Round 1 – European Grand Prix, Savona, Italy - Pole Position
VICTORY TEAM GRABS FIRST POLE POSITION OF SEASON
* Reigning World Champions snatch dramatic 3rd place *
The Dubai based Victory Team today threw down the gauntlet in their bid for the 1999 UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship, capturing a one-two in the Pole Position run off the coast of Savona in Western Italy ahead of tomorrow’s European Grand Prix.
In glorious sunshine, 1995 and 1996 World Champions Saeed Al Tayer and Felix Serralles, steered their Lamborghini powered ‘Victory 44’ catamaran to the 9th Pole Position award of their respective careers, with a fastest time of 13.149 seconds, set on the first of two runs.
As if to underline their dominance, 36 year-old UAE driver Al Tayer and 40 year-old Puerto Rican born throttleman, Serralles, then set the second fastest time of the day on their way to securing 20 Pole Position points.
Battling an erratic swell over a measured Kilometer, the winning run produced a relatively slow fastest average speed of 124.97mph / 201.23kmh, in a sport where 160mph in testing is now commonplace.
"We are very pleased and somewhat surprised because we were running conservatively," said Felix Serralles after he was presented with the award. "I also think that the props we were running were too big. If the conditions remain the same tomorrow, the overall set up will be the same but we may make a different propeller choice," he added.
"We have made big improvements to the boat over the winter and have learned that pre-season preparation is absolutely vital," continued team-mate Saeed Al Tayer. "Victory has a good record in Class 1, however we have never been so hungry for success and this year is therefore of paramount importance to us all," he added.
To cap an excellent day for the Victory Team, UAE based team-mates Mohamed Al
Ghaith (33) and Khalfan Harib (41) snatched second place in ‘Victory 4’ with a
fastest time of 13.794 seconds.
"I’m obviously very happy, even though I didn’t feel we ran very well," said Harib back in the pits. "We have worked hard on engine development in the close season but I feel there are still many improvements to be made," he added.
The most dramatic events of the day however, surrounded 3rd placed reigning World Champions, Bjorn Gjelsten and Steve Curtis in ‘Spirit of Norway.’ Unable to start their engines, the worried pair had to be towed out to sea as they frantically tried to locate the problem. Incredibly, the Anglo Norwegian pairing eventually pinpointed the fault and with only one run left, snatched 3rd place with a spectacular run of 14.236 seconds.
Commenting on a hectic afternoon, Gjelsten later said: "We had a technical problem before the start which left us no time for preparation, so given the circumstances and the fact that we only completed one run, I am pleased with a podium place."
Of the twelve boats confirmed for Sunday’s European Grand Prix, Andreas Ugland and Jan Hillestad in ‘Jotun,’ Kerem Zorlu and Maurizio Ceschin in ‘Isiklar 23’ and Mauro Esperto and Giampaolo Montavoci in ‘Immersion,’ all failed to make the Pole Position run, but will line up for the race itself.