MEDIA INFORMATION
2015 UIM XCAT WORLD SERIES
Dubai Grand Prix, round 2 – March 19-21
TEAM ABU DHABI’S AL-MANSOORI AND AL-TAYER
AIM TO DEFEND EARLY XCAT WORLD SERIES LEAD IN DUBAI
Team Abu Dhabi heads to DIMC with six-point championship lead
Fazza and Dubai aim to bounce back from Fujairah race woes
ABU DHABI (UAE): Monday, March 16: Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashid Al-Tayer and Faleh Al-Mansoori made the perfect start to their challenge for honours in the 2015 UIM XCAT World Series in Fujairah last month and will be aiming to extend their championship lead at the second round of the series at the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) this weekend.
The Abu Dhabi International Martine Sports Club (ADIMSC) pair entered the prestigious series at the tail end of last season and were delighted to emerge from the excitement of the opening round on the UAE’s east coast with maximum points for a victory they earned in dramatic circumstances on the final lap.
T-Bone Station’s Giovanni Carpitella and Ahmed Al-Hameli suffered transmission issues and ground to a halt and Team Abu Dhabi cruised through to the chequered flag after moving up from fifth to third on the opening lap and gaining in confidence from then on. Fazza’s Arif Saif Al-Zafeen and Nadir bin Hendi had started the opening race from pole position and moved into an early advantage until an engine fire put paid to the challenge from the defending champions.
“It was a big win for us in Fujairah, not just in championship terms, but also as a boost for the entire team,” said Al-Tayer. “The plan had been to get a good start and it went on from there. I saved my engines in the rough conditions, because it was a long race and then I began to push a little bit. Fazza, perhaps, pushed too much and broke an engine. Now we have to keep this momentum going and continue to keep putting the pressure on and points on the board.”
Al-Tayer and Al-Mansoori will face fierce competition in Friday’s pole position and Saturday’s race off the coast of Mina Seyahi. Eighth-placed Fazza will be determined to make up for the disappointment of scoring just seven points from the opening race and will be hoping to eliminate the 29-point gap to their close Emirati rivals.
Italy’s Matteo Nicolini and Tomaso Polli trail Team Abu Dhabi by just six points in Hoorsenbuhs and Swecat Racing’s Erik Stark and Michael Bengtsson began the season well with third position and are a further two points adrift of the Abu Dhabi duo. Dubai’s Salem Al-Adidi and Ali Al-Esa hold sixth position after round one.
Team Abu Dhabi is based at the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC) and is supported by Etihad Airways as official carrier and sponsor and runs under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Khalifa Al-Nahyan, advisor to the Head of State and chairman of the board of directors of the ADIMSC.
2015 UIM XCAT WORLD SERIES – positions after round 1:
1. Team Abu Dhabi 36 pts
2. Hoorsenbuhs 30 pts
3. Swecat Racing 28 pts
4. Marie Investimenti Sud 27 pts
5. Team Saracen Australia 19 pts
6. Dubai 17 pts
7. T-Bone Station 17 pts
8. Fazza 7 pts
9. Yacht 2 pts
10. Videx 1 pt
11. Gold Coast Australia 1 pt
12. Mouawad 50 1 pt
13. Raheeb 0 pt
14. Fujairah Racing Team 0 pt
– Ends –
For further media information and information about Team Abu Dhabi:
Please contact: Khalid Al Saadi, Media Incharge, Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, P.O. Box 45656, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Mobile Telephone: + 971 50 768 6761, E-mail: alsaadi@adimsc.ae.
www.xcatracing.com
www.adimsc.ae