Who is popular today?

The name Tardieu has been synonymous with the TT Great Race for over four decades in the prestigious event, which will see its 57th staging this year when the competitors make the journey from Trinidad to Tobago on August 16.
Competing in the 90 mph category with White Heat, Richard, Robert, Victor and Winston Tardieu have played their part to add to the legacy of a boat which has seen over 20 years along the 90-mile route. While the veteran Tardieus are still active and are expected to compete in the 80 mph class with White Heat in this year's event, another Tardieu is making waves with his own crew in the 70 mph class.
Johnathan Tardieu, who served as the TT Powerboats Association (TTPBA) president from 2023-2024, is the throttleman in a two-man Extreme Measures crew who are intent on getting a three-peat in the 70 mph class after registering wins in the last two editions.
Perhaps more importantly for the 42-year-old Johnathan, he longs to continue the racing tradition which has been passed down by his uncles and his dad Victor. From watching White Heat make the exciting journey from the Gulf of Paria to Store Bay in Tobago for so many years, Johnathan said he fell in love with the ocean and powerboat racing and is now charting his own course.
Johnathan said he's had his boat since 2007, and has formed a solid partnership alongside Extreme Measures driver Jonathan Mouttet since 2014.
"My father, godfather and uncles and so on they used to race White Heat, so I pretty much grew up in it. I learned everything I know from them," Johnathan said, in an interview with Newsday on August 14.
"I was pretty much born into in and I've spent my whole life around it. It was only natural for me to get into it as well.
"Both of us (Mouttet and I) have a passion for the sport. We have a love for it. We have a love for the ocean, a love for racing and we don't need much more than that to keep us going. It's just the enjoyment of being out there and competing is what keeps us going."
Extreme Measures wasn't always a two-man unit, as Nicholai Assam was a member of the crew for a few years and also helped them to the win in 2023. Assam is now a member of the John Wick crew in the 60 mph class. But Johnathan says two is more than enough to get the job done.
"What gives us the edge in this category is the length of time we've been racing together. Like a relationship, you spend enough time (together) and you get to understand each other," he said.
"I know how he'll react on the steering wheel and he knows what I'll probably put on the throttle. A big part of it too is preparation. Most times I work a lot...we are a well-oiled team. It's a lot of work that goes into it and we've put in quite a bit of hours to make sure the boat is ready, whether it's for a regatta or the Great Race."
It's a seamless chemistry which saw them in the 2024 winners' row alongside Mr Solo Too (130 mph Class), Ironman (120 mph Class), Tyrant (95 mph Class), Heatwave (80 mph Class) and Limitless (60 mph Class).
Johnathan said he has little complaints about the 2025 season and is looking forward to another successful trip to Store Bay after Extreme Measures topped their class this regatta season.
"The only thing special in our boat really is the team itself. We collaborate with each other, we run old equipment, keep it running, keep fixing over and make do with what we have," he said.
"We don't have the type of funds these guys have to bring in brand new stuff and one-of-a-kind parts into the country. The only thing we have one-of-a-kind is the hull itself and that's locally built."
Old equipment or not, Johnathan and Mouttet are ready to take it to the extreme.
"Everything so far after test running today (August 14) looks good. On Saturday, God's willing, we should be in Tobago first. We have a couple of boats we want to make sure and reach ahead of them. They're going to be giving us some good pressure but we're going to go out there, race our race and hope for the best."

The post To the extreme: Tardieu keeps family's Great Race tradition alive appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.