Behind an extraordinary product are extraordinary people. We asked four of them about the Burrasca: CEO Christian Hintersteininger, Powertrain Project Manager Nico Lasselsberger, PWC racer Daniel Lasselsberger and Anton Neubauer, who is responsible for customer support at Belassi.
Christian Hintersteininger, with the Burrasca, Belassi has launched a com pletely new product category in the field of personal watercrafts. What exactly does the term Marine Hypercraft mean, and what makes the Burrasca different from other PWCs?
Our goal was to develop an exclusive, limited edition watersports vehicle of excep tional quality which clearly stands out from the crowd. This is what our team of auto motive, motorsport and vehicle construction experts in our state-of-the-art develop ment center achieved: the Marine Hypercraft. After many prototypes, tests and opti mizations, the Belassi engineering team succeeded. The Burrasca connects the worlds of luxury yachts and sports cars in a unique way. It is an exclusive, high-qual ity watersports vehicle – comparable to HyperCars. With our Marine Hypercraft , we have created a very special class of jet-powered watercraft.
Nico Lasselsberger, what makes the Burrasca so special from a technical per spective?
One outstanding feature of the Burrasca is the placement of the engine and the drivetrain, achieving ideal balance. The perfect interaction starts with the hull geome try from the intake pump channel to the drivetrain. When it comes to the riding experi ence, the Burrasca’s handling, performance, engine power and powerful acceleration are all truly impressive. All of these components are flawlessly harmonized and coor dinated.
Another aspect that sets us apart from the competition is our turbocharger. Other manufacturers generally use compressor charging. The advantage of the turbo charger is that it uses the engine less as a compressor, enabling greater perfor mance. In addition, our exhaust manifold is water-cooled, which keeps the interior temperature low and also makes the Burrasca particularly powerful.
Daniel Lasselsberger, the unique handling sets the Burrasca apart from the competition more than anything else. How would you describe the handling and how is it achieved?
What is particularly tempting about the Burrasca is that it defines a whole new cate gory with its irrepressible power – Marine Hypercraft. The Burrasca is clearly the most powerful machine on the market and combines the advantages of a high-perfor mance racing boat with the stability of a heavier boat category. The interaction of the hydrodynamics gives it its extraordinary handling. The Burrasca is very classy. Its steep keel cuts sharply through the water in both high waves and tight curves. At the same time, the flattened, smooth rear rises quickly under acceleration and brings it up to speed faster.
From lakes through rivers to seas, the Burrasca handles all environments with ease. Its power is enormous, it copes with high ocean waves just as well as with tight turns on a lake. When the Burrasca jumps from wave to wave, the landing is stable and safe, thanks to its keel-shaped front.
Anton Neubauer, how does Belassi stand out in the area of quality manage ment?
Perfection is a team effort that begins with the first consultation and continues as a dynamic process. The focus is on exceptional driving experiences for our customers – combined with the highest possible level of safety. Every Marine Hypercraft is hand built – that’s what we stand for. Before a Burrasca leaves the factory, it has to pass extensive tests and thus meet the highest quality standards. Unfortunately, errors can still occur in rare individual cases. We learn from these and keep getting better. Naturally, the Burrasca comes with the statutory guarantee and warranty. Our certi fied Belassi dealers carry out inspections and repairs worldwide.
Our interviewees:
● Before Christian Hintersteininger joined Belassi GmbH as Managing Direc tor, the graduate engineer worked as Project and Technical Manager at ZKW Group, as CTO at Aspöck System Portugal and most recently as Head Devel opment Engineer at AUDI.
● Nico Lasselsberger followed up his qualification as mechatronics technician by studying production and management at the Steyr University of Applied Sciences, before joining Belassi as a Powertrain Project Manager. He is a
PWC racer and competed in European and World Championships as a teen ager. In 2005 and 2006 he was Uni One world champion.
● Daniel Lasselsberger is a PWC racing driver. Most recently, he won the UIM Aquabike European Championship with the Belassi Burrasca GP2 in 2020.
● Anton Neubauer worked as a customer service and product trainer at Mer cedes Benz Austria before moving to Belassi as Project Manager for after sales and customer support.