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Norway: With the Dubai Victory Team leading the chase for the Class One Powerboat World Championship, there was added gloom for rivals Team Qatar yesterday in the shape of a racing 'yellow card' for their part in the crash that temporarily disabled Victory 7.
Championship organisers World Professional Powerboat Association (WPPA) issued the official warning to Qatar 96 crew of Shaikh Hassan Bin Jaber Al Thani and Steve Curtis on the eve of the BMW Norwegian Grand Prix in Arendal, where the pair will continue their relentless pursuit of championship leaders Nadir Bin Hindi and Mohammad Al Merri.
It's the latest disappointment in a season that promised so much for Shaikh Hassan after taking over the previously dominant Spirit of Norway stable. This year he has spent each race chasing the tail pipes of Bin Hindi and Al Merri as Victory 1 has looked unbeatable winning back-to-back races in Qatar, Montenegro and Russia.
"At the moment, the Victory Team are looking very, very good," admitted Qatar 96 throttleman Curtis, who arrived in the southern Norwegian town fresh from three race wins on the US circuit. "They have spent a long time working on engine development to get them back to the top and the effort they have put in is clearly paying off. We have a lot to do to but we're getting there. The yellow card is disappointing and we will definitely appeal."
The official warning comes after Shaikh Hassan and Curtis collided with Jean Marc Sanchez and Abdullah Al Muhairbi in the early stages of the Russian Grand Prix two weeks ago. Although no one was injured, both boats were damaged in a crash that resulted in Victory 7 requiring extensive body work to get it race ready for Arendal. Sanchez - a former teammate of Curtis some 20 years ago - was quick to blast his rival throttleman. "They have a boat that is 40ft in length, weighs five tonnes and they were trying to put it in a place that didn't exist," said the Frenchman.
"If that is the way racing is going then it's not good." Shaikh Hassan believed the crash to be no more than a "racing incident" but the ongoing rivalry between the two camps means all eyes will be on the water today when they once again go head-to-head in pre-race qualifying. The Qatari team chief stoked the fires even further by describing Victory's supremacy as being down to the engine package as opposed to the quality of the drivers.
It is a comment that clearly irritated Sanchez, Al Muhairbi, Bin Hindi and Al Merri who have invested a great deal of time in testing as well as developing their physical and mental fitness. "It's rubbish to say that it is all down to technology," said Sanchez. "Nadir and Mohammad have been brilliant this season, while Arif (Al Zafein) and Nadir did a superb job in Qatar in the opening race. But the opposition can say what they like - we'll do our talking on the water." Today's qualifying will also see Al Merri and Bin Hindi aiming to extend their 12-point advantage over Shaikh Hassan and Curtis in the Edox Pole Position Champi
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