Edoardo Polli and Laith Pharaon in Bilboa scored a hat trick today in Arendal, Norway, by setting the fastest time in pole position for the third successive race of the season. The crew of Victory 7, finished second, just ahead of local favourites, Bjorn Gjelsten and Steve Curtis. Their boat, Spirit of Norway, finished third in front of an estimated home crowd of 100,000 people, only eight thousandths of a second behind Victory 7.
Eleven boats took part in today’s pole position, the largest fleet so far this season. There were two non-starters – Victory 5 which suffered gearbox problems and boat 22, whose driver was unable to attend the event.
1ST Edoardo Polli (Italy) & Laith Pharaon (Saudi Arabia) – Bilboa
14.588 seconds. Top speed 246.78 km/h
Edoardo Polli: "We set our fastest time on our first run and as we were confident it was fast enough we didn’t go for a second attempt. We had a small problem with the gear sticking in neutral, but it’s only an electronic problem which we can solve quite easily. We’ve had several gearbox problems this season, but since St Petersburg, the gearbox has undergone a major re-build."
Laith Pharaon: "The boat felt great. Running into the wind you get that extra bite out of the prop and the wind carries the boat. Our gearbox problems are with the brain-box – electronic rather than mechanical, so I’m not too bothered. We’ve had a few gremlins so far this season. I’m not sure whether they’ve gone, but I’m confident they’re sleeping."
2nd Ali Nasser (Dubai) & Randy Scism (USA) – Victory 7
15.096 seconds. Top speed 238.47 km/h
Ali Nasser: "The boat was handling really well and the set-up felt excellent. Randy really knows how to handle the boat and was able to push more on the second run. We are delighted with our performance as we’ve carried out a lot of work on the boat recently."
Randy Scism: "We were conservative on our first run because there was quite a bit of cross-wind, but it wasn’t as bad as we expected. We loosened-up on the second run and picked up several miles an hour. Our result speaks for itself."
3rd Bjorn Gjelsten (Norway) & Steve Curtis (UK) - Spirit of Norway
15.104 seconds. Top speed 238.35 km/h
Bjorn Gjelsten: "I’m pleased with today’s result and we’re in good shape to maintain our lead of the championship. Our boat performs better in rougher conditions and our priority now is to finish the remaining races. Although I expect Bilboa to lead in tomorrow’s race, it won’t be by much."
Steve Curtis: "On our first run the wind made the boat a little unstable. We tried to keep to one side of the course but didn’t gain any advantage. On the second, the boat ran well. We were slightly under-propped because the wind had eased-off, but I was pulling about 235 kilometers an hour, which is the most I’ve managed to get from the props so far this season."