Dubai: Dubai claimed the top two positions in the race and the overall standings at the Emirates Airline XCAT Grand Prix, the fifth and final round of the 2014 UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series at the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC), on Saturday.
The Fazza duo of Arif Al Zafei’n and Nader Bin Hindi were already crowned world champions at the end of the fourth round in Stresa, Italy. The Dubai duo preferred to test the new engines here with the 2015 season in mind, despite knowing they would not be in a position to earn any further points.
The thirst to excel continued as they kept off a tough challenge from fellow Victory Team mates Salem Al Adidi and Jay Price in Dubai 7 to complete a rare seasonal dominance with a fifth straight win in as many races for yet another world crown.
After pushing Fazza till the end, Dubai 7 eventually settled for second place in the race and the overall second for the season as well, while the Italian pair of Alfredo Amato and Marco Pennesi in their boat Videx, took their first podium of the season.
Needing to finish ahead of Dubai 7 to displace the local team in the overall standings, Friday’s Pole Position winners completed the podium, but could do nothing to stop the T-Bone Station pair of Luca Fendi and Giovanni Carpitella from taking third place in the overall world rankings.
Though not in the points, Bin Hindi was pleased with their dominance during the 2014 season. “It was very good, especially with trying the new engines to see if we could complete the race and thank God we did,” Bin Hindi said.
“This is a fresh start for these new four-stroke engines and we are very happy we had the opportunity to try these out well in advance,” he added.
Meanwhile former F1 world champion Price was thrilled with the manner in which Dubai 7 handled their second place behind Fazza. “For me this is the most exciting racing. You don’t just win from the front. You fight from the back and earn every position. This is for me the ultimate in racing when you really have to battle and push to the limit,” Price said.
Also celebrating a great performance was the Mouawad team of Joakim Kumlin and Gary Ballough who managed a fourth place and sixth overall after a somewhat troubled season.
Meanwhile, the 2015 UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series is set to kick off in February with their first stop in the UAE, with several exciting developments in store including the mandatory use of the new, environmentally-friendly, four-stroke engines for all boats.