The Offshore Champ Vincenzo Balestrieri has passed away

[Black Tornado]

Last night the Offshore ace Vincenzo Balestrieri two-time World Champion the sport has passed away at the age of 86 in Rome.

With a sporting history of boxing, football, basketball, japanese wrestling and car racing, Gold Medal in athletics in 1940 at the age of 14, Vincenzo Balestrieri began his sporting career in offshore racing in 1962 at the first edition of the Viareggio-Bastia -Viareggio with the "Cohete" a Picchiotti motoryacht. Since that time, for 13 years Balestrieri was one of the main protagonists of the sport by winning 28 international competitions, such as 4 editions of the Viareggio-Bastia-Viareggio, in 1964,68,70 and 1972, the Sam Griffith Memorial 1968 with Don Pruett, a controversial edition of the Miami-Nassau in 1970 with Jack Stuteville, two Wills International Trophy in England in 1969 and 1970 and then in the Punta Del Este Uruguaian race in 1971 and two Rio de La Plata in 1971 and 1973, two Naples Trophy in 1968 and 1970, two Rosa D'Oro in Yugoslavia in 1968 and 1969, a Gettingloppet in Sweden in 1968, two Dauphin D'Or in France in 1968 and 1971, and more. He won two World Titles UIM-Sam Griffith Trophy in 1968 and in 1970 finished second in 1971 and third in 1966,1969 and 1972.Ha also received two National Titles in South America in 1971 and 1973 and an Italian title in 1974.

He was the first non-American driver to win a US competition, the Sam Griffith Memorial in Miami in 1968.

He raced on hulls of Levi and Bertram but mostly with those of Aronow. Legendary boats like the Tornado a 28'Magnum in 1968, two Black Tornadoes 32' Cary in 1970-1972, two Black Tornadoes 36' Cigarette from 1971 to 1975.

Vincenzo Balestrieri was undoubtedly one of the main protagonists of the Offshore sport, along with the legendary Sam Griffith, Dick Bertram, Jim Wynne, Don Aronow, Bob Magoon, Carlo Bonomi, Betty Cook.