RACE 1
Sheikh
Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani and Steve Curtis led home a Spirit of Qatar
one-three in race 1 of the Pearl Qatar Grand Prix, ending a nine-year
wait for Sheikh Hassan to break his jinx of not winning on home waters
since taking his first podium in Doha back in 2004.
Teammates
Ali Al Neama and Matteo Nicolini made it a double podium celebration
for the Doha based team, coming home in third place behind Team Abu
Dhabi’s Rashed Al Tayer and Majed Al Mansoori.
It
was a day of high drama inside the Pearl Qatar that started in the
morning’s interrupted practice session, with Welmax crashing out and
FA.RO ACIAI bursting into flames, side-lining both outfits for today’s
race.
The drama carried over into the race with Victory’s Arif Al Zafeen and Mohammed Al Marri penalised a total of four penalty laps.
The
parade lap saw Poliform immediately in trouble and limping back to the
pits on one engine as the six remaining boats headed out for the start
to run a revised circuit after race organisers reduced the lap distance
to 6.63Nm.
The Spirit of Qatar 96
duo found themselves trailing in second place after the start as
Victory’s Al Zafeen and Al Marri edged ahead on the run to the first
turn mark to lead at the end of lap one. Spirit of Qatar 95 came through
in third ahead of Team Abu Dhabi, Fendi Racing and Relekta, both Fendi
Racing and Relekta’s race ending on lap 2.
By
lap 3 Victory had opened up a 12 second lead but were adjudged by race
officials to have moved across on Spirit of Qatar 96 on the run to the
first turn and handed a penalty lap. Team Abu Dhabi passed Spirit of
Qatar 95 and up into third place.
Victory’s
penalty lap proved costly dropping them to fourth and last place, with
Sheikh Hassan and Steve Curtis taking full advantage and surging into
the lead.
For defending World
Champion Al Zafeen the day deteriorated into farce, missing a buoy on
the penalty lap, only to be handed another and then missing the same
buoy, ultimately collecting four penalty lap infringements and running
out the race in fourth spot.
Sheikh
Hassan and Steve Curtis were able to maintain their pace out front and
from lap four were never troubled, going on to complete the nine lap,
56.26Nm race in 31.53,37secs at an average speed of 198.40km/h.
Team
Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al Tayer and Majed Al Mansoori continued the
impressive form they have shown throughout the weekend and once they had
passed Al Neama and Nicolini were able to take their second podium
together since teaming-up in Class 1 in Norway last year.
Despite
a recurring electronic problem that kept cutting power to one engine,
the Spirit of Qatar 95 duo were able to hang on to third spot for what
Nicolini described as an ‘unexpected podium’.
Race
2 of the Pearl Qatar Grand Prix takes place on Saturday, 17 March with
Sheikh Hassan looking to make it an historic win-double.
PEARL QATAR GRAND PRIX, RACE 1 - results
1. 96 Spirit of Qatar - H Al Thani (QAT) / S Curtis (ENG) 00.31.53,37
2. 5 Team Abu Dhabi - R Al Tayer (UAE) / M Al Mansoori (UAE) + 00.13,77
3. 95 Spirit of Qatar - A Al Neama (QAT) / M Nicolini (ITA) + 00.39,25
4. 3 Victory - A Al Zafeen (UAE) / M Al Marri (UAE) + 01.48,95
5. 10 Fendi Racing - L Formilli Fendi (ITA) / G Carpitella (ITA) DNF
6. 91 Relekta - U Isik (TUR) / C Zaborowski (NOR) DNF
7. 74 Poliform - G Cappellini (MON) / G M Gabbiani (ITA) DNF
8. 23 FA.RO. ACCIAI - M Roggiero (ITA) / P V Nilsen (NOR) DNS
9. 90 Welmax - P Gaiser (BRA) / B Jacobsen (NOR) DNF
RACE 2
Victory’s
Arif Al Zafeen and Mohammed Al Marri came from behind to win race 2 of
the Pearl Qatar Grand Prix, taking their third win together from four
starts since teaming-up in Dubai at the end of last season.
Team
Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al Tayer and Majed Al Mansoori made it a one-two
celebration for the United Arab Emirates taking their second podium of
the Grand Prix weekend, with Thursday’s race winner’s Sheikh Hassan bin
Jabor Al Thani and Steve Curtis completing the podium in Spirit of Qatar
96.
