Appeal of XCAT World Series crosses shores

Dubai: Last week, I received an e-mail from a fellow journalist from Tanzania enquiring about the powerboating scene in the UAE. “Will you be in a position to give me an update as I have been given an invitation to visit Dubai?” my friend wrote.

In this day and age, the internet is such a powerful tool and information is so readily available. I am sure my friend wrote in only after doing his own personal research beforehand.

When one thinks of powerboating, the mind at once jumps to the famed Victory Team, fully backed and supported by the Government of Dubai. After contacting him, I realised that my friend did not want to know about Victory Team and their exploits in the world of Class One racing. Instead, he was more eager to find out about a new powerboating series called the XCAT World Series floated by the Dubai-based World Professional Powerboat Association (WPPA).

That got me thinking: What was so special about this new brand of powerboat racing? “It’s affordable for teams, or so I’ve been told,” he wrote back.

“I am convinced about this new series and I need to come and see for myself,” he added.

And so I got down to sending him a brief on the XCAT World Series that, for the past few years, has tried to establish itself as a championship firstly with an appeal in the UAE followed by a following within the international watersports fraternity.

On its part, the Dubai Government-backed WPPA has not left any stone unturned in ensuring the success of this series. At the end of last year, the WPPA signed a formal agreement with the UIM, the world governing body for the sport, to promote and organise a full international calendar for the series this season.

UIM President Dr. Raffaele Chiulli, who attended the signing with WPPA President Saif Al Ketbi, Saeed Hareb, the Founding President of the WPPA and President of the UAE Marine Sports Federation and Dr. Khalid Al Zahed, the WPPA Vice-President, hailed the signing of the agreement as a “strategic moment to take the sport a step forward”.

The competition is being held in two separate formats: a domestic one involving seven rounds with a season-ending finale at the DIMC and an international season involving at least five stops.

Two of the domestic rounds have already been held so far, one each in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and the third round will be held off the Dubai International Marine Club next weekend [March 21-23] followed by the fourth round in the first week of April.

During the summer months, the series will move overseas for the first time – with stops in Europe, Africa and China before moving back to Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai in November and December.

“I am definitely going to be in Dubai next week,” my friend confirmed by e-mail yesterday.