Martin Lai’s dream to host a powerboat race in Hong Kong became a reality today as 9 Chinese built boats took part in a display to introduce the public to the sport.

Lai, the former Offshore Racer who owns Chinese restaurants in Britain’s West Country has spent nearly 8 years getting the permissions to put the Asia Powerboat Race on.

However, the onerous paperwork and permissions needed from the local authorities excluded Britain’s Matt Palfreyman and Chinese F4-S racer Bing Chen Wu from taking part in the opening proceedings.

Photos: Lowell Mason