2008 CLASS 1 WORLD POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP
Emirates and Dubai Duty Free Grand Prix, round 8 – December 11th-13th, 2008
For immediate release
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
SHEIKH HASSAN AND STEVE CURTIS EYE
POLE POSITION WORLD TITLE IN DUBAI
· Qatar 95 crew aim for Middle East Championship runner-up spot
MINA SEYAHI (UAE): His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani and Steve Curtis MBE know that if they claim Pole Position for this weekend’s Emirates and Dubai Duty Free Grand Prix, the final round of the 2008 Class 1 World Powerboat Championship, they will be crowned as 2008 Edox Pole Position World Champions.
The Qatar 96 pairing have been the fastest crew by a good margin on recent races in the championship, but technical problems cost them potential race wins in Egypt in October and Dubai last weekend. The World and Middle East titles may have disappeared for this season, but Sheikh Hassan knows that the Pole Position title would be some compensation for a year that promised so much but has seen the title won by the UAE’s Victory Team.
Sheikh Hassan and Steve Curtis head into the final race meeting of the year at Mina Seyahi, a mere three points behind Victory 1 in the Edox Pole Position points’ standings. There are 20 points awarded for claiming Pole Position and 15 for second place, so maximum points would be sufficient for Sheikh Hassan to take the world title back to Qatar. The Qatar 96 duo have already won three Pole Positions this season and Sheikh Hassan knows that a seventh pole of his career would be the most satisfying of them all.
Qatar 95 team mates Abdullah Al-Sulaiti and Matteo Nicolini proved on the last two rounds of the championship that Sterling V8 engines can match and beat the other boats. There is still some development to be done with Qatar 95, but Al-Sulaiti would dearly like to finish the season with a podium finish.
The outcome of the recent Mina Seyahi race determined that Qatar 95 can no longer take second position in the overall championship, but a win on Saturday and a retirement for Victory 7 would give Al-Sulaiti and Nicolini the runner-up spot in the Class 1 Middle East Championship. Both Qatar 96 and Qatar 95 will also be racing between themselves to determine which boat finishes third in the overall championship.
The weekend’s action will again by based at the Dubai Inernational Marine Club (DIMC), with the on-water action getting underway with a two-hour practice session on Thursday (December 11th) afternoon from 2pm. There will be a second practice session on the course from 10am on Friday morning and the crucial Edox Pole Position competition gets underway at 2.30pm.
The final race day of the season starts with a one-hour practice stint from 10am, with the Emirates and Dubai Duty Free Grand Prix firing into life at 2.30pm. The official awards dinner and prize giving for the 2008 championship will take place later that evening at the DIMC.
CLASS 1 WORLD POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP – positions after round 7 of 8
1. Victory 1 – 125pts
2. Victory 7 – 105pts
3. Qatar 95 – 81pts
4. Qatar 96 – 71pts
5. Jotun 90 – 64pts
6. Foresti & Suardi 8 – 57pts
7. SeveneleveN 18 – 26pts
8. Spirit of Spain 88 – 19pts
9. Negotiator 50 – 16pts
10. Qatar 9 – 4pts
Roscioli Hotels Roma 60 – 0pts
CLASS 1 MIDDLE EAST POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP – positions after round 3 of 4
1. Victory 1 – 60pts
2. Victory 7 – 42pts
3= Qatar 95 – 23pts
3= Foresti & Suardi 8 – 23pts
5. Qatar 96 – 22pts
6. SeveneleveN 18 – 17pts
7. Negotiator 50 – 16pts
Roscioli Hotels Roma 60 – 0 pts
Jotun 90 – 0 pts
Spirit of Spain 88 – 0 pts
CLASS 1 EDOX POLE POSITION – latest positions
1. Victory 1 – 102 pts
2. Qatar 96 – 99 pts
3. Jotun 90 – 70 pts
4. Qatar 95 – 59 pts
5. Victory 7 – 45 pts
6. Foresti & Suardi 8 – 24 pts
7. SeveneleveN 18 – 20 pts
8. Negotiator 50 – 17 pts
9. Spirit of Spain 88 – 7 pts
10. Qatar 9 – 5pts
10. White 4 – 5 pts
Ends
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: ndppublicity@compuserve.com. www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).
www.qmsf.org