Dubai: Victory Team want to maintain their winning momentum heading into the Great Lakes Grand Prix, the penultimate round of the 2019 APBA Offshore Championship Series at the Washington Park Beach in Indiana, this weekend.
To be held on August 4, the Victory Team duo of Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali have promised to keep up the pressure on their nearest challengers – 222 Offshore and Miss Geico. After four rounds of racing, Victory 3 leads the overall standings with 381 points followed by 222 Offshore (370 points) and Miss Geico (342 points).
Last weekend’s fourth round in St Clair saw Al Adidi and Al Ali in a class of their own with a commanding win in the 13-lap race on the St Clair River. Giovanni Carpitella and Australian Darren Nicholson followed in second in 222 Offshore, while multiple world champions Steve Curtis and Miles Jennings followed in third with Miss Geico.
“We are well aware of the huge task on hand for us. We are the leaders and everyone will be out to beat the best team on the water,” Al Adidi told Gulf News after arriving in Michigan City following a five-hour drive from St Clair, late on Thursday.
“Weather was one of the crucial factors deciding the race in St Clair. But it felt good to be in the spare boat that had to be prepared in such a short time. I feel we can only get better from here on. It is very important for us to keep our focus and end with maximum points so that we can go for one last effort in the final round [in October],” he added.
Round Six will be held in Fort Myers, Florida from October 10 to 12 and Al Adidi doesn’t want to look too much ahead. “We would rather concentrate of getting maximum points in this weekend than think about the final round at this stage,” Al Adidi said.
“Things can get a bit cruel in the world of racing especially because of the external factors such as the weather. On our part, we are prepared to go all out for a win this week as well,” he promised.
