Round Two Record Attempt

NZ speedboat Earthrace will begin its second attempt to break the world circumnavigation record in March 2008. Earthrace is using the record attempt to raise awareness for environmentally friendly biofuel. “The record is just a small part of the package,” says skipper Peter Bethune, a former oil industry worker. “We need to make people aware that biofuels need to be part of our transport energy mix and people should support them should they become available.” Earthrace will set sail from Valencia in March and aims to return around 65 days later, beating the current circumnavigation record of 74 days, 23 hours and 53 minutes. Its first record attempt was abandoned in May 2007 after a series of misfortunes.