Monte Carlo, [Monaco], 14 July (ANI): Teams from Italy and Croatia dominated the marquee events of the 13th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, with 54 teams from 21 nations competing across the Energy, AI, SeaLab and Open Sea Xperience classes over four days at the Yacht Club de Monaco.In the Energy Class Endurance Race, one of the toughest tests of the week, run over nearly three hours, Italy’s Elettra UniGe Team from the University of Genoa finished first after completing 79 laps, edging out compatriots Physis-Polimi Energy Boat, who also recorded 79 laps but finished roughly three minutes later.The University of Bologna Argonauts Team completed the podium with 76 corrected laps after a penalty. Italian universities took four of the top five places in the event, underlining their strength in the Energy Class this season, which brings together 26 university teams racing standardised electric, hydrogen and solar-powered catamarans.In the pilotless AI Class, where boats must navigate using onboard sensors and neural networks without human intervention, Croatia’s Adria Autonomous Boat Team was the standout performer.The team won the Docking Race in 39.27 seconds ahead of Austria’s TGM Solar Boat Team and Belgium’s UGent Sailing, before going on to post the best time in the Figure of 8 Race at 44.44 seconds, again ahead of TGM in second and UGent Sailing in third.The results extended Adria’s strong start in a category that has grown rapidly since its introduction in 2025, with 11 teams competing this year.The event’s headline spectacle, the YCM Speed Record, saw the Frauscher x Porsche 790 Spectre post a new benchmark for the Challenge, averaging 51.05 knots over the one-kilometre course and breaking the previous record of 49.84 knots, also held by Frauscher x Porsche. In the Open Sea Xperience category, XNRG.Tech’s XNRG8.3 took second place with an average of 45.33 knots, with Taiga’s Orca P2 rounding out the podium.In the SeaLab Class, which challenges university teams to design boats around emerging energy architectures such as hydrogen, methanol and hydrofoiling systems, Italy’s Red Wave, representing the University of Bologna’s Alma Mater Studiorum, held the provisional lead through the week’s competitions.The University of Bologna enters this year’s Challenge as the most successful program in the event’s history, having won four of the last five Energy Class titles overall.India’s presence at this year’s Challenge produced contrasting outcomes. Kumaraguru College of Technology won the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Sustainable Yachting Technology Award, the event’s highest honour worth 25,000 euros, for a battery thermal management system developed by its student team, the institution’s first win in the category after five years of participation.At the same time, Team Sea Sakthi’s campaign in the Energy Class Race was cut short by an engine failure, a setback that came days after the team recorded its best-ever endurance finish, placing 11th among 16 teams.This year’s Challenge drew a record 54 teams from 21 countries, including first-time entries from a United States university and a delegation from China, alongside strong showings from established European programs in Italy, France, Spain, Croatia and Germany.Alongside the on-water competitions, the event’s International Jury also awarded prizes for innovation, eco-design and communication, including the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Sustainable Yachting Technology Award the Challenge’s top honour, worth 25,000 euros. (ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)