UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT Series - Nicolini and Polli in partnership

by Karien Jonckheere on 14 Oct 2013 It’s been an incredible few months for UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series pilots Matteo Nicolini and Tomaso Polli. After Nicolini purchased a new boat from the renowned Dubai-based Victory Team just a few months ago, he was in search for a driver to put his new boat to the test at the fourth and fifth rounds of the Series in Italy.

That’s when he joined forces with Polli for the Italian Grand Prix in Stresa, Italy. With a background in Class one racing, Polli took to XCAT action immediately. The duo started in second position in Stresa but finished only seventh after being victims of a collision on the start line, but then went on to take a hugely popular home victory at the European Grand Prix in Arona a week later.

Following on from that success, the pair have taken their partnership a step further by announcing they are now joint owners of boat Six, with a view to competing for Series glory in 2014.

'My decision to acquire a Victory Team boat rather than building one of my own projects was tough,' admitted Nicolini. 'But I was running out of time and the Victory Team had a really good boat, so when the XCAT Series schedule was finalised, I closed the deal.

'My second step was to find a driver with experience and passion for this sport and this was Tomaso who immediately liked the idea. With Tomaso, I found not only a partner but also a great driver and above all a friend,' added Nicolini.

'Racing with Matteo and being his partner in the team is an honour. Not only is Matteo one of the best throttlemen in the world, but an experienced race boat builder who brings with him a broad set of technical skills, and is a great team manager,' said Polli.

'We are blessed to also count on Luca Nicolini and Dario Sala, who have been invaluable in assisting to set up the new boat. XCAT is fast becoming a real world class championship; you just need to count the number of world champions on the start line to understand the level of professionalism. We still have a lot of work ahead of us getting to know the new boat, however we could not have wished for a better start,' he added.

The next round of the UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series is set to take place in Ningbo, China from November 8th to tenth, before action returns to Dubai in December.