ROUND 6 – FUJAIRAH, UAE, 30 OCTOBER 1998
GJELSTEN AND CURTIS TIGHTEN GRIP ON WORLD TITLE AFTER VICTORY IN FUJAIRAH
Norway’s Bjorn Gjelsten and Britain’s Steve Curtis produced their most emphatic performance of the season and tightened their grip on the 1998 U.I.M. Class One World Powerboat Championship after a magnificent win in the Fujairah Grand Prix.
Piloting the Lamborghini-powered Spirit of Norway, Norwegian Gjelsten and British throttleman Curtis cruised to their third win of the year in the searing heat, to add the Fujairah Grand Prix title to the Pole Position victory of the previous day.
Gjelsten’s win – at an average speed of 193.14kmh (120.01mph) – ended the title chances of three of his main rivals. Despite a brilliant second place by Saeed Al Tayer and Felix Serralles in Victory 5, their title chance has now gone. Only Victory Team’s Ali Nasser and Randy Scism in Victory 7 can stop Spirit of Norway’s race to the title, thanks to a hard-earned third place in today’s 130Nm race.
"We were very confident in the boat which is why we didn’t test too much before the race," said Bjorn Gjelsten. "We know the set up well and we used common sense. It was always going to be a tough race in flat conditions so we didn’t push hard at the start. A few did push hard and ended up breaking down. I am delighted for the team – it was a great effort and of course we have Steve Curtis – he is a heck of a throttleman."
With just two rounds remaining in Dubai, the Anglo-Norwegian pairing need just eight points from two starts to secure the Championship. Standing in their way, are the gutsy figures of Nasser and Scism.
The Victory 7 duo struggled throughout the 12-lap race, but still did just enough to keep the Championship chase alive. "We had a transmission problem as we headed for the start and had to run the whole race with the starboard engine stuck in fourth gear," said Scism. " We are just happy to get third and we’ll give it another shot in Dubai."
Out of the running, after a great win in Nettuno in the previous round, Khalfan Harib and Mohamed Al Ghaith lasted just over four minutes before breaking down with an engine problem in Victory 4, while the other Championship challengers, Lamberto Leoni and Massimo Lippi also retired with the same problem while leading on lap four.
After a torrid opening five rounds, Italy’s Edoardo Polli finally proved the potential of the diesel-powered Bilba, coming home in fourth place despite spinning the boat twice at speeds in excess of 100mph. "I thought we were going over the first time," smiled the Bilba throttleman after crossing the line in fourth place just over two minutes behind Spirit of Norway.
Driver Laith Pharaon – last year’s Class One World Champion – was quick to accept responsibility for the two near misses adding that, "it was just a bad day at the office." Nevertheless, it was an impressive showing by Bilba who was catching Spirit of Norway before spinning out for a second time.
The Class One World Offshore Championship now moves on to Dubai and the final two rounds. After another stunning show by Spirit of Norway, few would bet against the Anglo/Norwegian pairing wrapping up the title on November 20. In six races held so far this year, they have won three, finished second twice and third once.
Despite a huge lead, Gjelsten remains cautious. "You only have to look at the Victory Team’s performance today to see how professional they are," he said. "Saeed comes back for his first Class One race in a few months and takes second place in a boat which had never raced before today. We have the lead but we still have a job to do."