Class 1 World Powerboat Championship - A new era

by Class 1 on 14 Apr 2011 UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship heralded the beginning of an exciting new era for the Championship under new promoter, Nicolo di San Germano, president of H2O Racing at today’s first official practice of the 2011 season.

Today’s two-hour session on the 4.93nm course, running in front of the Abu Dhabi Corniche, saw three teams fielding new driver line-ups, two new team entries and marked the much anticipated return to Class 1 of the Spirit of Qatar Team.

Spirit of Qatar 96 led the boats out onto the water, but it was the defending Class 1 World Champions, Arif Al Zafeen and Nadir bin Hendi, who best mastered the tricky conditions with winds gusting across the course, who set the pace, and the only outfit to break the three minute mark posting 2 minutes 58.26 seconds, the quickest time of the afternoon - four seconds clear of their rivals.

In the wake of the Victory crew, less than two seconds separated the next four teams; with John Tomlinson not flying in until later tonight, Team Abu Dhabi driver Rashed Al Tayer – race one winner here last year – went out with XCat throttleman Majid Al Mansouri to post the second fastest time, 3 minutes 02.20 seconds.

The stand-out performance of the afternoon belonged to Ugur Isik and Christian Zaborowski.

Racing together for the first time, and marking Isik’s return to racing in Class 1 for the first time in over a decade, the Relekta crew got quicker lap-by-lap to go third fastest in 3 minutes 02.05 seconds.

Having spent the last two weeks in Abu Dhabi all but rebuilding their two boats, the Spirit of Qatar Team made an understandably measured return to the championship; Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al Thani and Steve Curtis posted fourth fastest with Class 1 newcomer Ali Al Neama and Matteo Nicolini, sixth.

With their new Outerlimits boat in Italy, Fendi Racing’s Luca Formilli Fendi and Giovanni Carpitella, running the Victory boat that ironically took them out of race two here last year, split the Qatar boats.

Maintaining their partnership that closed-out the 2010 season but switching roles, with Nicolo Giorgi taking the wheel and Tomaso Polli on the throttles, the MITI pairing finished seventh ahead of Parsonage Racing’s new pairing, Giorgio Manuzzi and Pal Virik Nilsen.

It was a frustrating afternoon for Poliform and Welmax with both outfits sidelined with technical problems.

First official practice:
1. 3 Victory Team - A Al Zafeen (UAE) / N Bin Hendi (UAE) 02.58,26
2. 5 Team Abu Dhabi - R Al Tayer (UAE) / J Tomlinson (USA) 03.02,20
3. 91 Relekta – U Isik (TUR) / C Zaborowski (NOR) 03.02,95
4. 96 Spirit of Qatar - H Al Thani (QAT) / S Curtis (ENG) 03.03,20
5. 10 Luca F Fendi Racing - L Formilli Fendi (ITA) / G Carpitella (ITA) 03.03,93
6. 95 Spirit of Qatar - A Al Neama (QAT) / M Nicolini (ITA) 03.05,18
7. 18 MITI - N Giorgi (ITA) / T Polli (ITA) 03.06.76
8. 50 Parsonage Racing - G Manuzzi (SMR) / P V Nilsen (NOR) 03.24,62
90 Welmax - K Selmer (NOR) / J Tandberg (NOR) - dns
74 Poliform - G Cappellini (MON) / G Montavoci (ITA) - dns

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