9 April 2014, Dubai, UAE – With powerboating action set to resume next month, the World Professional Powerboating Association (WPPA) – organisers and promoters of the UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series – have announced that a new team will join the highly competitive circuit in Italy.
Lady Spain will compete in the third round of the Series, which is scheduled to take place in Napoli, Italy from 23-25 May.
Owned by Carlos Gimenez Vega and based in Cambados, Spain, the new team are relishing the prospect of joining the Series that pilot Marco Fabrizi described as “the top nautical sport at the moment”. Fabrizi has plenty of experience in offshore racing, including Class 3, Superboat P1, and Class 3 4 litres.
“This is a new team and this is a very beautiful sport, amazing and we want to introduce Spanish people to this important world.
“We expect to get to know the XCAT environment this year in order to improve and then, face off with the biggest teams,” said Fabrizi.
Joining Fabrizi in the boat will be the promising young Emirati pilot Salem Al Adidi, who raced in the XCAT Series for the first time last season, claiming several podium finishes with the Victory Team.
“The XCAT Series is different because the Series has the best pilots of the world. It is the highest level of boat races,” said Fabrizi.
“This season we hope to get experience, and a medium classification, but our long-term goals are the same of the rest of the pilots: to get first place.”
Vice President of the WPPA, Dr Khalid Al Zahed, expressed excitement at the addition of another team to the Series. “We are thrilled to have Lady Spain on board for the remainder of the 2014 season. Their participation is a mark of the incredible interest we have witnessed from a host of countries and teams to be a part of the Series, which really is growing at a remarkable rate,” he said.
With a maximum 800 points, the Fazza duo of Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir Bin Hendi currently lead the 2014 UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series after victories in both the first two races of the season, in Dubai and Fujairah. Skydive Dubai (Sultan Al Dhaheri and Jay Price) are second with 525 points and the Italian duo of Tomaso Polli and Matteo Nicolini in Six are third with 313.
