DOMINANT RACE 2 WINS FOR FENDI RACING AND AQUASPORT

Sunday, 19 October, TERRACINA (Italy): Luca Fendi and Giovanni Carpitella produced a breath taking performance to take their first win together in C1 at the team’s home Grand Prix, with Aquasport’s Daniel Cramphorn and Nico Huybens producing a totally dominant performance to win in V1.

Lining up in first and second at the start, Victory and LFF10 delivered a sensational opening lap with Fendi and Carpitella stealing the advantage from the pole-sitters immediately and leading them to the first turn, then holding them off in a nail biting run to the start-finish line as the two closed on each other and just inches apart going into turn one of lap 2, LFF10 coming out in front.

WINS FOR VICTORY AND CHAUDRON – TEAM ABU DHABI CRASH OUT

Sunday, 7 September, IBIZA: Victory and Chaudron produced the stand-out performances of the afternoon and dominated race 2 of the Mediterranean Grand Prix, cruising to emphatic victories in their respective classes in a dramatic race that was red flagged after Abu Dhabi crashed out at the first corner, both Faleh AL Mansoori and Rashed Al Tayer emerging unscathed from the upturned boat.

It was a bitter blow for Al Mansoori and Al Tayer on their debut Grand Prix outing in their new boat, and after going second quickest in qualifying earlier in the day were running in second spot behind Victory at the first turn when they hooked and went over.

VICTORY CRUISE HOME TO WIN RACE 1 – TOMMY ONE WINS IN V1

Saturday, 6 September: Thirteen boats lined up for the first race in over two decades with Class 1 catamarans and V1 monohulls running side-by-side, with Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir Bin Hendi carrying on from where they left off and last raced together in 2011, cruising to an easy victory in race 1 of the Mediterranean Grand Prix to win by a massive 49 second margin.

The Victory duo who earlier in the day shared the pole position spoils with LFF10, led from the start and were never challenged, going on to complete the 13 laps in 35:41.85s.

Despite matching the winners in qualifying Luca Fendi and Giovanni Carpitella could not match the sustained pace of the leader’s, but looked comfortable in second spot when they suddenly hit trouble on lap 9 and stopped.

From third place at the end of lap 1 Guido Cappellini and C1 rookie Mikhail Kitashev held off an initial challenge from Ugur Isik and Christian Zaborowski in Relekta-Zabo-Isiklar before opening out a comfortable advantage to move into and take second spot following the exit of LFF10.

The Relekta-Zabo-Isiklar crew in turn faced a race long challenge from Faleh Al Mansoori and Rashed Al Tayer in Team Abu Dhabi’s new MTI, who passed them on the final lap to take the chequered flag in third, only to be hit with a 25-second post-race penalty for destroying a turn buoy, handing the podium spot back to Isiklar and Zaborowski, the Abu Dhabi duo dropping to fifth behind LFF8-Polimersan.

The performance of the day came in V1 from the Tommy One crew of Maurizio Schepici and Stefano Bonanno who powered their way through the field from a long way back in fourth spot, first passing Bernico-New Star, then the early race leader’s Chaudron before setting their sights on and overhauling the pole sitters Antonio and Giuseppe Schiano in Karelpiu, to take the win in 36:33.39s.

CLASS 1 AND V1 SET FOR MEDITERRANEAN GRAND PRIX IN IBIZA

Monday, 1 September: The Spanish Island of Ibiza is all set to host the heavyweights of world powerboat racing when they take to the waters off Playa D’en Bossa for the Mediterranean Grand Prix on 5-7 September.

For the first time in over two decades catamarans and monohulls will race alongside each other in the UIM Class 1 and V1 World Powerboat Championships, with an anticipated 14-boats lining up as the revised new-look Championships format debuts in Ibiza and Class 1 returns to Spanish waters for the first time since 2006.

Lady Spain set for XCAT debut in Napoli / UIM XCAT World Series Powerboat Racing

9 April 2014, Dubai, UAE – With powerboating action set to resume next month, the World Professional Powerboating Association (WPPA) – organisers and promoters of the UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series – have announced that a new team will join the highly competitive circuit in Italy.

Lady Spain will compete in the third round of the Series, which is scheduled to take place in Napoli, Italy from 23-25 May.

