Preview - Aegean Grand Prix - Turkey - Bodrum
Just as the drama that unfolded in Arendal and Oslo upset the early season Championship bid of Victory 4, so did the dramatic turn of events in the Turkish Grand Prix put paid to any faint hopes that Bjorn Gjelsten and Steve Curtis held of retaining their world title. With Spirit of Norway crashing out early on in Istanbul, the Dubai based Victory Team heads to Bodrum holding sway in the Championship race, lying in 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions.
Victory 7’s emphatic flag to flag win in Istanbul, the first by a diesel powered boat in seven years, gives Ali Nasser and Randy Scism a 19 point lead and early sight of their first title of the season - the European Championship.
"It’s a great position to be in but we are still a long way from winning anything," said Scism, a Victory Team throttleman since 1989. "The Class 1 World Championship is what everyone wants to win and I am no different. But we have to stay focussed and take one race at a time."
Riding shotgun to Victory 7 but pushing them all the way, stablemates Al Tayer and Serralles in Victory 44 and Al Ghaith and Harib in Victory 4, will however, be sure not to let them out of their sights. So as the Victory boats chase each other in their own private battle, the rest of the fleet now has the daunting task of trying to reel them in, in the space of just four races.
By far the strongest threat appears to be Laith Pharaon and Edoardo Polli in Hyatt, who despite losing a propeller in Istanbul have posted second and third placed finishes in their last two outings and are clearly on a charge. Whilst Jolly Motor, who have ably demonstrated their ability already this season, will be pushing hard to find the consistency that has so far eluded them.
Meanwhile, Claudio Dionisio and Roberto Biancalana continue to demonstrate their reliability and are slowly building up a respectable overall points tally. They line-up in Bodrum after matching their highest finish of the season, with fourth place in Istanbul.
For Andreas Ugland and Jann Hillestad, it is clear that whilst Jotun has great potential, there is still some way to go in its overall development programme. The same too, could be said for No Fear, although both Ken Thorne and Matteo Nicolini head to the Aegean Port of Bodrum full of confidence, after a sixth place in Istanbul marked their best result of the season so far.
Ugur Isik and Philippe Benhamou in Isiklar also produced their best performance to-date in Istanbul and will be looking to add to their points total in Bodrum. However, for Giampaolo Montavoci and Giovanni Giorgi, the season is proving increasingly frustrating, despite the addition of a new sponsor that resulted in the boat being renamed L.A. Jeans.
As the teams prepare for Sunday’s 120 Nm, 15 lap Aegean Grand Prix the Spirit of Norway team faces its own private race – one against time – to repair the damage sustained in the 140 mph crash in the Turkish Grand Prix in order to be ready in time for round 7 in Fujairah on 15 October.
Working alongside the mechanics and technicians, throttleman Steve Curtis was confident they would be ready, but obviously disappointed not to be racing in Bodrum.
"I guess it looks worse than it is but having said that there is actually a lot we have to do and little time to do it in. We have started working on the repairs here and we are having a completely new piece made from a mould of the sister boat and that will be shipped straight to Dubai where most of the work will be done. It’s a frustrating position to be in, not to be racing and seeing the title disappearing."