Sunreef Yachts is now an official partner of tennis star Rafael Nadal's E1 boat racing team.
The new E1 electric boat racing series is enjoying its inaugural year and has already attracted massive investment interest from the likes of Nadal, NFL legend Tom Brady, soccer superstar Didier Drogba, F1 driver Sergio Perez, and others.
The inaugural race schedule is taking a similar approach to F1 by visiting a major global waterfront city for each event, including stops at the likes of Jeddah, Venice, Puerto Banas, Geneva, Monaco, Rotterdam, and Hong Kong.
Nadal, a well-known yachting enthusiast and already the owner of an impressive custom Sunreef Eco 80 dubbed Great White, now brings his favourite boat brand into the E1 fold.
As an official sponsor, Sunreef and Nadal will push for 'Team Rafa' in the unique racing series that uses electric hydrofoils called 'racebirds' to compete on a closed circuit course.
Team Rafa pilots include Cris Lazarraga and Tom Chiappe. Both come with extensive racing backgrounds, with Lazaragga winning the 2019 European jet ski championship in 2019 and vice champion in 2021, while Chiappe has a long resume as a powerboat racer, endurance racer, and was 24 Hours of Rouen winner in 2016 and the 2023 Karting SWS World Champion.
As part of E1's mission, the racing series is actively looking to collaborate with sponsors and companies on coastal habitat restoration initiatives and to promote the importance of ocean health. As just one example, the series is offering to install charging points at each venue to incentivize recreational boat users. The E1 environmental ethos is an obvious fit for Sunreef. Not only does the company already have a relationship with Nadal (he's an official ambassador for the boatbuilder, not just a client), the company's unique brand of eco-conscious catamarans offers a wide range of sustainable features like solar power and regeneration, low emission power options, and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes.
For Nadal's yacht, Sunreef added a litany of custom features for the tennis champion and his wife Maria. Those unique additions include Nadal's custom Nike logo on the big screen tv mounts in the salon (where there are three massive 77" in TV's), a dropdown terrace in the master suite that creates a water-level lookout at the foot of the king size bed, and a custom Heineken beer tap on the flybridge. The 'garage' is also accessible directly below the rear salon, where an electronic lift pulls back the stern lounge where a jet ski, SEABOB, and surf foil are all stored. While Great White, with its 80-foot LOA, manages to pack 4,000 square feet of comfortable living space and carries a top speed of 24 knots (27 mph) and a cruising speed of 14 knots (16 mph).
The next stop for Team Rafa and Sunreef is in Monaco on July 26-27 for the fourth race on E1's summer calendar.
You can get an inside look at Team Rafa and behind the scenes of E1 racing in the video below:
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