Owned by Carlos Gimenez Vega and based in Cambados, Spain, the new team are relishing the prospect of joining the Series that pilot Marco Fabrizi described as “the top nautical sport at the moment”. Fabrizi has plenty of experience in offshore racing, including Class 3, Superboat P1, and Class 3 4 litres.

Victory Team To Race Stock Class In U.S. /Speed on the Water

XCAT world champions Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir Bin Hendi will run the Victory's team's Fazza cat in SBI's Superboat Stock class this season.

Long dominant in Union Internationale Motonautique Class I and Class III offshore racing—now called XCAT—the Dubai-based Victory team will campaign its Fazza XCAT raceboat in Super Boat International's Superboat Stock class this season. According to renowned Stock- and XCAT-class throttleman Gary Ballough, who leaves this evening on a flight to the Middle East, the Victory-built, 28-foot-long catamaran powered by twin Mercury 2.5-litre outboard engines currently is on a cargo ship headed for the United States.  More; Victory Team To Race Stock Class In U.S.

CLASS 1 TO ADD NEW VENUES AND BOATS IN 2014

Class 1 promoter Nicolò di San Germano has laid out a positive outlook for the season ahead and outlined strategic plans to move Class 1 forward in 2014 and beyond at a recent meeting off team owners and officials in Milan.

This season sees Class 1 lining up for its 51^st year since being sanctioned by the sports’ World Governing Body, the Union Internationale Motonautique (U.I.M.) in 1964, with the exciting prospect of new venues, an increasing number of raceboats with the addition of the Evolution class joining the tour and increasingly closer competition amongst its leading protagonists.

Daytona XCAT event cancelled / UIM XCAT World Series Powerboat Racing

The World Professional Powerboating Association (WPPA) regret to announce the cancellation of the UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series race that was scheduled to take place in Daytona, USA from April 11-13.

“Due to logistical factors beyond our control, it is a great pity for us to have to cancel the Daytona race, which would have been round three of the Series. We were greatly looking forward to taking the Series to the United States as we are well aware there is a great following there, but this will unfortunately have to wait a little longer,” said Dr Khalid Al Zahed, Vice President of the WPPA.

“We are working towards setting up another date for an XCAT race in the United States and will announce details as soon as these have been finalised. One thing is for sure – we will definitely be in the US by 2015 ,” added Al Zahed.

The third round of the UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series is now scheduled to take place in Napoli, Italy from May 23-25.

More honours for faultless Fazza in Fujairah « UIM XCAT World Series Powerboat Racing

14 February 2014 XCAT World Series Powerboat Racing – Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir Bin Hendi extended their lead at the top of the UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series standings with a second consecutive win in Fujairah this afternoon.

The Fazza duo led from start to finish in a race that certainly wasn’t without drama, with three boats failing to finish.

Team Westerlund (Joakim Kumlin and Daniel Svenson) who started the race in fourth position flipped their boat on a turn in the 10th lap, but emerged unscathed, thanks to a speedy response from Dubai Police Rescue and the WPPA Rescue team.

The Complete Schedule for all of the 2014 Offshore Powerboat Racing Season

It looks like 2014 is adding up to a busy U.S. offshore powerboat racing season with races from organizers such as Super Boat International (SBI), Offshore Powerboat Association (OPA) and even UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series with a first ever stop in Daytona, Florida.  Also, we cannot forget the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, where you can you see a boat like My Way run 224 mph.  We thought we would consolidate a list of these events for you and hope to see you on the water this year.

Have an race event you want listed, send it to us and we will add it to the list!

