Al Merri and Al Hamli run calculated race

Dubai: The experienced pairing of Rashid Al Merri and Salem Fadil Al Hamli snatched the top position in the inaugural round of the X-Cat World Powerboat Series held at the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) on Saturday.

Starting from pole position, Al Merri and Al Hamli - the defending champions in the Class III World Series - ran a calculated race to guide their Delma Marine boat to victory ahead of Qatar Team's Khalid Al Shamlan and Mohammad Al Nasser and the American duo of Paul Whittier and Gary Ballough in their PRO Marine boat.

Khalfan Hareb, managing director of Victory Team, and Saeed Hareb, managing director, DIMC, and CEO, Mina Seyahi Dubai, presented the trophies to the top three.

"This has been the best start we could have had to a new championship like the X-Cat World Powerboat Series. And the presence of 22 boats in this first round shows the increasing popularity of this class in the region," Saeed Hareb told Gulf News.

Although they started at the top of the grid, Delma Marine slipped into fourth position at the start lap, handing over the lead to the Qatar Team.

But the Qataris faced a stiff chase for the next three laps from the Abu Dhabi Racing Team and the experienced Class One duo of Arif Al Zafein and Nader Bin Hendi in their boat Fazza.

The Qataris kept their distance at the front of the pack till the ninth lap, when Delma Marine made a move and took over the leadership. For the next four laps, it was Al Merri and Al Hamli all the way to the chequered flag.

"We pushed hard and tried our best to maintain our lead, but they [Delma Marine] were simply too quick for us," Al Shamlan admitted.

The Qatar Team driver was pleased with his second place. "This is the very first round of the championship and we did not know what to expect. I think we can be happy with our second position," he added.