Dubai: Series leaders XDubai held off the hosts to win the XCAT Gold Coast Grand Prix, round four of the six stages UIM XCAT World Series, in Australia on Sunday.
XDubai’s Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir Bin Hendi led from start to finish with Gold Coast Australia finishing second and Team Six coming third. Their Victory teammates Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali weren’t as fortunate, flipping their boat for the second time in two days, resulting in a red flag.
From the restart, XDubai maintained their lead and took maximum points to extend their lead at the top of the series standings.
“It was tough and the conditions were getting worse and worse,” said Bin Hendi. “We were taking it easy and didn’t push like crazy but as soon as we saw the Gold Coast boat getting closer we were pushing it.
“I think it’s a good thing for the Gold Coast having the Australians come second, it’s good for the whole country,” he said of the new outfit, which was formed after the Gold Coast’s inclusion on the calendar this year. “Anybody can challenge us but we are always there on top,” he added.
Team Gold Coast’s Tom Barry-Cotter and Ross Willaton almost didn’t make the podium after an engine problem.
“We smashed the left engine when we did a big jump before the restart,” said Barry-Cotter. “There were a few moments when we thought we would have to retire, but the engines restarted and kept going thankfully.
“It’s a massive weight off our shoulders and to see what this means to myself, the whole team, friends and family, the whole city is just amazing. I couldn’t be happier.
“It gives us a lot of confidence going into the next race and shows that we are really here to mean business and to be serious. We’ve got loads of confidence going in but a lot of work ahead,” he added.
Third-placed Tomaso Polli and Matteo Nicolini of Team Six were just as happy with their performance.
“Our boat was perfect,” said Polli. “The balance, the props, even the top speed where we usually have issues. We are specifically happy for the overall series standings as we are fighting with Abu Dhabi for second and we finished much better than them today,” he added of Team Abu Dhabi’s sixth place finish in Australia.
XDubai now lead the standings on 131 points, 23 points clear of Abu Dhabi and 28 points ahead of third placed Team Six, with two rounds – in Nice and Abu Dhabi – remaining.
