Dubai: Victory 77 driver Mohammad Al Merri is hoping his experience will come in handy during this weekend's Norwegian Grand Prix in Arendal.

Class One powerboating returns to Norway after a gap of four years, and organisers are confident of drawing crowds up to 100,000 for the fourth round of the UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship.

"I think we have the edge over the rest because of a superior experience in Norway," Al Merri told Gulf News before he left for Arendal late on Monday.

The Norwegian Grand Prix figures high on Al Merri's list of six wins, since he made his Class One debut in 1999.

He won it in 2001 and hopes Victory can replicate that feat this week.

Arendal has been a happy hunting ground for the Victory Team, which has won the event five times since the first race in 1994.

"Past performances count for nothing in such a competition. But we have the experience from the past and this should come in handy for us," Al Merri added.

Al Merri's brush with fame came way back in 2001 when he teamed up with Saeed Al Tayer to clinch his first-ever UIM Class One World Championship crown.

In 2004, he was joined by Jean-Marc Sanchez, and the duo took off with a second place in Portugal.

"We've come a long way since then, and we are hopeful we can continue with this form as we progress through the season," Al Merri said.

Victory 77 are currently lying joint fifth with Foresti and Suardi-Roscioli Hotels, represented by Giampaolo Montavoci and Domenico Cirilli, with 26 points each.
Victory 7, the second team of the Dubai-based unit, are in seventh place.

Victory 7 team comprises Al Suwaidi and Bin Hendi. The Spirit of Norway duo of Bjron Gjelsten and Steve Curtis currently lead the series with 49 points, followed by the two boats from Qatar - Qatar 96 (Al Thani/Nicolini) 38 points and Qatar 95 (Al Sulaiti/Di Biase) 32 points. The first three heats of 2006 have not been particularly lucky for Victory 77. But, this situation, Al Merri feels, is due to the absence of experienced personnel to guide the races.

"During the Doha round, the boats started before the green flag. The jury erred, and we ended up losing out on the points," Al Merri stated.

Victory Team desperately need a good result in Arendal to keep them in with a chance for the world title.

"We need to start winning again. I am not at all happy with the fifth position that we are in at the moment," the Victory 77 driver said. "It's really not our fault that we are in fifth place... we are paying for someone else's folly," he added.

"I hope this will change this week."

?We are missing Hareb too much'

"We are missing Saeed Hareb too much, and I think he must come back to Class One racing," stated Mohammad Al Merri.

Hareb, Managing Director of the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC), last month stepped down as the Cominoff Chairman citing irregularities in the running of the supreme body of the sport.

Hareb further threatened the UIM on hosting any Class 1 races in Dubai in the near future.

"But we now know how much of experience and integrity a person like Saeed Hareb brings to this sport," Al Merri said.

"We've had two different officials at the two venues (Qatar and Spain), and both have not been able to rise to the occasion," the Victory 77 driver observed.

"We need Saeed Hareb, and we need his experience to guide us through this crisis," he added.