MEDIA INFORMATION
2015 UIM XCAT WORLD SERIES
Gold Coast Grand Prix, round 4 – August 21-23
TEAM ABU DHABI AND X DUBAI SET FOR GRIPPING GOLD COAST XCAT SHOWDOWN IN AUSTRALIA
One point separates Emirati teams heading into fourth round Down Under
GOLD COAST (AUSTRALIA): Monday, August 17th: Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashid Al-Tayer and Faleh Al-Mansoori are on collision course for a gripping showdown with XDubai’s Arif Saif Al-Zafeen and Nadir bin Hendi at the Gold Coast Grand Prix in Australia this weekend.
The two teams are separated in the 2015 UIM XCAT World Series by just one point after the opening three races of the season, with the XDubai team snatching that tiny advantage at the last round in Cascais, Portugal.
“Everyone in the team is looking forward to this trip to Australia and the chance to get back to the top of the championship with another battle against our great rivals,” enthused Al-Tayer. “It’s fantastic that this venue is to host a round of the championship.”
Team Abu Dhabi qualified in second position for the last race in Portugal, although technical issues dropped them down to fifth at the chequered flag and that opened the door for XDubai to snatch the series lead. A strong field is expected for the Gold Coast Grand Prix as well and Team Abu Dhabi must prepare for a fierce challenge for the podium from the likes of Hoorsenbuhs, Dubai, Swecat Racing, Marine Investimenti Sud and the home Team Saracen Australia boat, crewed by Tom Barry-Cotter and ex-SuperCat World Champion Ross Willaton.
“This is our first time racing in Australia, so we are very excited about it,” added Team Abu Dhabi’s Al-Mansoori. “We have heard many great things about Australia. For sure, it will be a tough race and we are hoping the conditions will suit us well. There is no specific strategy and we’re not looking just to beat XDubai. We’re focused on ourselves and beating all the teams. Our strategy is to collect points and we’re concentrating on that.”
The hosting City of Gold Coast stretches along 52 kilometres of south eastern Queensland’s coastline and is the sixth largest city in Australia. It is one of the most scenic areas of the world.
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. The team 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.
Action gets underway in Doug Jennings Park on Friday (August 21) with official practice from 10.00hrs (04.00hrs UAE time) and this is followed by a series of water shows and the Dubai Duty Free Speed Cat Run from 14.30hrs.
Further official practice will be permitted from 10.30hrs on Saturday morning and 30 minutes of additional water shows precede the Pole Position qualifying session, starting at 14.00hrs. A third practice session and water shows on Sunday (August 23) set the stage for the Gold Coast Grand Prix, which fires into life at 14.00hrs (08.00hrs UAE time).
2015 UIM XCAT WORLD SERIES – positions after round 3:
1. XDubai 92 pts
2. Team Abu Dhabi 91 pts
3. Hoorsenbuhs 74 pts
4. Dubai 62 pts
5. Swecat Racing 56 pts
6. Marine Investimenti Sud 40 pts
7. Yacht 38 pts
8. Videx 37 pts
9. Team Saracen Australia 36 pts
10. T-Bone Station 35 pts
11. Lady Spain 29 pts
12. Mouawad 50 24 pts
13. Raheeb 15 pts
14. Global Marine 13 pts
– 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