XCAT Third Round 2016, Lugano Grand Prix

Stark warning for leaders Victory from Swecat

A dozen confirmed for this weekend’s third race of the XCAT World Series in Lugano
Published: 15:46 June 3, 2016 Gulf News
Alaric Gomes, Senior Reporter

Dubai: A handful of boats are hopeful of turning the pressure on current leaders Victory Team as a field of 12 boats prepare for the Lugano Grand Prix — the third round of the 2016 UIM XCAT World Series to be held this weekend.

Held over a 7.78km racecourse between the two shores of Lake Lugano, the Victory Team duo of Arif Al Zafein and Nader Bin Hindi will be looking to consolidate further on the 31-point cushion they hold over their nearest challenger Swecat Racing, with Erik Stark and Mikael Bengtsson at the helm.

“We’ve not been off to a great start in the first two races of the season, but all the same this is the best start we’ve had in the series,” Stark told Gulf News from Lugano.

“At the moment, we have 55 points and that is not too far off from the world champions [Victory Team]. The idea is to get a perfect set-up and try and get maximum points to keep the pressure on them,” he added.

However, the Swedish duo will also have to be wary about the immediate challenge that could arise from third-placed Dubai 33 with Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali in charge. The Dubai duo in their brand-new Victory Team-built boat are just four points away from Swecat Racing and third overall with 51 points.


“We have every reason to be positive with the weekend. There is no doubt that Victory Team is always a tough team to beat anywhere in the world. But we fancy our chances as this season has been a level playing field with the new rule changes on engines. In the first two races Arif [Al Zafein] and Nader [Bin Hindi] got it spot on with their set-up and props. We too have a great support team and we have the confidence to beat anyone on our day,” Al Ali said.

Also in the fray is the promising Gold Coast Australia team of Tom Barry Cotter and Ross Willaton with 48 points, while the Italian duo of Alfredo Amato and Diego Testa in their Carpisa Yamamay boat are in fifth overall with 39 points.

“We’ve had our issues in the last two races, but we’ve done well while keeping the chase alive on the leaders. The first thing for us will be to stay constant and not take too many risks,” Barry Cotter admitted.

“The waters will be flat and we need to get the set-up perfect. Anything can happen in a race, so we pretty much fancy our chances out there,” the young Australian added.

The duo of Faleh Al Mansouri and Rashid Al Tayer representing Team Abu Dhabi will also be hopeful of changing fortunes as they enter in seventh overall with 32 points. Just three points separate them from sixth-placed T-Bone Station.

“We have had more ups than downs so far, so the idea will be to be as competitive as possible out there,” Al Tayer said.

“Eventually it’s a race and we are hoping everything will fall into place starting now,” he hoped.

First up on Saturday will be the Emaar Pole Position run from 12.30pm UAE time, followed by the Dubai Duty Free Speed Cat Run from 5.30-6.30pm. On Sunday there will be a practice session in the morning and the Lugano Grand Prix will be flagged off at 5.30pm.

http://gulfnews.com/sport/boat-racin...ecat-1.1839785

Team Abu Dhabi aim to get UIM XCat World Series title bid on track at Lake Lugano

Team Abu Dhabi will be looking to get their title challenge back on track this weekend when the UIM XCAT World Series heads to Lake Lugano in Switzerland.

Faleh Al Mansoori and Rashed Al Tayer, the crew of Team Abu Dhabi 5, are currently seventh in the championship standings after the opening two races in Fujairah and Dubai, three points behind sixth-place T-Bone Station.

Victory Team’s Arif Saif Al Zafeen and Nadir bin Hendi won the opening two rounds and have surged into an early season 31-point lead over Swecat Racing, with Dubai a further four points behind.

Having qualified on pole in Fujairah, Team Abu Dhabi 5 were forced to retire with engine issues, although they fared better in Dubai, climbing from fifth to finish second.

While there have been plenty of reason for optimism for Team Abu Dhabi 5, the same cannot be said for Team Abu Dhabi 4 and their crew Rashed Al-Qamzi and Majed Al-Mansoori, who will not make the trip to Lake Lugano.

Al Mansoori and Al Tayer and other XCAT team members from the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC) have arrived in Switzerland, and are confident that they can challenge for podium honours.

“We had some challenging water conditions at the opening two rounds in the UAE and were obviously disappointed with our one result after setting a competitive pace at both races," Al Tayer said.

“Lugano is an inland lake course, surrounded by mountains, and we can hopefully expect some calm water conditions and little wind. We know that we have to push and try and get pole position and press for the win. The boats will have a different set-up and the strategy may be different but the goal is still the same."

Several members of Team Abu Dhabi have extensive experience of racing at similar venues in Italy, such as Lake Como and Lake Maggiore, and their advice could be invaluable to the crew of Team Abu Dhabi 5 this weekend.

“The whole team is looking forward to racing at this exciting new location in the heart of Switzerland," Salem Al-Romeithi, assistant general manager of the ADIMSC, said.