Today’s result puts Victory
and Spirit of Qatar 96 joint top of the Championship standings on 32
points, with Team Abu Dhabi two points adrift in third.
But
the Dubai duo did not have it all their own way and had to overturn a
strong challenge after a breathtaking start to the race by Italian
outfit Poliform.
The drag race
from the green flag saw pole-sitters Spirit of Qatar 96, Team Abu Dhabi
and Victory 3, line a breast and just feet apart as they hurtled into
the first turn. But it was Guido Cappellini and Class 1 debutant Gian
Maria Gabbiani in Poliform, starting on the outside of the line of
eight, who showed a blistering turn of speed to get out front and come
across to lead at the end of lap 1.
Cappellini
and Gabbiani, who failed to make the start of race 1 and forced to sit
out the next two practice sessions with a recurring engine problem, held
off the challenge of Al Zafeen and Al Marri, edging out to a four
second lead before a technical problem forced them to slow, conceding
the lead and retiring from the race on lap 6.
With
Poliform out, Al Zafeen and Al Marri were able to control the race and
extended their lead, going on to complete the 11 lap, 66.54Nm race in
39mins 13.68s to win by over 15 seconds.
Behind
the race leader’s, Team Abu Dhabi and the Spirit of Qatar boats raced
line astern, neither making any inroads to the other, with Al Tayer and
Al Mansoori able to maintain a comfortable 11 second gap over Spirit of
Qatar 96.
For Sheikh Hassan and
Steve Curtis any hopes of completing the Doha double evaporated at the
first turn, losing the advantage of being in pole position and dropping
to fourth at the end of the first lap. Following their disqualification
from race 1, teammates Ali Al Neama and Matteo Nicolini faced an uphill
task, starting from seventh place on the start line, and were unable to
make any inroads completing a frustrating weekend finishing in fourth.
Fendi
Racing’s team manager, Marco Bonomo, had said before the race that
after all the hard work that the team had put in to repair the boat
after Luca Fendi and Giovanni Carpitella’s brush with a sandbank earlier
in the week, if they finished it would be like winning, the Italian duo
coming home in fifth place to pick up seven valuable points.
There
was more frustration for Norwegian outfit Relekta who ended a
disappointing start to their year with a second retirement for Ugur Isik
and Christian Zaborowski – stopping on lap 4.
Welmax
duo of Paul Gaiser and Bjorge Jacobsen paid back their team’s efforts
for repairing the boat after they crashed out in second practice by
putting in a cameo role, taking to the water to complete a handful of
laps.
PEARL QATAR GRAND PRIX, RACE 2 - results
1. 3 Victory - A Al Zafeen (UAE) / M Al Marri (UAE) 00.39.13,68
2. 5 Team Abu Dhabi - R Al Tayer (UAE) / M Al Mansoori (UAE) + 00.15,72
3. 96 Spirit of Qatar - H Al Thani (QAT) / S Curtis (ENG) + 00.28,53
4. 95 Spirit of Qatar - A Al Neama (QAT) / M Nicolini (ITA) + 00.49,53
5. 10 Fendi Racing - L Formilli Fendi (ITA) / G Carpitella (ITA) + 1 LAP
6. 74 Poliform - G Cappellini (MON) / G M Gabbiani (ITA) DNF
7. 91 Relekta - U Isik (TUR) / C Zaborowski (NOR) DNF
8. 90 Welmax - P Gaiser (BRA) / B Jacobsen (NOR) DNF
9. 23 FA.RO. ACCIAI - M Roggiero (ITA) / P V Nilsen (NOR) DNS
UIM CLASS 1 WORLD POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP - after race 2
1= 96 Spirit of Qatar - 32pts
1= 3 Victory - 32pts
3. 5 Team Abu Dhabi - 30pts
4. 95 Spirit of Qatar - 9pts
5. 10 Fendi Racing - 7pts
6= 91 Relekta - 0pts
6= 74 Poliform - 0pts
6= 23 FA.RO. ACCIAI - 0pts
6= Welmax - 0pts
MIDDLE EAST CHAMPIONSHIP - after race 2
1= 96 Spirit of Qatar - 32pts
1= 3 Victory - 32pts
3. 5 Team Abu Dhabi - 30pts
4. 95 Spirit of Qatar - 9pts
5. 10 Fendi Racing - 7pts
6= 91 Relekta - 0pts
6= 74 Poliform - 0pts
6= 23 FA.RO. ACCIAI - 0pts
6= Welmax - 0pts
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