DIMC official rubbishes reaction claims

Dubai : A top official from the organisers has rubbished the claim that the two Victory team pilots died because rescue personnel were slow to react during the course of the Emirates/Dubai Duty Free Class 1 Grand Prix on Friday.

"This is an unfounded theory that really does not fit well in the scheme of things at the moment," Sid Bensaleh, secretary general of the World Professional Powerboat Association (WPPA) told Gulf News yesterday.

"All this is mere talk and speculation and it is really in bad taste considering we have lost two of our best pilots. Some things are best left to destiny and there is hardly anything we can do to change this," he added.

Victory 1's Mohammad Al Muhairi and Jean-Marc Sanchez were pronounced dead at Rashid Hospital late on Friday following a high-speed crash that occurred on the fifth lap of the penultimate race on the 2009 UIM/WPPA Class One World Powerboat Championship.

"The rescue boats were at the accident site in no time. In addition, there were rescue divers and personnel from Dubai Police, DIMC and specialised personnel from Class One who are trained to respond in such situations," he said.

"As someone who is responsible for overseeing the smooth conduct of a race I would compliment them on a good job done in giving their best in trying to rescue the two. Anything after this is mere speculation and I don't think this comes at the right time for any of us."

The first to reach the site was the Nor-tech start boat with Class 1 race officials on board, who waved the yellow flag signalling that other boats needed to be careful. The first of the rescue boats was at the scene within half a minute and divers were seen frantically opening the hatch and going in to bring the two pilots out of the boat.

Other rescue boats followed and the start boat waved the red flag signalling the end of the race. Deep sea divers tried their best to get the two pilots, possibly knocked cold by the impact, out of the overturned boat, each of which weighs close to five tonnes.

"It is with the deepest sorrow that we have to face this tragic news," Bensaleh said.

However the WPPA official did admit they needed to sit around the table and look into the design and material used on the boat canopy so as to further enhance cockpit safety.