	April
Apr 11-13	SBI - Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix	Charlotte Harbor, FL
Apr 11-13	UIM - UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series – Daytona	Daytona, FL
	May
May 2-4	OPA - Lake Hopatcong Grand Prix	Lake Hopatcong, NJ
May 16-18	SBI - 5th Annual Space Coast Super Boat Grand Prix	Cocoa Beach, FL
	June
June 20-22	OPA - Atlantic City Offshore Grand Prix	Atlantic City, NJ
	July
July 4-6	SBI - 30th Annual Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix Festival	Sarasota, FL
July 25-27	OPA - St Clair River Classic Offshore Powerboat Race	St Clair, MI
	August
Aug 1-3	SBI - 6th Annual Super Boat Great Lakes Grand Prix	Michigan City, IN
Aug 8-10	OPA - International Offshore Powerboat Race	Port Huron, MI
Aug 15-24	Lake of the Ozarks Shootout	Lake of the Ozarks
Aug 20-24	SBI - 11th Annual Thunder on the Gulf	Orange Beach, AL
Aug 20-24	SBI - 1st Annual Pensacola Grand Prix	Pensacola, FL
Aug 22-24	OPA - Great Race on the Sea	TBA Long Island, NY​​
	September
Sept 5-7	24th Annual New York Grand Prix – Tribute to 911	New York, NY
Sept 12-14	OPA Nationals  - Solomons Offshore Grand Prix	Solomons, MD
Sept 26-28	6th Annual Clearwater Super Boat National Championship	Clearwater, FL
	October
October 3-5	OPA World Championships	Ocean City, MD
	November
Nov 2-9	34th Annual Key West World Championship	Key West, FL

XCAT Racing Coming Stateside / Speed on the Water

In 2014, XCAT catamarans will race in U.S. waters for the first time since the series was started six years ago. Photo courtesy/copyright Emanuele Ferraris di Celle

While the Union Internationale Motonautique/World Professional Powerboat Association 2014 XCAT Series kicked off last weekend in Dubai—with the Dubai-based Victory team taking first, second and third place in the season-opener—the big news coming out the weekend was that XCAT racing is coming to the United States. Known for competitive offshore racing, the twin-outboard-engine canopied catamarans will take to the waters off Daytona Beach, Fla., April 11-13 during the annual Daytona Beach Speed Week.  More; XCAT Racing Coming Stateside

Perfect Series Start for Fazza in XCAT Opener / UIM XCAT World Series Powerboat Racing

25 January 2014, Dubai – Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir Bin Hendi cruised to a comfortable victory in the opening round of the 2014 UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series at DIMC – Mina Seyahi today.

 

The Fazza team were entirely untroubled as they started in pole position and maintained their lead throughout the 15-lap race.

The more intriguing battle was, however, taking place in their wake, as Salem Al Adidi and Talib Al Sayed in Victory Team started in second but were eventually overtaken by the Skydive Dubai duo of Sultan Al Dhaheri and Jay Price.

Fazza dominate again, while Dubai Duty Free claim first ever XCAT podium finish / UIM XCAT World Series Powerboat Racing

24 January 2014, Dubai – The Dubai Duty Free team of Pål Virik Nilsen and Tom Barry Cotter ventured onto the XCAT podium for the first time at the opening round of the 2014 UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series this afternoon.

 

That’s after the Norwegian-Australian combination, who joined the Series in August last year, claimed third spot in the Dubai Duty Free Speed Cat Run.

It was once again Fazza (Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir Bin Hendi) who showed their speed and class in taking top honours, beating Skydive Dubai’s Sultan Al Dhaheri and Jay Price in the final. They had already dispatched of Spirit of Dubai, Victory Team and the new addition to the Series, Yachts, in the earlier rounds.

Skydive Dubai had booked their spot in the final by defeating Team Gibraltar, Qatar Team and eventually Dubai Duty Free.

World Championship Class 1 Title for Victory Team

Friday, 6 December, ABU DHABI (UAE): Arif Al Zaffain and Mohammed Al Marri produced a command performance to win race 2 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and clinch a record 13^th Class 1 World Championship title for Victory Team.

 

The only brief challenge to their utter supremacy over the 14 laps came early on when their teammates Darren Nicholson and Nadir Bin Hendi in Victory Australia jumped them at the start on the outside leg to lead, albeit briefly.

But a mistake by Nicholson at the first turn allowed Al Zaffain and Al Marri to get ahead and once out front they simply disappeared off into the distance to win by over 40 seconds with Al Zaffain and Al Marri taking their 37^th and 27^th career wins. “Today the luck was on our side because we broke a prop on the penultimate lap,” said Al Zaffain. “I was surprised to be passed at the beginning but 7 is a very quick boat but once we got back ahead it was our race and our title.”

