Defending
World Champions Arif Al Zafeen and Nadir Bin Hendi will line up for the
final races of the year in the Skydive Dubai and Dubai Duty Free Grand
Prix, 8-10 December, bidding to become the first Victory pairing to win
the grand slam of all four titles in a single season.
The
feat of winning the grand slam of World, European, Middle East and
(Edox) Pole Position titles has only ever been achieved by Spirit of
Norway’s Bjorn Rune Gjelsten and Steve Curtis who completed the clean
sweep in 2003 and again in 2006.
The
Emirati-duo lifted the European title at the Italian Grand Prix in
Cernobbio in October and leads the overall World Championship standings
on 103 points - 26 clear of Spirit of Qatar 96. They hold a ten point
advantage, again over Spirit of Qatar, in the Middle East points table
and carry a 13-point cushion over Spirit of Qatar 95 going into the
final round of the Edox Pole Position Championship.
Al
Zafeen and Bin Hendi top the in-house standings as the most successful
Victory partnership. Both have won the World title three times and have
25 race wins to their names, 21 of them together from 28 starts after
first teaming-up in 2008.
Despite
winning in Norway and three podiums this season a somewhat
disappointing weekend in Italy has left the Spirit of Qatar 96 duo of
Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani and Steve Curtis with a mountain to
climb and nothing less than two wins in Dubai - and their rivals hitting
trouble - will give them a shot at the World title. They also face a
mounting challenge from teammates, Ali Al Neama and Matteo Nicolini in
Spirit of Qatar 95, who are improving as a partnership race-by-race,
hold the in-house bragging rights in qualifying and who outperformed
them in race 1 in Italy to take their third podium of the year.
Guido
Cappellini and Giampaolo Montavoci lead a distant European challenge in
Poliform in fourth place and are by far the best performing of the V8
runners. Despite still getting to grips with the modified DAC 40 the
Italian duo are serious podium challengers, a point they emphasised on
Lake Como finishing second in race 2, their best result of the year.
Team
Abu Dhabi is enjoying a whirlwind season that has seen a new
throttleman, Majed Al Mansoori, step in in Norway and an enforced driver
change in Italy bring in F1H2O star Ahmed Al Hameli for the injured
Rashed Al Tayer. Both the Emirati partnerships have produced exciting
racing performances, with the team lying fifth in the points table after
two fourth places and a podium in Italy. The team has confirmed that
Rashed Al Tayer will return to the wheel in Dubai.
Two
outfits looking to turn things around in Dubai are Fendi Racing and
Zabo Racing, lying seventh and sixth respectively in the overall
standings; the transition into their new Outerlimits hull has not been
the smoothest for Italian duo Luca Formilli Fendi and Giovanni
Carpitella nor the switch from V8 to SCAM V12s. After failing to start
race 1 and then crashing out in race 2 in Italy, the pair will now be
looking to deliver a solid points performance.
The
same can be said for Zabo Racing’s Ugur Isik and Christian Zaborowski
who have struggled in their move into the championship winning Victory
hull with their V8s, but a double-points finish in Italy proved their
reliability and the team now looks to up the pace and improve overall
performance in Relekta.
Team
D’Alessio-SCAM made a welcome addition to the Championship fleet in
Italy with Belgium’s Frank Hemelaer and Italy’s Luca Nicolini delivering
two very strong fifth placed finishes in FA.RO ACCIAI, but with
Hemelaer unavailable the team has drafted in Italian Tomaso Polli.
Bjorge
Jackobsen and Kurt Olsen teamed-up for the first time in Italy running
under Welmax Offshore Racing colours in the Maritimo designed and built
Welmax (2). The rookie pairing bounced back after technical problems in
race 1 to take a deserved top six finish, and look likely to resume
their partnership.
Giorgio
Manuzzi and Pal Virik Nilsen will return to racing for the final Grand
Prix of the year running in the former Fazza 3 as the second Victory
Team entry.
The Italian-Norwegian
partnership has endured a frustrating 2011 aligned with UK outfit Chris
Parsonage Racing and lie tenth in the overall standings and seventh in
the Middle East Championship, their only points coming in round one in
Abu Dhabi after all but failing to get out on the water in Norway due to
technical problems and missing the Italian Grand Prix in Cernobbio.
