At the end of a season that promised them so much but delivered precious little, Team Qatar finally clinched a victory in the final race of the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship as Abdullah Al Sulaiti and Matteo Nicolini won the Emirates & Dubai Duty Free Grand Prix at Mina Seyahi yesterday.
Piloting the Sterling-powered Qatar 95, the Qatari/Italian pairing swept aside the challenge of new world champions Nader Ben Hendi and Mohammed Al Marri who took second place in Victory 1 just over eight seconds behind their Gulf rivals. Third place went to world championship runners-up Abdullah Al Mehairbi and Jean Marc Sanchez in Victory 7.
The eighth and final round of the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship may have been almost academic following the wrapping up of the title by the Victory 1 crew just a week earlier. But spurred on by a year of mechanical disappointments, the two-boat Qatari assault was always going to be strong as the Dubai squad celebrated in front of their own supporters.
“It was important we end the season with something to show for all our efforts,” said Al Sulaiti after crossing the finish line at an average speed of 165.95kmh. “We expected it to be rough so there was no great surprise it wasn’t calm out there and once we got ahead we enjoyed ourselves.”
Despite starting from Pole, Ben Hendi and Al Marri were caught by both Qatar 95 and Qatar 96 – crewed by Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al Thani and Steve Curtis – as the Qataris homed in on a 1-2 finish. Unfortunately for team principal Sheikh Hassan, a broken propeller on lap four forced Qatar 96 back to the points.
For Curtis, it was the first time in over a decade that he has failed to win a Class 1 Grand Prix and brought to a close an ‘”annus horribilis” for the legendary British throttleman.
“Once the prop was gone we knew we were done,” he said. “Of course, we could have come back into the pits and changed it but at this stage of the season there was no point. If I don’t do better than this next year, I think I’ll join the Hare Kirishna.”
While Qatar 96 endured another day of disaster, for the Victory Team second and third place in the final race of the campaign was a fitting end to a year that has seen them firmly back at the top of the Class 1 tree.
“There was never any question of me letting Qatar win – I always want to win every race,” smiled Ben Hendi, Class 1 World Champion throttleman. “But it was a little rough in places and we caught the wind every now and again. The conditions were hard and it was very hot in the cockpit so I think everyone will have suffered today.”
Bringing home the second Victory boat in third place, Dubai’s Abdullah Al Mehairbi ended his rookie year as Class 1 World Championship runner-up. The youngest member of the Victory stable admitted his first year had been a steep learning curve.
“I’m delighted we’ve managed to do so well this year,” he said after finishing the year on 117 points, 23pts behind Ben Hendi and Al Marri. “We’ve finished second in both the world and Middle East championships, which is far more than I could have expected. Now we have to go on and do even better in 2009.”
Also looking to improve in next season’s championship will be Jorn Tanberg and Inge Brigt Aarbakke from Norway. The European Champions picked up after a slow start and after finding their way past Victory 7 and Victory 1 the Jotun crew were piling the pressure on Qatar 95 in second place before the scarlet cat fell victim to the conditions on lap sixteen of 21.
The Emirates & Dubai Duty Free Grand Prix brought to an end both the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship as well as the two-week Sea Dubai watersports festival, held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mayed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, before Ben Hendi and Al Marri were crowned Class 1 World Champions at a gala dinner on the lawns at Mina Seyahi last night (Saturday).
Picture shows – Victory 1 and Qatar 95 battle it out during the Emirates and Dubai Duty Free Grand Prix.
Results – Emirates & Dubai Duty Free Grand Prix
1. Qatar 95 – Al Sulaiti/Nicolini (Q/I) 1h:01m:02.79s (165.95kmh)
2. Victory 1 – Ben Hendi/Al Marri (UAE) 1h:01m:11.35s (165.56kmh)
3. Victory 7 – Al Mehairbi/Sanchez (UAE) 1h:01m:54.28s (163.65kmh)
Overall Class 1 World Championship – Final Standings
1. Victory 1 – Ben Hendi/Al Marri (UAE) 140 pts
2. Victory 7 – Al Mehairbi/Sanchez (UAE) 117 pts
3. Qatar 95 – Al Sulaiti/Nicolini (Q/I) 101 pts
4. Qatar 96 – Al Thani/Curtis (Q/UK) 71 pts
5. Jotun 90 – Aarbakke/Tandberg (Nor) 66 pts
Overall Class 1 Middle East Championship – Final Standings
1. Victory 1 – Ben Hendi/Al Marri (UAE) 75pts
2. Victory 7 – Al Mehairbi/Sanchez (UAE) 54pts
3. Qatar 95 – Al Sulaiti/Nicolini (Q/I) 43pts
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