6th April 2010, Dubai. UIM Xcat Middle East Championship, Heat 1.
Extreme Marine wins Heat 1 of the UIM Xcat Middle East Championship at Dubai International Marine Club in the first of four rounds in the Championship. The pairing of Rashid Al Marri and Salem Fadel Al Hamli who used to race in Delma Marine were happy with their new boat and placing.
Lux Media Offshore took second place with newcomers to the circuit Michel Karsenti and Mike Seebold. In third place was Abu Dhabi Racing Team 1 with Ahmed Ali Al Hamli and Rashid Jaber Al Hamli at the controls.The race was not without incident the red flagged was raised first for a false start and then as Kingfisher flipped over. Both pilots emerged safely from the up turned boat through the second hatch within ten seconds and the race was re started.
‘We were pleased with the way the race went, we felt comfortable with the new safety measures. The new procedures are in place and ensure that we are prepared for any eventuality, the second hatch proved its worth today, even though it was a heart stopping moment when the boat went over. It’s going to be an interesting season as the teams are very competitive and everyone will be pushing very hard,’ said Sid Bensalah, General Manager, DIMC.
‘Conditions were quite rough outside and we are new to the boat but we did really well to come second,’ said Mike Seebold, from Lux Media Offshore, whose whole family is American powerboat legends. ‘It’s given us huge incentive and I’m sure we will improve with each race.’
Salem Rashid Al Rumaithi, Managing Director, Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC), IOTA President and UIM Commissioner Mohammad Al Jaidah, Mohammed Harib and Ahmad Ebrahim from the UAE Marine Sports Federation presented the trophies to the winners.
The next round is on April 9th & 10th and will include the first round of the Wooden Powerboat Championship on the 9th.
Results: 1. Extreme Marine (Rashid Khalifa Al Merri/Salem Fadhel Al Hamli); 2. Lux Media Offshore (Mike Seebold/Michel Karsenti); 3. Abu Dhabi Racing Team (Ahmad Ali Jaber Al Hamli/Rashid Jaber Al Hamli); 4. Westerlund Racing (Joakim Kumlin/Daniel Svenson); 5. Qatar Team (Mohammad Adnan Al Rais/Mohammad Al Nasser).