“It’s been several weeks since we were in offshore action, although everyone was buoyed by the superb class win achieved by other members of Team Abu Dhabi in the demanding 24 Hours of Rouen in France at the start of this month."

Free practice, qualifying and the Dubai Duty Free Speed Cat Runs will take place on Saturday, before further practice and the inaugural Lugano Grand Prix take centre stage on Sunday.

2016 UIM XCAT WORLD SERIES STANDINGS:

1. Victory Team: 86 pts
2. Swecat Racing: 55 pts
3. Dubai: 51 pts
4. Gold Coast Australia: 41 pts
5. Carpisa Yamamay: 39 pts
6. T-Bone Station: 35 pts
7. Team Abu Dhabi 5: 32 pts
8. Six: 24 pts
9. Fujairah Team: 17 pts
10. Lady Spain: 15 pts
11. Spirit of France: 12 pts
12. Team Australia: 10 pts
13. Raheeb: 8 pts
13. Team Abu Dhabi 4: 8 pts

http://www.thenational.ae/sport/uim-...at-lake-lugano

Gold Coast Australia wrest pole position

Defending world champions Victory Team to start off in fourth at Lugano GP

Gulf News, Alaric Gomes, Senior Reporter

Dubai: The Gold Coast Australia duo of Tom Barry-Cotter and Ross Willaton powered their way to the top of the pile to earn the right to start Sunday’s Lugano Grand Prix in pole position.

With 14 teams in the fray on the 7.78km race course on Lake Lugano, Barry-Cotter and Willaton took maximum advantage of prevailing conditions to leave Jay Price and Joakhim Kumlin in Lady Spain in second, while the Team Abu Dhabi 5 crew of Rashid Al Tayer and Faleh Al Mansouri came in third in the third round of the 2016 UIM XCAT World Series.

Easily the dominant force after winning the first two races this year, defending world champions Victory Team will start Sunday’s race in fourth place. This was the first time-ever that a XCAT race is being held on Switzerland’s Lake Lugano.

Despite sneaking ahead of the pack the Gold Coast Australia pairing will have to be wary of Al Zafein and Bin Hindi as the Dubai duo recorded the fastest lap of 2 minutes, 25.480 seconds after completing eleven laps of the challenging Lake Lugano course. Swecat Racing’s Mikael Bengtsson and Erik Stark – who are presently second in the overall championship standings – were second with a lap time of 2:25.933.

The Victory Team pair have had things going their way so far as they lead the overall standings with 86 points after winning the first two races of the season. However, Swecat Racing’s Erik Stark and Mikael Bengtsson is playing catch-up in second with 55 points while a further four points adrift are the Dubai 33 duo of Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali.

“We tried our best, but our best was not enough to land us the pole position,” Al Zafein told Gulf News from Lake Lugano.

“But starting the second row is not that bad as we will be waiting for one small slip from either of the two teams on the front grid to make our move and move to the front. Of course, every time we are out there on the water our aim is to win and get maximum points and tomorrow [Sunday] it will be no different,” Al Zafein added.

Team Abu Dhabi were also pleased about their third position at the end of the pole run. “Third place is a perfect position to challenge for a win tomorrow,” Salem Al Rumaithi, Assistant General Manager, Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC), said.

“It would have been nice to claim pole, but the competition has been tough this year. The good thing is that we are at least starting in front of the world champions and giving ourselves a chance to go all out for a win on Sunday,” he added.

The Lugano Grand Prix is the third round of the 2016 UIM XCAT World Series that will next head to South Korea for the first time when the fourth round is held there at the end of September.

Emaar Pole Position run held on Lake Lugano on Saturday: 1. Gold Coast Australia (Tom Barry-Cotter/Ross Willaton); 2. Lady Spain (Jay Price/Joakhim Kumlin); 3. Team Abu Dhabi 5 (Rashid Al Tayer/Faleh Al Mansouri); 4. Victory Team (Arif Saif Al Zafein/Nader Bin Hindi).


http://gulfnews.com/sport/boat-racin...tion-1.1840378

Victory Team complete hat-trick of wins

Al Zafein and Bin Hindi dominate Lugano race from start to finish

Published: 19:38 June 5, 2016 Gulf News
Alaric Gomes, Senior Reporter

Dubai: Arif Al Zafein and Nader Bin Hindi came up with yet another perfect race as Victory Team made it three out of three at the end of the Lugano Grand Prix – the third round of the 2016 UIM XCAT World Series in Switzerland late on Sunday.

Held on the picturesque shores of Lake Lugano, the Victory Team duo found their way past three boats at the start and never looked behind as they completed a dominant performance at the end of the 17-lap race.

Yesterday’s win further cemented Victory Team’s dominant position at the top of the overall standings while also making it a hat-trick of wins for the Dubai-based duo who are in fact uninterrupted world champions in this discipline of powerboat racing every year since 2012.

