Class 1 action at Qatar set for exciting opening

5:19 AM Tue 14 Apr 2009 GMT

'Qatar 96 - Class 1 World Powerboat Photo Raffaello Bastiani ?' Class-1 World Powerboat Championship &copy

For offshore racing fans all eyes will be on Qatar later this month (April 23-25) with the opening round of the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship.

Australia will be well represented with a two boat team, 'Maritimo 11', with Tom Barry-Cotter (driver) and Pal Virik Nilsen (throttles) and 'Maritimo 12', driven by Italy's Giorgio Manuzzi with Maritimo crew chief Peter 'Muddy' McGrath on throttles.

Multiple World Champion Steve Curtis, MBE, the most successful throttleman in offshore racing history, has issued a warning to all teams; he is out to power His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani to his maiden World crown in 'Qatar 96'.

The team operates under the auspices of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) and mounts its challenge for a maiden world title on its home waters with the Qatar Marine Festival Grand Prix on Doha Bay.

'We have been working very hard since our entry into Class 1 in 2003 and every year we push hard for the title,' Sheikh Hassan explained.

'In the past, it seems we have had more than our share of bad luck, but now I think the bad luck has moved away and we're hoping for open and clean competition, starting with the Doha race,' he added.

The Sheikh and Curtis have the choice of two hulls to carry the 'Qatar 96' graphics this season - the damaged hull from last year's Doha race has been repaired and will again run with the Skema V-12 engines. 'We have not made any changes,' Sheikh Hassan said.

'We know we have a winning boat and the winning combination of boat and crew is there. A lot of data was gathered last year, and we can now compare this with figures from the new 'Qatar 96' and see where we can take an advantage,' he explained.

Curtis and Sheikh Hassan are part of a two-boat team from the QMSF with local racer Al-Sulaiti in the cockpit of 'Qatar 95' with Italian Matteo Nicolini.

Al-Sulaiti and Nicolini will persevere with 'Qatar 95' and its pair of potent Sterling V-8 engines, which carried them to a Grand Prix victory in Dubai at the end of last season.

'They must be given a strong chance of taking the title,' Sheikh Hassan declared.

'It's a very strong package and I feel the championship is wide open for both boats.

'The objective for the team, of course, is to bring the trophy home to Doha at the end of the year.'

While he is working on his innovative Nicolini Cat in Italy, Al-Sulaiti's throttleman is confident 'Qatar 95' can challenge the Victory team for the title.

'We have a good hand to throw into the equation this year, and I'm confident we will be strong from the beginning this year,' he said.

'Nicolini still hopes to use his Nicolini Cat at some stage during the season.

'My idea is to test the boat on Lecco Lake between the championship races and, when I get the performance I expect, I will put the number '95' on the side and show people that my project can beat anybody,' he declared.

Here is some vision from Qatar 2008

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Class 1 action at Qatar set for exciting opening

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