Dubai: UAE-based Team Victory have unveiled a high-tech F1 powerboat that embodies the same cutting-edge engineering as the legendary Emirati squad’s multiple-title-winning offshore powerboats.
The Victory Team F1 Powerboat has been designed to conform to all the regulations in the keenly contested F1H20 category as the team look forward to contend for the 2018 championship. Underpinned by a high-strength hull constructed from carbon fibre, Kevlar, synthetic fibre, Airex and Nomex, the boat is rigid and ultra light.
Designed and manufactured by Team Victory at their Dubai headquarters, the new boat is powered by a 2.5-litre two-stroke Mercury engine that pumps out 400hp at 9,500rpm. It can accelerate from 0-100km/h in four seconds and is capable of reaching 220 km/h flat out.
Given that F1 boats must conform to strict guidelines, the difference between the winning vessel and the rest is the creativity in its design and accuracy of its manufacturing. Chairman of the board of directors at Team Victory, Huraiz Al Mur Mohammad Bin Huraiz, says the fact that the F1 powerboat is designed and manufactured in-house means they have the knowhow to modify it within the rules and regulations to produce a winning boat.
“As the flagship UAE team, we want to be No 1 at all times,” he said. “We are looking forward to competing in the 2018 F1H20 World Championship and the season ahead looks very promising. At the moment there are seven rounds in the championship, but that should grow to 8-9 races in the next two years. This will enable us to showcase Team Victory team in many different venues around the world.”
In past years, F1 powerboat racing was a highly dangerous sport as the early boats were constructed from thin plywood with drivers sitting in an open, exposed cockpit with the risk of injury or even death in the event of an accident. However, the sport has evolved considerably since then, and today’s F1 powerboats are designed not only to go fast, but also to offer their drivers as much protection as possible.
The Team Victory boat is equipped with an airbag. There is also HANS head and neck support, a bulletproof windscreen and plastic foam for tips of the hull to avoid penetration in the event of a collision.