This
year’s event will be the 34th Grand Prix staged in Dubai and the 43rd
to be held during 20 years of racing in the United Arab Emirates.
Teams
will get their first chance of an early run out to test the waters on a
revised 4.53Nm course which runs inside and parallel to Palm Island,
with first practice on Thursday afternoon.
Qualifying
in the Edox Pole Position takes place on Friday morning followed by
race 1 (start lap - 10 race laps - 1 long lap - 55.26Nm) of the Skydive
Dubai and Dubai Duty Free Grand Prix at 14.00hrs. A final practice
session on Saturday morning is followed by the final race (start lap -
13 race laps - 2 long laps - 73.86Nm including two long laps) of the
year at 14.00hrs.
UIM CLASS 1 WORLD POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP - after round 3
1.3 Victory - A Al Zafeen (UAE) / N Bin Hendi (UAE)103 pts
2.96 Spirit of Qatar - H Al Thani (QAT) / S Curtis (ENG)77 pts
3.95 Spirit of Qatar - A Al Neama (QAT) / M Nicolini (ITA)63 pts
4.74 Poliform - G Cappellini (MON) / G Montavoci (ITA)40 pts
5.5 Abu Dhabi - R Al Tayer (UAE) / M Al Mansoori (UAE)38 pts
6.91 Relekta - U Isik (TUR) / C Zaborowski (NOR)23 pts
7.10 Fendi Racing - L Formilli Fendi (ITA) / G Carpitella (ITA)19 pts
8=23 FARO ACCIAI - F Hemelaer (BEL) / L Nicolini (ITA)14 pts
8=90 Welmax (1) - K Selmer (NOR) / J Tandberg (NOR)14 pts
10.50 Parsonage Racing - G Manuzzi (SMR) / P Virik Nilsen (NOR)8 pts
11=90 Welmax (2) - B Jackobsen (NOR) / K Olsen (NOR)5 pts
11=69 ferskfisken.no - F Sundsdal (NOR) / B Jackobsen (NOR)5 pts
13.18 GiorgOffshore - N Giorgi (ITA) / T Polli (ITA)4 pts
UIM EDOX POLE POSITION CHAMPIONSHIP - after round 3
1.3 Victory - A Al Zafeen (UAE) / N Bin Hendi (UAE)55 pts
2.95 Spirit of Qatar - A Al Neama (QAT) / M Nicolini (ITA)42 pts
3.5 Abu Dhabi - R Al Tayer (UAE) / M Al Mansoori (UAE)41 pts
4.96 Spirit of Qatar - H Al Thani (QAT) / S Curtis (ENG)23 pts
5.10 Fendi Racing - L Formilli Fendi (ITA) / G Carpitella (ITA)18 pts
6.74 Poliform - G Cappellini (MON) / G Montavoci (ITA)11 pts
7=91 Relekta - U Isik (TUR) / C Zaborowski (NOR)10 pts
7=90 Welmax (1) - K Selmer (NOR) / J Tandberg (NOR)10 pts
9=90 Welmax (2) - B Jackobsen (NOR) / K Olsen (NOR)5 pts
9=18 GiorgiOffshore - N Giorgi (ITA) / T Polli (ITA)5 pts
11.69 ferskfisken.no - F Sundsdal (NOR) / B Jackobsen (NOR)4 pts
12.23 FARO ACCIAI - F Hemelaer (BEL) / L Nicolini (ITA)2 pts
13.50 Parsonage Racing - G Manuzzi (SMR) / P Virik Nilsen (NOR)1 pts
UIM CLASS 1 MIDDLE EAST CHAMPIONSHIP - after round 1
1. 3 Victory Team - 40pts
2. 96 Spirit of Qatar - 30pts
3= 10 Fendi Racing - 19pts
3= 95 Spirit of Qatar - 19pts
5. 5 Team Abu Dhabi - 18pts
6. 74 Poliform - 10pts
7. 50 Parsonage Racing - 8pts
8. 18 GiorgiOffshore - 4pts
9. 90 Welmax (1) - 3pts
10. 91 Relekta - 2pt
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