Dubai: Victory Team’s Class One World Champion driver Salem Al Adidi has promised an all-out attack for top honours at this weekend’s 38th Annual Super Boat International (SBI) Key West World Championships from November 4 to 11.

Participating in the Superboat Unlimited class, Al Adidi will team up with John Tomilson in Victory 33, while the second Emirati world champion Eisa Al Ali will be alongside multiple world champion Steve Curtis in Victory 3.

Racing in the Superboat Unlimited class will be held at 2.30pm [10.30pm UAE] on all three days of the competition on November 7, 9 and 11 and Al Adidi is ready to take on the best drivers from across the world.

“By any measure this will be the biggest race weekend for all of us. Three races spread over a week is not something that we have put our boats through at any given time. So not only is this going to be a new experience for our team, but it will also bring out the best from us,” Al Adidi told Gulf News from Florida.

“Whatever the challenge before us, our goals and motives will not change for making this trans-Atlantic trip for the first time in the history of Victory Team. We want to make a mark in the US,” he added.

The two-boat set-up may not exactly have a smooth going at Key West due to existing rules that allow boats to have as much as 2,000hp on each of its two engines, making Victory Team’s Lamborghini V12s [with a capacity of 1,100hp each] may not be competitive enough.

“Promising to finish at the top of the standings may not exactly be a flattering prospect for our team as we would start with a disadvantage. But we will try our best to chase down the top boats and see what best we can do this season,” Al Adidi said.

However, all boats will have to adhere to a level-playing field from the start of the 2019 season with engine capacity not to exceed 1,100hp. “Economically it didn’t make any sense changing the engines this year. But next year we will be in a much better position as we will be starting off with an advantage regarding the pros and cons of our current engines,” he narrated.

“If something does happen to the engines then we can work out solutions well in advance and get ready for the new season rightaway. And for certain, we will be trying to be at our best when we go out on the course this week,” he added.

The Key West World Championships are scheduled to kick off at 4pm (12 midnight UAE) on November 4 with a parade of race boats down the island’s historic Duval Street. A portion of the challenging 4.5 mile per lap course runs through Key West Harbour where drivers will be able to touch high speeds of more than 225kph due to the smooth water.