Dubai: A handful of boats are hopeful of turning the pressure on current leaders Victory Team as a field of 12 boats prepare for the Lugano Grand Prix — the third round of the 2016 UIM XCAT World Series to be held this weekend.
Held over a 7.78km racecourse between the two shores of Lake Lugano, the Victory Team duo of Arif Al Zafein and Nader Bin Hindi will be looking to consolidate further on the 31-point cushion they hold over their nearest challenger Swecat Racing, with Erik Stark and Mikael Bengtsson at the helm.
“We’ve not been off to a great start in the first two races of the season, but all the same this is the best start we’ve had in the series,” Stark told Gulf News from Lugano.
“At the moment, we have 55 points and that is not too far off from the world champions [Victory Team]. The idea is to get a perfect set-up and try and get maximum points to keep the pressure on them,” he added.
However, the Swedish duo will also have to be wary about the immediate challenge that could arise from third-placed Dubai 33 with Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali in charge. The Dubai duo in their brand-new Victory Team-built boat are just four points away from Swecat Racing and third overall with 51 points.
“We have every reason to be positive with the weekend. There is no doubt that Victory Team is always a tough team to beat anywhere in the world. But we fancy our chances as this season has been a level playing field with the new rule changes on engines. In the first two races Arif [Al Zafein] and Nader [Bin Hindi] got it spot on with their set-up and props. We too have a great support team and we have the confidence to beat anyone on our day,” Al Ali said.
Also in the fray is the promising Gold Coast Australia team of Tom Barry Cotter and Ross Willaton with 48 points, while the Italian duo of Alfredo Amato and Diego Testa in their Carpisa Yamamay boat are in fifth overall with 39 points.
“We’ve had our issues in the last two races, but we’ve done well while keeping the chase alive on the leaders. The first thing for us will be to stay constant and not take too many risks,” Barry Cotter admitted.
“The waters will be flat and we need to get the set-up perfect. Anything can happen in a race, so we pretty much fancy our chances out there,” the young Australian added.
The duo of Faleh Al Mansouri and Rashid Al Tayer representing Team Abu Dhabi will also be hopeful of changing fortunes as they enter in seventh overall with 32 points. Just three points separate them from sixth-placed T-Bone Station.
“We have had more ups than downs so far, so the idea will be to be as competitive as possible out there,” Al Tayer said.
“Eventually it’s a race and we are hoping everything will fall into place starting now,” he hoped.
First up on Saturday will be the Emaar Pole Position run from 12.30pm UAE time, followed by the Dubai Duty Free Speed Cat Run from 5.30-6.30pm. On Sunday there will be a practice session in the morning and the Lugano Grand Prix will be flagged off at 5.30pm.
