Class 1 Powerboats

Class 1 Powerboats - More to come from Spirit of Qatar

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:53:00 GMT

Spirit of Qatar 96 throttleman Steve Curtis is confident that the team can make further improvements as they look to carry the fight to Victory in the title race, with just five points now separating the sport’s top two outfits.

Despite the disappointment of missing the opportunity to draw level with the defending World Champions at the top of the points standings due to the cancelation of race 2 in Arendal,

Curtis is upbeat about the teams overall performance. “It was a fantastic weekend for the team, taking the win and another podium for Matteo and Ali,” he said. “Unfortunately we didn’t have the right set-up for Matteo in the race and I think if we had had all the right equipment we could have had a first and second.

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Class 1 Powerboats - Zabo Racing ups the stakes

Fri, 06 May 2011 22:20:00 GMT

Zabo Racing has upped the stakes in its bid to challenge for race wins and title honours this season, swooping in to buy the ex-Fazza boat from Dubai’s Victory Team.

Following several weeks of negotiations, Jan Zaborowski, team boss of the Norwegian outfit, sealed the deal after the season-opener in Abu Dhabi.

“We got the boat under a fantastic deal from Victory, and it would have been crazy not to take up such an offer,” he said, adding. “The offer was based on the fact that Victory see Zabo Racing as being one of thee most enthusiastic teams in Class 1, and are impressed by the effort that we put in on such a small and tight financial budget, and felt that it justified helping us to ensure Class 1 remains highly competitive.”

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Class 1 Powerboats - Victory celebrate double win in Abu Dhabi

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 08:58:00 GMT

Arif Al Zafeen and Nadir bin Hendi produced an emphatic performance to make it two wins out of two, storming to victory in race 2 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Second and third places on the podium went to Spirit of Qatar 96 and 95, with Sheikh Hassan and Steve Curtis taking their second race-podium of the weekend, leading home Ali Al Neama and Matteo Nicolini.

It was a clinical demonstration by the World Champions, but they were made to work hard and had to come from behind to take their 23rd race win.

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Class 1 Powerboats - Abu Dhabi to host season opener

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 22:47:00 GMT

A revision to the 2011 calendar sees the Emirate of Abu Dhabi hosting the Class 1 season-opener, 13-15 April.

Abu Dhabi first hosted a round of the UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship in 2009. Last year, Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al Tayer and John Tomlinson took their first win together on home waters.

Details about the Dubai Grand Prix will be announced shortly.

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Class 1 announces calendar and eleven boat line up

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 00:44:00 GMT

The UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship will field one its strongest line-ups in recent years, with promoter Nicolò di San Germano confirming an eleven boat entry for the 2011 season-opener in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, 14-16 April.

Announcing the news at today's press conference in Monaco, San Germano also revealed the dates for ten races at five Grand Prix, with Norway, Italy, Brazil and Abu Dhabi joining Dubai as the season venues, with the possibility of a sixth event to be announced in the coming weeks.

It promises to be a closely-contested and intriguing season as old rivalries are renewed, as well as a titanic fight for supremacy in what is being billed as a Middle East versus Europe showdown, as teams prepare to go head-to-head for title honours.

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New promoter optimistic about future of Class 1

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:43:00 GMT

Nicolò di San Germano is optimistic that the new structures that have been put in place to steer the future direction of the UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship will revitalise the sport.

As head of Class 1 Promotion and the Championship’s newly appointed promoter San Germano believes that strength in numbers, clear communication and implementation of clear and fair rules must form the foundations to take the sport forward. “We will reinforce the number of teams because strength in numbers in terms of participants is important.

Our target is to have a minimum of ten boats and this part I think we have already overcome because we have interest from over ten boats for the beginning of the season.

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Class 1 Powerboats - Welmax looking to close out Edox Pole Position Championship

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:33:00 GMT

With the 2010 UIM Class 1 World title already decided, teams now turn their attentions on the Edox Pole Position and Middle East Championships in the final qualifying session and two races of the season at this weekend’s Emirates/Dubai Duty Free Dubai Grand Prix.

Welmax’s Kolbjorn Selmer and Jorn Tandberg will be looking to end their season on a high as they bid to become the first ever all-Norwegian pairing to win the Pole Position Championship and the first Norwegians to win a major trophy since Tandberg’s European title success in 2008.

They go into the final qualifying session of the year in an almost unassailable position with a 15-point lead over World Champions Fazza, knowing sixth place will give them the title.

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Class 1 Powerboats - Fazza crowned world champions

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:13:00 GMT

Defending World Champions Arif Al Zafeen and Nadir Bin Hendi produced a Championship winning drive to clinch a tenth World title for Dubai’s Victory Team, winning a dramatic and incident filled race 2 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with two separate incidents involving Victory 2010 and a collision between Skydive Dubai and Negotiator, forcing race officials to immediately red flag the race and call for a restart.

Second place went to Welmax’s Kolbjorn Selmer and Jorn Tandberg after a titanic battle for podium honours with their Norwegian rivals Relekta, with Paul Gaiser and Christian Zaborowski producing an outstanding performance to take their first podium of the year.

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Class 1 Powerboats - Fazza and Welmax have championship titles in their sights

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 00:58:00 GMT

Nine boats will line up for this week's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and a repeat of last year's race win-double by World Champions Arif Al Zafeen and Nadir Bin Hendi will seal the Emirati duo their third World titles.

The Fazza pairing already has one trophy under their belts after clinching the 2010 European Championship at the Italian Grand Prix in Stresa in October, taking six wins from a possible eight this season, and head into the penultimate Grand Prix of the season carrying a 33-point advantage over their teammates Abdullah Al Mehairbi and Talib Al Sayed in Skydive Dubai. And, barring any kind of technical meltdown are on course to give Victory Team a tenth World crown.

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Class 1 Powerboats - Al Marri teams up with Manuzzi for Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 00:56:00 GMT

Dubai's Victory Team has announced that they will field a third boat, rolling out their second new design-build of the year, for the remaining Grands Prix of the season, with Class 1 great Mohammed Al Marri teaming-up with Giorgio Manuzzi in Victory 2010 for the Middle East legs of the Championship in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Double World Champion Al Marri, thirteen times a race winner, partnered Abdullah Al Mehairbi at the beginning of the year in Fazza 1, taking podiums in Brazil and Norway before stepping aside for Talib Al Sayed, marks his returns with a 70th Grand Prix start in Abu Dhabi.

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