India's Team Sea Sakthi secured the 11th position out of 16 teams in the Energy Class Endurance Race at the 13th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, according to official results released by the Yacht Club de Monaco.
Race Performance and Rankings
Racing under bow number 16, Sea Sakthi completed 50 laps in the endurance event, which began at 10:12 am. The Indian team crossed the finish line at 13:11:14. This result places India ahead of French teams Hydrogadz, Polyboat, Hydro Vinci, Electra Tide, and Nereides UTT. However, they finished behind Cambridge University's Riviera Racing team, which took 10th place with 53 laps.
Top Performers
The endurance race was topped by Italy's Elettra Unige Team, which completed 79 laps to finish first with a time of 13:08:46. Physis - Polimi Energy Boat, also from Italy, matched the 79-lap tally to take second place, finishing just under three minutes behind at 13:11:49. Third place went to the University of Bologna Argonauts Team, who recorded 79 laps but were handed a one-lap race penalty, dropping their corrected total to 78.
Italian crews swept four of the top five positions. Polito H2FLY Team finished fourth on 75 laps, while Croatia's Adria Racing Team rounded out the top five with 75 corrected laps after a one-lap technical penalty.
Team's Progress and Recognition
For Team Sea Sakthi, the 50-lap finish marks their first completed endurance run in five years of competing at the Challenge. Pilot Sharan Balasubramaniam said the team battled scorching conditions over the multi-hour race to bring the boat home in "better control and better speed." Lead Mechanical and Structures Engineer Harith noted that the team's lap count had risen significantly compared to their previous outing, reflecting steady gains in the boat's performance and reliability.
Beyond the race track, Team Sea Sakthi was shortlisted for the Prince Albert II Award for a battery thermal management system developed to improve onboard safety. This marks the team's first qualification in that category.
Upcoming Announcements
With the Energy Class Endurance Race concluded, the final Challenge standings, including combined results across all disciplines, are expected to be announced by race organisers in the days following the event.
