- Race debut of Al Adaa’am 96 delayed for Sheikh Hassan.
- Flash floods force cancellation of H1’s Indiana Governor’s Cup.
SARASOTA (Florida, USA): Qatar’s Ali Al-Neama and Mohammed Al-Nasser finished third in the Superboat class in Sunday’s race on a 5.3-mile course at the 29th Annual Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix Festival at Sarasota in Florida.
The Spirit of Qatar 20 crew held fourth in the unofficial points standings behind WHM Motorsports, Team Stihl and JD Byrider before Sarasota and moved closer to JD Byrider in third after this excellent podium finish.
Team Stihl’s Robert Noble and Grant Bruggemann led from the start to record a sensational victory in the Superboat class from WHM Motorsports’ Billy Mauff and Jay Muller, as the two boats pulled clear of their rivals in the Superboat points standings.
His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani, president of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), and British throttleman Steve Curtis were not able to make the start of the race in their new turbine boat, Al Adaa’am 96, after a fuel leak was reportedly discovered on the new boat.
The stunning new race craft was in the pits over race weekend alongside Miss Mary Mac, but further work is required before the Mystic boat, which is powered by Whispering turbine engines, is ready for its race debut and ongoing competition.
Heavy rain and unsafe conditions on the Ohio River meant that racing at the Madison Regatta, round three of the 2013 H1 Unlimited Championship, for the Lucas Oil Indiana Governor’s Cup race was cancelled. Therefore, Kip Brown was not able to take to the water in Spirit of Qatar 95 and attempt to close the gap on Jimmy Shane and Steve David in the H1 National High Points’ standings.
The Race
Five Superboats lined up at the second of three staggered starts for the 15.75-lap, 83-mile race off the coast of Sarasota and Stihl made the early running from WHM Motorsports and JD Byrider, with Warpaint and Spirit of Qatar trailing in fourth and fifth places.
Stihl and WHM Motorsports maintained their positions through the next lap, but Tony Marcantonio and Mark Kowalski began to slow down in JD Byrider and were passed by Spirit of Qatar, with Warpaint trailing behind. The leading duo continued to extend their advantage, as Al-Neama and Al-Nasser maintained third position into lap four and Warpaint held a distant fourth.
The top two remained out front as the race progressed and reached the chequered flag in first and second positions, with Spirit of Qatar in a comfortable third once Warpaint had retired after lap five.
The next round of Super Boat International (SBI) will be the 5th Annual Superboat Great Lakes Grand Prix at Michigan City on August 2-4.
2013 Super Boat International
Superboat class – positions after race 4 (unofficial):
1. WHM Motorsports 2098 pts
2. Team Stihl 2006 pts
3. JD Byrider 1357 pts
4. Spirit of Qatar 20 1224 pts
5. Team CRC 752 pts
6. Warpaint 727 pts
7. Ricks Collision 356 pts
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