12:18 AM Sun 4 Apr 2010 GMT
Twenty plus XCat teams to race in the first round of the 2010 Xcat Middle East Championship organized by Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) on Tuesday 6th April.
The rebranded Class 3 powerboats have proved extremely popular with twenty-eight teams registered from all over the world. 'There are a lot of new teams who have entered and the interest in this class is continuing to grow,' said Saeed Harib, Chairman of the World Professional Powerboat Association (WPPA) and Managing Director of DIMC.
The boats, which are smaller than their Class One counterparts are easy to transport and cheaper to run, have found their niche within a newly structured UIM governing body and WPPA promoter. Fruitful talks last year between the UIM and the WPPA resulted in a sound working relationship for the Series. 'To have the UIM as the governing body and the WPPA as the promoter and manager of the Xcat Series is the perfect combination,' said Sid Bensalah, WPPA General Secretary.
The four round ME Championship will include two rounds in Abu Dhabi in collaboration with Abu Dhabi International Marine Sailing Club on the 25th & 29th April with a second round in Dubai on the 10th April. Each of the rounds will host a race of the Wooden Powerboat Championship on the preceding day.
The 2010 Xcat Series was delayed from its original start date in January after the tragedy which struck the Class One World Powerboat Championships at DIMC in December last year when two pilots sadly lost their lives in an accident during the first race. New guidelines and rules have been developed and implemented as a result of the investigations into the accident.
The Xcat Middle East Championship Race will be at 15:00 Tuesday 6th April and can be viewed from the DIMC breakwater which is open to the public.
by Sharon Allison
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Adele Island, WA
