Dubai: The Spirit of Abu Dhabi pairing of Rashid Suhail Al Tayer and Ahmad Al Suwaidi clocked the best time at the end of the mandatory official practice for the third heat of the 2012 UIM X-Cat World Series to be held off the Mina Seyahi waters at the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) tomorrow.
Al Tayer and Al Suwaidi topped the time chart at 2 minutes and 17.49 seconds, leaving Sky Dive Dubai in second with a time of 2:17.67 and Fazza in third position with a time of 2:17.90.
With rough weather expected to fuel gusty winds of up to 20 knots (37km/h), the race committee has decided to hold the heat tomorrow for the 14 confirmed entries.
Topping the standings
Led by the Qatar Team of Mohammad Al Nasser and Hamad Jasem Mohammad at the top of the standings with 600 points, the 14-boat field is headed towards an exciting round of action with a clutch of other boats in contention for honours.
Prominent among the challengers are former champions Extreme Marine who are currently in third overall with 422 points and the Swiss-American duo of Omar Danial and Gary Ballough in their boat Mouawad in second position with 450 points.
The home team of Mohammad Al Merri and Arif Al Zafein in Fazza will also be a force to reckon with, especially after they picked up the maximum 400 points in the opener at the same venue earlier last month.
"This race will be decisive for a few teams as it will throw forward those who are serious contenders to the title and those who are not," said Extreme Marine driver Rashid Khalifa Al Merri.
"Besides these boats there are a few more that look competitive, especially the Americans who can adapt well in rough water. So we will be going all out for maximum points in an attempt to consolidate our position and be genuine contenders for the world title this season," he said.
"It can be anyone's race on Saturday, depending on what sort of start they get," Sid Bin Saleh of the DIMC said on Wednesday.
"Tomorrow [Friday] the weather is going to be gusty with winds going up to 20 knots, so our decision to have the race on Saturday has been taken keeping safety in mind. It's an even field and we can expect some good excitement among all the boats on the water," Bin Saleh added.
Meanwhile, today there will be a safety seminar conducted by Bob Wartinger and Paul Hicks from 2.30pm to 5pm. Tomorrow, the pole position will be run from 10.30am to 11.30am followed by the start of the race at 3.30pm.
