Corse Pignolo 53 can compete in the Turkish Grand Prix of the Sea in Istanbul next week.

Not yet fully recovered from the injuries he sustained during the Metamarine's unfortunate spin-out in Malta, Pennesi - against doctors orders - is combining his full-time job, running foods giant MetaMeccanica, with carrying out repairs to his boat.

Too busy working on his boat, Powerboat P1 tracked down Pennesi's teammate, Max Ferrari, who was nothing but full of praise for Marco and his dedication to the team. “Marco is a great teammate, and not just because of his incredible technical preparation. Despite not being an engineer, he is extremely capable of looking after all the technical aspects of the boat. Also, he is not afraid of having me next to him in the boat!”

A Powerboat P1 spokesperson said each night Pennesi finishes work at eight o'clock before joining a group of friends to work on his Seatek-powered hull well into the small hours of the morning in a fight against the clock to prepare the boat for Powerboat P1’s first visit to Turkey, where Ferrari exclaims "winning will be guaranteed!"