The Adrenalin Builds For The Very First XCAT Race On Beautiful Lake Lugano

We are just a few days away where the picturesque Lake Lugano in Switzerland will be transformed into an on water Grand Prix Circuit to host the third round of the 2016 UIM XCAT World Series which will most certainly provide as much if not more excitement and competiveness than previous events. We should expect faster lap times, higher surface speeds as lake conditions are flatter as opposed to offshore racing which will provide more prop bite and thrust on the new longer shaft Mercury 4 Strokes.
The city (Lugano) is one of the most beautiful European cities as it is located at the northern end of Lake
Lugano, which is surrounded by numerous mountains that offer spectacular views. It is characterized by Italian style buildings and multiple gardens with subtropical plants such as Baku Civico Belvedere. The City offers a busy city center with Musems, Resturants hotels and bars, there is something for everyone.MARCO BORRADORI MAYOR OF LUGANO says “The wonderful context of Ceresio and its shores will be the setup for a great sport event for the Powerboating UIM XCAT World Series, which comes to Lugano for the third stage of the 2016 season. The bravery and courage of the drivers, matched to the technical perfection and exceptional performance of the catamarans, will be the main ingredients for spectacular and exciting races. He also added that this sport event, watched on TV by millions of spectators, is an important showcase for our City around the world, not only for the beautiful location but also for the services it can provide in any sphere.Essa Khalfan bin Kharbash Vice President of WPPA thanked and showed his appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, He Said the great support, creativity and enthusiasm of UAE Nationals in their relevant professional fields have made this magnificent sports event famous around the world.

Mr Kharbash noted that the vision and plan for the event in Switzerland came to reality through the hard work and support from the primary partners and sponsors of the WPPA’s Global Network which include X Dubai, Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Emaar Properties, Dubai Duty Free (DDF), Dubai Sports Channel (Media Partner) and Mercury Racing (technical supporter). Mr Khabash also thanks the whole WPPA and UIM Team Members for all their hard work behind the scenes to ensure a smooth successful event. Mr Khabash added by saying that everyone at the WPPA is working hard to expand the tournament to new heights, to increase audience and interest in one of the world most exciting sports not only in the UAE where the concept was born but to the whole world.The WPPA (World Professional Powerboating Association) is thrilled to be racing in Switzerland for the first time and are also pleased to be playing their part in promoting an environmentally friendly series with the use of new, reduced-emissions four-stroke engines (Mercury XCAT ROS 400 engines). The WPPA is proud of The XCAT World Series continues to grow from strength to strength, with TV coverage reaching absolutely unprecedented levels as fans around the world can’t get enough of XCAT action.

Lugano Switzerland is preparing to host 14 International Teams to arrive who are eager to set some new records, increase their overall World Ranking with the Victory Team’s Nadir bin Hendi together with Arif Al Zaffain will be hunting for their 3rd win in the series so far. As the weather conditions seem to be forecasted as wet and cloudy, the drivers are not taking anything for granted and are hoping for fast, flat racing around the new circuit at Lake Lugano.

The main race or Grand Prix is the one everyone comes to see. All competing boats take to the water for around an hour to battle it out and determine the eventual champion. Each lap of an XCAT race course is around 3.2 nautical miles with boats completing a minimum of 14 laps up to 1 hour time, in any given race. There are usually one or two mandatory long laps included in the race, meaning the boats can choose when to complete these longer laps. This is where tactics and pure speed come into it as teams must hold their nerve and race all out to reach the checkered flag in front.

Current Overall Standings:

At the top of the ladder Victory 3 led by Arif Saif Al Zafeen and Nadir Bin with 86 points ahead of SWECAT RACING 2 (Sweden) placed second with 55 points, Dubai 33 led by Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali in third place with 51 points, Gold Coast 11 (Australia) with 48 points in fourth place and CARPISA YAMAMAY 22 (Italy) in fifth place with 39 points.

Bin Hendi confirmed that the World Championship calendar passed through several different channels in Europe and Asia. He is very pleased with the overall interest in from around the world to host an Xcat Round and looks forward to another success story after the The Lugano GP where the XCAT World Series Race action will move to another brand new location – in Seoul, South Korea as well as the upcoming tours here in the beautiful UAE waters…..see you there!