Skydive Dubai claim second XCAT win at Chinese Grand Prix - UIM XCAT World Series Powerboat Racing

10 November 2013, Ningbo, China – Wiping the windscreen with their feet was probably not quite what Sultan Al Dhaheri and Jay Price were expecting when they took to the water for the Chinese Grand Prix this afternoon.

But, so tightly strapped into the boat, that was the only option available when soggy conditions caused the inside of the boat to fog up and cloud their vision.

Whatever they did, it seemed to do the trick as the Skydive Dubai duo managed to stay out in front, powering their way to their second victory of the UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series at the Chinese Grand Prix. That’s after claiming victory in round 4 of the Series in Stresa, Italy in September.

XCAT World Series Heats Up | OffshoreOnly.com – Powerboating Online

While a majority of the performance boat enthusiasts will be fixated on Key West, Fla., for the remainder of this week and through the weekend as the Super Boat International World Championships and Florida Powerboat Club’s Key West Poker Run converge, I’d like to steer a little attention toward some exciting racing that is about to take place in the Far East.

Two months after the team flipped its boat at the race in Arona, Italy, the Victory Team will enter a new boat in the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend.

With 13 teams expected to participate in the sixth leg of the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) XCAT World Series in China this weekend (Nov. 8-10), there’s plenty of news coming out of the competitive international circuit featuring outboard-powered cats. Taking place on Meishan Bay in Ningbo, the event marks the first time the series has raced in Chinese waters. The Chinese Grand Prix follows a pair of September races in Italy, which marked the first ventures outside of the United Arab Emirates for the up-and-coming series.  More; XCAT World Series Heats Up | OffshoreOnly.com – Powerboating Online

Victory Team claim maiden Speed Cat Run victory in Arona « UIM XCAT World Series Powerboat Racing

The relatively new pairing of Salem Al Adidi and Talib Al Sayed enjoyed the view from the top spot of the podium for the first time ever at the fifth round of the UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series today.

The relatively new pairing of Salem Al Adidi and Talib Al Sayed produced a succession of impressive performances to claim the Dubai Duty Free Speed Cat Run. The team defeated the Italian combination of Matteo Nicolini and Tomaso Polli in Six in the first round before getting the better of Consul Brokers in the semifinal.

They were then faced with the daunting task of taking on Series leaders and firm favourites, Fazza in the final. Al Adidi and Al Sayed held their nerve to stave off the toughest of challenges from their teammates to claim their inaugural win.

Fazza back on top in Official Practice at XCAT European Grand Prix « UIM XCAT World Series Powerboat Racing

Current leaders in the UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series, Fazza, proved their eyes are firmly set on the top of the podium as the fifth round of action got underway in Arona this morning.

Taking to the water for Official Practice, the duo of Arif Al Zaffain and Mohammed Al Marri recorded the fastest lap of the morning, completing the 3.5 nautical mile lap in 2.29,62.

The Victory Team stable once again produced the top three quickest times, as they aim to reproduce their clean sweep of the podium from Stresa last weekend.

FENDI RACING TAKING EXHAUSTIVE MEASURES TO ERADICATE ANY TECHNICAL ISSUES

Monday, 2 September: Fendi Racing throttleman Giovanni Carpitella will get his first impressions of the proposed circuit for next months’ Mediterranean Grand Prix [18-20 October] when he joins H2O Racing’s sporting director Marco Sala and local organiser Emilio Sardellitti for a site visit in Terracina.

Carpitella and team owner-driver Luca Formilli Fendi sit in third spot in the title race behind leader’s Victory and HUB Team Australia, and will be bidding for their first win together since teaming-up in Abu Dhabi in 2010, but face the added pressure of being the home favourites.

Fierce fightback from Fazza, but Skydive Dubai hold on to top podium at Italian Grand Prix « UIM XCAT World Series Powerboat Racing – Official Site

Skydive Dubai staved off a fantastic fightback from current UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series leaders Fazza to claim the inaugural Italian Grand Prix title on Lake Maggiore today.

Fazza started bottom of the pile after an underweight boat saw them disqualified after the Pole Position race, but some careful planning and years of experience meant they didn’t stay there for long.

A sensational start from the Fazza duo of Arif Al Zaffain and Mohammed Al Marri saw them speeding from last place to second by the first corner – a position they then held on to for the remainder of the race.