Fazza win battle on Fujairah waters

Fujairah Dubai’s Fazza Team waged a relentless battle on the waters off the Fujairah International Marine Sports Club to clinch the top position in the final heat of the 2012 UIM X-CAT World Powerboat Series on Friday. Pushed to the back of the eleven-boat pack for a violation on the use of fuel, the Fazza Team duo of Arif Al Zaffain and Mohammed Al Marri battled their way to the top and take their third straight win this season. The Fazza Team had started off with a win in the first race in Dubai, but ended at the back of the pack in the second one in Abu Dhabi to slip down the overall standings. But Al Zaffain and Al Marri won the next three races on the trot to finish the season with a total of 1617 points for yet another world title to their collection. Early leaders Mouawad, with Omar Daniel and Gary Ballough at the helm, held on to second for the third time this season to finish in second overall with 1350 points, while a fourth place in Friday’s race behind Extreme Marine was enough to hand the Qatar Team of Mohammed Nasr and Hamad Jasim Mohammed third overall with 1089 points. Sheikh Mohammad Bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, who was also the patron of this race, gave away the trophies to the winners in the presence of Saeed Hareb, President of the UAE Marine Sports Federation, Mohammed Hareb, Race Director, Ahmed Ibrahim, Managing Director of the Fujairah International Marine Sports Club and X-CAT World Series Championship Officer Sid Bensalah. After starting in last position, Fazza did well to stay focused and systematic in their overtaking under windy conditions prevailing on the Indian Ocean waters due to this week’s tsunami warning. Cheered on by a huge holiday crowd, the Fazza boat managed to overtake Daniel and Ballough in their Mouawad boat on the eighth lap. “It was a good race for us as we had the opportunity to challenge ourselves and see where we stand. This boat has been amazing and with a little bit more work we aim to continue staying at the top,” Al Zaffain said. “We have a fantastic crew and this makes so much of a difference,” the throttleman said. Results at the fifth round of the 2012 UIM X-CAT World Powerboat Series at the Fujairah International Marine Sports Club on Friday: 1. Fazza (Arif Al Zaffain and Mohammed Al Marri) 2. Mouawad (Omar Danial and Gary Ballough) 3. Extreme Marine (Rashid Khalifa Al Marri and Salim Fadhel Al Hamli) 4. Qatar Team (Mohammed Nasr and Hamad Jassim Mohammed) 5. Marine Investment Sud (Serafino Barlesi and Francesco Calo) 6. Consul Brokers (Matteo Nicolini and Alfredo Amato) 7. Spirit of Abu Dhabi (Rashid Suhail Al Tayer and Ahmed Al Suwaidi) 8. Westerlund Racing (Joakim Kumlin and Daniel Svenson) 9. Insha Allah (Richard George and Mark Walker) 10. Raheeb (Abdul Latif Al Omani and Mohammed Adnan Al Rais) 11. Abu Dhabi Racing Team (Scott Gillman and Ahmed Ali Al Hamli). Overall standings for the 2012 UIM X-CAT World Powerboat Series: 1. Fazza; 2. Mouawad; 3. Qatar Team; 4. Extreme Marine; 5. Abu Dhabi Racing Team; 6. Spirit of Abu Dhabi; 7. Consul Brokers; 8. Marine Investment Sud; 9. Westerlund Racing; 10. Insha Allah; 11. Raheeb; 12. Sky Dive Dubai; 13. Kingfisher; 14. La Vida Loca.