Shanghai, China: Team Abu Dhabi sealed an emphatic 1-2 finish in race two of the Shanghai Grand Prix on Dishui Lake on Sunday afternoon.
Team Abu Dhabi 4’s Shaun Torrente and Emirati Faleh Al Mansouri overtook their Team Abu Dhabi 5 teammates, Rashid Al Tayer and Majid Al Mansouri, to romp to an impressive 36.14-second victory at the third round of the UIM XCAT World Championship.
With the series-leading Dubai Police crew of Nadir Bin Hendi and Arif Saif Al Zafeen crossing the finish in fifth position behind High Performance Italia (HPI) 96 and Team Australia, it enabled Torrente and Al Mansouri to close to within 20 points of the championship lead.
In a race that had few incidents — unlike the opener on Saturday afternoon — long lap strategies came to the fore early on, but Team Abu Dhabi 4 was not to be denied and, once Torrente and Al Mansouri sniffed the chance of the win, they powered off into the distance to record an emphatic success. Team Abu Dhabi 5 now holds third position in the title race heading to the two races in Hangzhou next weekend.
Torrente, elated with his effort, said: “We have the best powerboat racing team in the world. It is our pleasure to drive the boats that Team Abu Dhabi prepare. We had a great start and we were able to push our teammates. We knew we were faster. When they took their second long lap, we were ahead and we knew it. The last five laps were painful.
“We had a big lead and you are just waiting for something to go wrong. This is a perfect result for us and one that has thrown the title race wide open. We ran a perfect race and for the team to come away with a 1-2 finish is icing on the cake to take to the next races.”
Al Tayer added: “I’m very happy for the podium today. Our strategy was very good. We are thinking about the points for the World Championship.”
