12:50pm Wednesday 25th June 2008
By Will Carson
HE is more used to hitting speeds of 230mph on the world's quickest racetracks.
However, Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton will be swapping his high-performance McLaren Mercedes car for an altogether different racing machine when he takes to the water for the Round the Island Race.
Hamilton has teamed up with top Hampshire sailors Alex Thomson and Ben Ainslie, who will show him the ropes on board Thomson's Open 60 yacht Hugo Boss.
The yacht is currently the fastest monohull on the water after Gosport-based Thomson smashed his own world record for the longest distance covered in 24 hours, sailing 501.3 nautical miles at an average speed of 20.9 knots.
Hamilton, who narrowly missed taking the world title in his Formula 1 debut season, said he was keen to see how racing on water compared to racing on land.
The 23-year-old said: "What a boat to go out for my first ever sailing race - on the world's fastest monohull and racing with Ben Ainslie and Alex Thomson.
"I am interested to see all the technology that goes behind this boat and the similarities between racing on the water and racing on a track.
"I'm looking forward to the start, no fixed start position, just all those boats fighting it out for the best space on the start line."
The race, which starts at 6am on Saturday, will see more than 1,800 yachts embark on a 55-mile course heading west through the Needles, round the back of the Island before finishing in Cowes.
Thomson, 34, who earlier this year took second place in the Barcelona World Race, said: "I met Lewis the first time a few years ago when he was driving in the Formula 3 Championship.
"He is one of the most talented sportsmen on the planet, and I am really looking forward to showing him the ropes on Hugo Boss."
Olympic medal winner Ainslie, from Lymington, joins the team ahead of his attempt at a third consecutive gold in the Finn class in Beijing this summer.
Hamilton has endured a recent run of bad luck on the track, having failed to score points in his past two races and falling ten points behind championship leader Felipe Massa, of Ferrari.
Sheffield Utd manager Kevin Blackwell will also join the fleet on TP52 Volvo for life.
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