Abu Dhabi: The 2018 UIM XCAT World Championship gets under way in Fujairah from April 11-13 and Team Abu Dhabi is aiming to claim the prestigious title this season by fielding two boats in the offshore racing series.
Rashid Al Tayer and Majid Al Mansouri will race in the brand new American-built Team Abu Dhabi 5, while the team’s new F1 H20 signing Shaun Torrente teams up with Faleh Al Mansouri in a revised Team Abu Dhabi 4. The boat has been widened and lengthened in the close season and the finishing touches were completed at the end of last week.
Al Tayer and Al Mansouri tested the new hull in the USA and carried out further testing off the Abu Dhabi Corniche last Thursday before heading off to Fujairah. Torrente flew to Milan at the end of last week and then on to Abu Dhabi to test Team Abu Dhabi 4 with his new teammate. Both crew members are relishing the chance to tackle a full programme of XCAT racing together, starting on the UAE’s east coast this weekend.
“We will run two boats with an experienced team and the goal is, of course, to win the championship and try and complete a hat-trick of titles this year in XCAT, F1 and F2. This race is the start of a busy season for Team Abu Dhabi,” said Salem Al Remaithi.
“I’m excited to start the season and for the foundations we are trying to build as a team with Talib as our new team manager. He is bringing a technical aspect to the team that we needed and a clear direction. We are really at the beginning of what we are building. We want to win, but I’m not sure if we are at that level yet. If everything runs perfectly, maybe! Faleh and I need to become as one in the boat. Sometimes that happens immediately and sometimes it takes a little time,” said Torrente.
Competition is likely to be intense this season, even after the recent news that Dubai’s Victory Team has withdrawn from the series to pursue an American racing programme. Team Australia’s Brett Luhrmann and Pål Virik-Nilsen were very strong last year and Tom Barry-Cotter returns to the series in a second Australian boat, Maritimo.
Swecat Racing’s Mikael Bengtsson and Erik Stark were competitive last season and the Fujairah Team’s own Italian duo of Serafino Barlesi and Alessandro Barone ran strongly on occasions. The Russian New Star team, Lady Spain and the Al Wasl crew of Nadir Bin Hendi and Arif Saif Al Zafeen will also be hoping to prevent Team Abu Dhabi reaching the top step of the podium on the demanding Indian Ocean course.
