Dubai: The prevailing air travel situation has forced organisers to postpone the next two heats of the UIM X-Cat Middle East Championship.
The third and fourth heats of the X-Cat Championship were scheduled to be held on April 25-26 and April 29-30 in Abu Dhabi.
But following the chaos in air travel caused by the volcanic ash from Iceland, organisers decided to postpone the two races for later this year as most of the drivers, race officials and TV production crews are all stuck in Europe.
The races will now take place in October and November leading up to the UIM X-Cat World Championships, which will take place in November and December.
"With the uncertainty surrounding travel we decided to err on the side of caution and fairness to all concerned," said Sid Bin Salah, General Secretary, World Professional Powerboat Association (WPPA).
The new X-Cat Series has been a huge hit among powerboat teams and drivers with the first two rounds attracting in excess of 20 teams. Both the races were won by the Extreme Marine team from Abu Dhabi.
"The airlines are expecting the backlog of passengers to take sometime to clear once the airports open again and this would affect everyone trying to get to the UAE for the races," Bin Salah added.
