Dubai: Victory 3 all but confirmed a record 12th world crown when they won a controversial Sky Dive Dubai Grand Prix off the Mina Seyahi waters at the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) on Saturday.

With UIM Commissioner Gordon Sutherland stipulating a change in the start procedure as per rule 29.04, thus altering the race course due to prevailing weather conditions, the two Qatar boats and Luca Fendi Racing pulled out. And, with Subsea Pilot of Norway not starting due to mechanical problems, the field was reduced to a mere six boats at the single file start line.

Chasing their third world crown together, Arif Al Zafein and Mohammad Al Merri seized this opportunity and powered Victory 3 to an emphatic finish nearly nine seconds ahead of second-placed Rashid Al Tayer and Majid Al Mansouri in their Team Abu Dhabi boat. Darren Nicholson and Peter McGrath came in third in their Victory Team of Australia 7 to complete the podium.

Saeed Belhoul of Emirates, Salah Tahlak of Dubai Duty Free and Dr Khalid Al Zahed from the UAE Marine Sports Federation were joined by former powerboat racer Ali Nasser Bin Habbala, Ahmad Ebrahim from the Fujairah International Marine Sports Club and UIM Promoter Nicolo di San Germano in presenting the trophies.

Victory 3 is thus assured of a dozen world titles with the final two races in Abu Dhabi next weekend. Victory 3 has 130 points while Team Abu Dhabi are second with 100. Shaikh Hassan Bin Jaber Al Thani and Steve Curtis’ Qatar 96 is in third overall with 73 points, followed by Luca Fendi Racing with 50 points and Qatar 95 with 45 points in fifth position.

‘No respect for rules’

“My congratulations to Victory Team for yet another world title,” Shaikh Hassan told Gulf News as he took his boat back to the pits after deciding not to race.

“The committee has no respect for rules and I wish we were informed of the changes in the course earlier,” the Qatar 96 driver added.

Marco Bonhomme, the chief engineer for Luca Fendi Racing, described the decision to alter the course as “unfair behaviour”. “It gave unfair advantage to other boats,” the Italian engineer said.

Al Zafein said he wished the three boats would have raced in the spirit of sportsmanship. “It was a good decision on the part of the organisers to have a safe race and all the teams should have backed them on this decision,” the Victory 3 driver said.

“He [Shaikh Hassan] is only thinking about himself. The teams had enough time to change their gear ratio. It is better to have a safe race than no race at all,” Al Zafein added.

‘Shame for sport’

Victory Team Australia throttleman Peter McGrath agreed. “I am happy with third, but I am disappointed with some of the teams not racing. It’s a real shame and not good for our sport,” McGrath said.

UIM Promoter Nicolo di San Germano complimented the race organisers and UIM commissioners for taking a decision keeping the safety of the crew in mind. “We need to minimise the risks and we cannot make any excuses for teams who do not understand this and don’t want to oblige,” San Germano said.

“On Friday, Shaikh Hassan had a splendid race and that according to me is worth 10 American world championships,” he added.

Action now shifts to the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club for the last two races of the season which take place next weekend.