2009 UIM WPPA CLASS 1 WORLD POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP
News from the Spirit of Qatar Team
For immediate release
Saturday, July 25th, 2009
QMSF SET FOR DOHA MEETING TO DISCUSS CLASS
ONE RACING FUTURE AFTER NORWEGIAN DEBACLE
· Sheikh Hassan repeatedly warned officials of ‘racing behaviour’
· Qatar Team on brink of withdrawing from 2009 Class 1 series
DOHA (Qatar): Board members at the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) in Doha will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the events that unfolded at the recent Norwegian Grand Prix in Arendal and the next steps for the Spirit of Qatar Team in the 2009 UIM WPPA Class 1 World Powerboat Championship.
Team members were dissatisfied by the racing strategy employed by a rival team at the start of last Sunday’s race and the resultant action that was carried out by the IOTA and the WPPA.
Before a high-speed crash sidelined His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani and Steve Curtis MBE, both the Spirit of Qatar 96 crew and Abdullah Al-Sulaiti and Matteo Nicolini in Spirit of Qatar 95 had been subjected to unsportsmanlike racing behaviour on the first lap of the Arendal race.
“The Qatar Marine Sports Federation will hold a board meeting to go over what happened and to decide what the future holds for the Spirit of Qatar Team for the remainder of the 2009 UIM WPPA Class 1 World Championship,” said Sheikh Hassan.
“The QMSF communicated with IOTA and the WPPA about the scenario that occurred in last weekend’s race in Arendal, where the Qatar Team expressed frustration at the misconduct of the teams during the start.
“This was not the first time such behaviour has occurred on the water in a racing environment and it could have resulted in serious consequences. IOTA and the WPPA have not done much through the years to stop such behaviour.
“The Qatar Team believes that the officials were too slow to respond to the matter and the action required to be taken during the race. We believe that it’s time for the Qatar Team to look at the available options that will be put on the table at the meeting in Doha on Sunday.”
The Qatar Marine Sports Federation will announce its decision after the Doha meeting.
Ends
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: ndppublicity@googlemail.com. www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).