Matt Trulio

Two Mercury Racing​ 1650-powered 44-foot Victory offshore racing catamarans qualify as some formidable hardware, http://speedonthewater.com/in-the-ne...-racing-season.

While there are lots of rumors out there, this article offers some on record information (though not a ton of it) from both the SBI and Spirit of Qatar groups.

MissGeicoRacing

Could Qatar Vs USA be a reality again?

Donzi ZX

Thanks for the update, Matt! How about some 96 confusion added into the mix, since Qatar has two #96 boats (44 Victory and a 50 Mystic). I'm assuming the 50 Mystic version remains unchanged, with the turbines left intact, and the 1650's will go in the Victory.

Looks like the UL class is heating up...now where is Cintron???

MissGeicoRacing

Qatar has 95 (613) and 96. 95 is outfitted with 1650's and 96 due to be outfitted with 1650s as well.

Both Qatar Race boats are deadly fast 41 Victory . Miss Geico races a 44 Victory . The Turbine boat is the 50 Mystic with a running surface that is aprox 44 ft similar to the 44 Victory. It's racing days are over and I'm fairly certain she will be directed towards the UIM prop record, sometime in the near future.

Cintron will make at least one race this year.

Matt Trulio

Guys,

Steve Curtis told me 613 was the first Victory (41' running surface 44' LOA) with 1650s and that the newest one, brought in before the 2014 Worlds was another Victory of the same specs with the No. 96 designation. He may have misspoken, but I'll wait to hear from his before I make any changes. The 50' Mystic Al Adaam 96 still has the turbines. That two boats in the Spirit of Qatar stable have the number 96, again unless there was some miscue, does make it confusing. Very confusing.

But short version: Two Unlimited class and one Turbine boat—and one Supercat-class boat called Spirit of Qatar 20—are in the team's stable.

Take a look at the photo. Look at the number (613) on the boat. That was the number Steve used several times during our interview this morning to refer to their first 1650-powered boat.

Wave Crusher

Matt, I'm pretty sure the 613 boat is the same boat as the 95, that Marc is talking about. The Qatar team used to race both the 95 and 96 VIctory boats in the Class 1 UIM circuit, well before the numbering trivia jumble.

Donzi ZX

Now I'm confused. Isn't 613 a new one???

Matt Trulio

No, it was the boat they had last year but ... Mr. Granet is suggesting it has been renamed 95, which may be true but wasn't the information I gleaned from our interview. The "95" never came ... but hey, it could be definitely be called that, my friend. I'll bug Steve again tomorrow for clarification because, damn, it is confusing.

VIP Transport

It was 95/96 before they came to the states. Then 95 became 613. Maybe it's going back to 95.

Matt Trulio

You might be exactly right. Here is an excerpt from an article published in May 2014.

"We are planning to do four or five races this season including the finale to the year in Key West," said Sheikh Hassan in press release from the QMSF. "Steve and I will be running turbines in Al Adaa'am 96, but it seems we will not be ready for Cocoa Beach. We will continue to run the three Spirit of Qatar Team boats later in the season. Nasser has got the new (Mercury Racing) 1650 engines in his boat now (Spirit of Qatar 613) and should be very fast this year.

Here is the link to that article, http://speedonthewater.com/in-the-ne...light=WzYxM10=.

If the name has changed, hey, no big deal, I have no dog in the fight ... call it whatever. On the SBI site in 2014, it was listed as 613. However, that listing no longer exists on the site. Will clarify tomorrow.