Fazza brace to consolidate position in the opening round 2013 XCAT Series

Al Zaffain and Al Marri dominated in all departments and took the top honours to stand at the top of the standings in the season opener held in Abu Dhabi last week. And this week they will be looking forward to continue with their good work as they get ready to face the challenges in the second heat of the UIM XCAT World Series to be held off the Mina Seyahi waters at the Dubai International Marine Club on January 24 to 26. The defending world champions with Arif Al Zaffain and Mohammed Al Marri at the helm have consistently shown their appetite for the podium. In last week’s opening race, they won the Abu Dhabi race in style starting off with the Speed Cat Run, continued with the Pole Position and went on to lead from start to finish in the main race to stand at the top of the overall standings with 400 points. Mouawad, with Swiss driver Omar Danial and American Gary Ballough proved that their fantastic second position overall was no fluke last season, continued with true earnestness to take the runners-up spot and 300 points behind the Fazza duo of Arif Al Zaffain and Mohammed Al Marri. The Victory Team combination of Salim Al Adidi and Mark Walker of Great Britain ran a well-paced race to complete the final spot on the podium for 225 points after working their way from fifth position in the Pole Position. The Sky Dive Dubai team of Ahmed Mohammed Hassan and Talib Al Sayed that had had a good start to the weekend in Abu Dhabi with a second place in the Pole Position run, disappointed in the main race while ending at the back of the 12-boat pack. The total prize money on offer for the second heat of the 2013 UIM XCAT World Series Dubai is AED 500,000 to be divided among teams depending on the final standings at the end of the race. The opening round in Abu Dhabi attracted 12 teams including world champions Fazza, Qatar 94, Mouawad, Extreme Marine, Skydive Dubai, Westerlund Racing, Marine Investment Sud, Nicolini Offshore, Insha Allah, Raheeb and new entry Poliform boat 74 with Guido Cappellini from Monaco and the talented Swedish pilot Daniel Segenmark. The multiple UIM F1 World Champion made it clear at the opening round in Abu Dhabi that he will do what it take to target the UIM XCAT World Series title. The 2013 UIM XCAT World Series has the full sanction of world governing body UIM and is organised by the World Professional Powerboat Association (WPPA).