The win also completed a double triumph for Victory Team as Al Zafein and Bin Hindi had outmuscled Team Australia in Saturday’s Dubai Duty Free Speed Cat Run, earning them further valuable bonus points at the top of the table.

Marco Borradori, who has been the Mayor of Lugano since 2013, was joined by UIM President Rafaelle Chiulli and Dubai International Marine Club board members Eisa Bin Kharbash and Ali Bin Hindi at the presentation of trophies at the end of the race.

It was Friday’s pole position that set the tone of things for yesterday’s race as Victory Team was pushed into fourth for the start. But there was nothing stopping the defending four-time world champions as as they found a vital gap at the green flag and powered to the front of the pack, never to look behind after that.

After establishing a lead of nine seconds from Team Abu Dhabi, Victory Team went in for two of their three mandatory long laps midway through the race to further improve on the lead.

“We knew that everything depended on a quick start and we were waiting for that crucial moment. Both of us [Al Zafein and Bin Hindi] have enough experience to make things happen and then dictate from the top,” Al Zafein told Gulf News.

“Once we were clear from the start, we had the power and a clear path before us to go and finish our third win of the season. After this will be a long break for all teams, but we will put in the hours and do further testing on the engines once we return to Dubai to consolidate our position for the remainder of the season,” the Victory Team throttleman promised.

Teams will now take a length break before the fourth round of the 2016 UIM XCAT World Series is held in South Korea in the last week of September.

Provisional positions at the end of the Lugano Grand Prix – the third race of the 2016 UIM XCAT World Series held on Sunday: 1. Victory Team (Arif Al Zafein/Nader Bin Hindi); 2. Gold Coast Australia (Tom Barry-Cotter/Ross Willaton); 3. Team Abu Dhabi (Rashid Al Tayer/Faleh Al Mansouri); 4. Team Australia (Pal Virik Nielsen/Brett Luhrmann); 5. Dubai 33 (Salem Al Adid/Eisa Al Ali); 6. Swecat Racing (Mikael Bengtsson/Erik Stark); 7. New Star (Shaun Torrente/Mikhail Kutishev); 8. Fujairah Team (Serafino Barlesi/Alessandro Barone); 9. Carpisa Yamamay (Alfredo Almato/Diego Testa); 10.T-Bone Station (Giovanni Carpitella/Luca Formilli Fendi). Did not finish: Six (Matteo Nicolini/Tomaso Polli); Spirit of France (Francois Pinelli/Saul Bubacco); Raheeb (Abdul Latif Al Omani/Khalid Burabee).

http://gulfnews.com/sport/boat-racin...wins-1.1840955

Victory Team continues to dominate XCat World Series with Lake Lugano win

The Dubai duo of Al Zaffain and Bin Hendi had earlier triumphed in the season-opening event in Fujairah, followed by a win on home water.

Yesterday, they made it three wins in three starts, despite starting fourth from the grid. They made a clear start and maintained the lead throughout the race, reaching speeds of up to 160kmph on a consistent basis.

The pole-sitting Gold Coast Australia made a poor start and after the teams completed two long laps, Victory took firm control of the first place, with Abu Dhabi Team in second. Gold Coast had slipped to third place, and later fell further to seventh place at one stage.

After both Victory Team and Abu Dhabi Team completed their final long lap, Gold Coast Australia made a fantastic surge and came out of nowhere to pass Rashed Suhail Al Tayer and Faleh Khalfan Al Mansoori of Abu Dhabi Team to clinch the runners-up place.

It was a magnificent lap from Tom Barry Cotter and Ross Willaton of Australia, making up the gap with Abu Dhabi and finishing only six seconds behind the leaders.

There was a great battle behind the podium finishers, with Mikael Bengtsson and Erik Stark of Swecat and Pal Virik Nilsen and Brett Luhrmann of Team Australia with Shaun Torrente and Mikhail Kitashev of the New Russian team New Star all battling for the fourth place.

It was Team Australia that finally managed to take that position, but Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali of Team Dubai sneaked up on the trio and finished in fifth place. That left New Star and Swecat fighting for the sixth, with Swecat finally beating the debutants by a nose.

It was a terrific performance by both the teams as Swecat very nearly did not start following a collision with Lady Spain in the Practice Run earlier Saturday.

The only penalty of the race was given to boat No22 Carpisa Yamamay for destroying a buoy. It It was a fantastic day of racing as nearly 15,000 people enjoyed the powerboats roaring through the Lake Lugano for the first time.

http://sport360.com/article/other/wa...ke-lugano-win/

https://youtu.be/_ncOcBO4oG4

https://youtu.be/zgQlVr_MnV0

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Well, at least you didn't completely lose it........

Looks like the swivel bracket failed. Is that becoming a common issue?

Thanks for sharing.

It's hard to believe the cables and bars held it in place instead of it being on the bottom.

The steering held it on. The cables alone probably would not have.

https://youtu.be/IkHPcHIogi8

https://youtu.be/GSD2E11aczo