X-Cat Series to offer $1.6m in prize money

Dubai: The introduction of the Gulf X-Cat Series Powerboat Championship backed by the World Professional Powerboating Association (WPPA) will be the highlight of the UAE Marine Sports Federation (UAEMSF) calendar this season.

The new competition will get underway with the 'Mina Seyahi' opening round off the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) waters tomorrow.

The new contest -dubbed the 2009 WPPA X-Cat GCC Series - is the result of a joint collaboration between Mina Seyahi Dubai and the UAEMSF.

The first round has already attracted a packed field of 30 boats from racers all around the world. One of the highlights will be a record $1.6 million will be up for grabs for the winners, making it the largest prize fund in the world of powerboat racing.

"It is our vision to create the biggest and the most successful international racing class in the world," observed Saeed Hareb, DIMC Managing Director.

In effect, the new series is a reviewed and rebranded version of Class III powerboat racing.

From this season, the WPPA has made certain amendments to the previous class making it mandatory for all boats to be fitted with transponders for the live virtual system that will form an essential part of race management and safety.

The WPPA has also made the Mercury 300hp Optimax EPA engines eligible to race in this series provided the boats carry the same weight as the Class III vessels with the 2.5 litre Mercury engines.

"The entry field itself is an indication of how successful this class of powerboat racing can be," stated Sid Bensaleh, General Manager of Mina Seyahi Dubai.

The 30 participating boats represent at least 15 different nationalities including Sweden, Norway, Qatar, Kuwait, France, Spain, Italy, US, UK, Lebanon and the UAE.

"The popularity of this class lies in the fact that this is an affordable form of racing. The X-Class will be something similar to what happens in Formula One racing as we want this to be a strong launch pad for aspiring Class One drivers and throttlemen," Bensaleh added.

"The basic idea is to have racers learning, competing and improving all the time," he said.

The opening round to be held today will kick off with the administrative and technical scrutineering at the DIMC registration office between 2-6.30 pm. This will be followed by a mandatory drivers' briefing at 7 pm.