SUPER BOAT INTERNATIONAL 2013
33rd Annual Key West Super Boat World Championships – November 6-10, 2013
For immediate release
Friday, November 8th, 2013
SHEIKH HASSAN AND STEVE CURTIS SUFFER POWER STEERING
PROBLEMS IN SECOND KEY WEST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RACE
· Al-Attiyah and Nicolini finish fourth in Superboat Unlimited race
· Team Stihl wins second Superboat race; Spirit of Qatar 20 retires
KEY WEST (Florida): His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani and Steve Curtis suffered further disappointment in round two of the 33rd Annual Key West Super Boat World Championships on Friday afternoon.
After storming into an early lead in their second race of the week, the crew of Al Adaa’am 96 suffered power steering problems after the opening lap and were forced to return to the pits. They did, however, score vital points for completing one lap of the 6.75-lap race.
Italian throttleman Matteo Nicolini and Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah followed up their second position in round one of Superboat Unlimited with another spirited showing in Spirit of Qatar 613. They finished fourth overall behind Bob Bull and Randy Scism in CMS 3, Marc Granet and Scott Begovich (who nearly caught the winners in a thrilling finish in Miss Geico 113) and Marine Concepts 88.
Qatari Ali Al-Neama and American Billy Moore started their second Superboat race strongly and held a comfortable fourth position until they were sidelined with ongoing technical problems midway through the race. Team Stihl’s Robert Noble and Grant Bruggemann managed to overtake WHM Motorsports to take a second successive win. Broadco was third.
“It’s obviously disappointing what happened,” said Sheiikh Hassan, president of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) and driver of Al-Adaa’am 96. “We suffered a power steering problem and that forced us to retire from the race, but that places an extra special emphasis on the final race on Sunday.”
Al-Neama and Moore lined up alongside six rivals in the Superboat category and five other boats in Superboat Extreme for the start of their second race on Friday afternoon. Stihl had comfortably won the first encounter on Wednesday and started as the favourite to win round two, but Team CRC was unable to start after the testing accident earlier in the week.
Weather conditions were slightly better than Wednesday for the start of the 30-mile race on the 6.75-mile course. After a frantic sprint to turn one, where at least two boats touched, WHM held a slender advantage over Stihl, with Burger Fi, Broadco and Spirit of Qatar in third, fourth and fifth. JD Byrider was struggling with engine gremlins and Warpaint also slowed after colliding with a green buoy and returned to the pits.
The leading two held station into the next lap and Broadco and Spirit of Qatar managed to pass a struggling Burger Fi to take third and fourth. Burger Fi was duly sidelined with blue smoke trailing the boat and WHM, Stihl, Broadco and Spirit of Qatar maintained their positions through lap three, as the Superboat field was whittled down from seven to five.
Stihl continued to close on WHM for the outright lead and Broadco edged away from Spirit of Qatar. But Stihl found a way through and into the lead heading into lap five.
Broadco took advantage of a disappointing retirement for Spirit of Qatar to strengthen their grip on third. JD Byrider struggled at the rear of the field to collect vital championship points but was well behind the leading trio, with Stihl heading WHM and Broadco to the chequered flag.
Miss Mary Mac 741 joined Al-Adaa’am 96 (Spirit of Qatar 96) on the start in the Turbine class for the third and final race of the day. Al-Attiyah and Nicolini lined up in Spirit of Qatar 613 alongside CMS 3, Team Jo Lamberti 76, Alex & Ani 100, Marine Concepts 88 and Miss Geico 113 in the Superboat Unlimited class.
Sheikh Hassan stormed out in front through the opening turns, but technical problems soon intervened and Miss Mary Mac overtook the disappointed Qatar crew, who returned to the pits.
Spirit of Qatar 613 made an excellent start in the Unlimited race and chased CMS through the first lap and held a solid second position from Marine Concepts and a struggling Miss Geico. Alex and Ani were fifth and Team Jo Lamberti held sixth.
Miss Mary Mac continued to lead the Turbine class but Spirit of Qatar 613 came under pressure from a resurgent Miss Geico as the race progressed. CMS maintained the advantage in the Unlimited class and reached the chequered flag clear of Miss Geico, Marine Concepts and Spirit of Qatar 613. Alex & Ani 100 finished fifth.
The third all-important Key West race takes place on Sunday with double points at stake for the entrants.
Ends
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail:
www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).
www.qmsf.org
www.superboat.com
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