Curtis desperate to salvage season

by Class-1 media on 22 Nov 2008
Despite winning the SBIP-APBA Offshore World Championship in Key West, Florida earlier this month, Steve Curtis is yet to win in Class 1 this season, and failure in either of the remaining races and the Edox Pole Position in Dubai, will see Curtis winless and without a title for the first time in over a decade. A statistic he would rather be without!

Curtis and Sheikh Hassan have been on the back foot since crashing out in Qatar 96 during qualifying in the season opener in Doha, forcing them to run their spare boat for the remainder of the season. And whilst they have taken three podium finishes and currently lie fourth in the championship standings, technical problems in Montenegro and Egypt and a somewhat ‘lazy Sunday afternoon’ in Romania have cost them a tilt at the title. 'What we need in Dubai is rough water and reliability if we are to salvage anything from our season. We do not need flat water.' said the eight times World Champion. 'Doha was a disaster for us. We had to get into a boat that was not set up to suit us and although we have made adjustments, to get it to where we want it takes time that we haven’t had.'

Curtis’s last season without a win was in 1996 and without a title was in 1997. His record in Class 1, however, remains unmatched and he is the sports most celebrated racer. Since 1992 and from 119 starts he has won 40 Grands Prix, qualified quickest 47 times, won six World Championships, the European and Middle East titles four times and has won the Pole Position Championship for the last seven years.
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WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - after round 6 of 8
1. Victory 1 – 105pts 2. Victory 7 – 90pts 3. Qatar 95 – 72pts 4. Qatar 96 – 71pts 5. Jotun 90 – 64pts 6. Foresti & Suardi 8 – 50pts 7. Spirit of Spain 88 – 19pts 8. Negotiator 50 – 16pts 9. SeveneleveN 18 – 14pts 10. Qatar 9 – 4pts

MIDDLE EAST CHAMPIONSHIP - after round 2 of 4
1. Victory 1 – 40pts 2. Victory 7 – 27pts 3. Qatar 96 – 22pts 4= Foresti & Suardi 8 – 16pts 4= Negotiator 50 – 16pts 6. Qatar 95 – 14pts 7. SeveneleveN 18 – 5pts

EDOX POLE POSITION CHAMPIONSHIP – after round 6 of 8
1. Victory 1 – 90pts 2. Qatar 96 – 79pts 3. Jotun 90 – 63pts 4. Qatar 95 – 44pts
5. Victory 7 – 37pts 6. Foresti & Suardi 8 – 21pts 7. SeveneleveN 18 – 18pts
8. Negotiator 50 – 12pts 9= Qatar 9 – 5pts 9= Spirit of Spain 88 – 5pts 11. Roscioli Hotels Roma 60 – 2pts

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