CLASS 1 Championship DUBAI- 2008 Thread!!!!
12-04-2008, 08:52 AM
#11
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Thread Starter
Gremlins again for Qatar, Billy still sorting Negotiater out.
VICTORY POISED TO LIFT WORLD TITLE
Thursday, 4 December, DUBAI (UAE): Dubai’s Victory Team stand poised to lift their eighth World Championship in this weekend’s Mina Seyahi Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season, but will err on the side of caution, knowing that they do not need the win to wrap up the title. "Getting to the end of the race is vital and if we do that we are in a very good position." said Victory’s general manager, Gianfranco Venturelli. "Our focus is, of course, the World Championship and our strategy is simple. The instruction to both crews is to run a clever race, not to get involved in a fight for the win, and above all, not to take any risks."
Victory 1’s Mohammed Al Marri and Nadir Bin Hendi lead the title race by 15 points and know their biggest threat comes from their team-mates, Abdullah Al Mehairbi and Jean-Marc Sanchez, but Venturelli has said that there are no real team orders. "They have to be sensible and must not fight each other," he said. "The Victory 7 crew knows that Victory 1 has the best chance of winning the title and must not put any obstacles in their way."
For Victory’s rivals the target is to fight each other for the race win, and in today’s first official practice session it was Qatar 95’s Abdullah Al-Sulaiti and Matteo Nicolini, currently lying in third place in the Championship standings and a point ahead of their team-mates, who posted the fastest time of 2m 53.10s on their one and only timed lap, with Victory 1 and 7, second and third quickest respectively. "This was our first chance to run our new Sterling engines and to go quickest is very encouraging. Although they have the same power, the power-curve is better, and this will make us very competitive," said Matteo Nicolini.
Jotun’s Inge Brigt Aarbakke and Jorn Tandberg used the session primarily to shake down a new pair of Mercury V8s and to give Aarbakke, racing in Dubai for the first time, an opportunity to familiarise himself with the course.
Despite posting the fifth fastest time, Foresti & Suardi’s Giampaolo Montavoci was far from happy with the performance from his new propellers and struggled to find the pace he was expecting. Spirit of Spain completed the top six before cutting their session short after breaking a water hose, with team-mates Al Suwaidi and Abdelkader Ahmed going eighth quickest in Roscioli Hotels Roma.
Wild card entry Maritimo unveiled their new Class 1 raceboat, with Tom Barry-Cotter and Pal Virik Nilsen shaking it down for the first time. "There was no need to push it out there. Today was all about getting a feel for the boat and to understand how she handles," said Tom. "She is very light, very flighty and a little tricky to handle in the turns. I think we will add some weight at the front, but what we need now is time in the boat."
For Sheikh Hassan and Steve Curtis the weekend got off to a bad start, with Qatar 96 failing to record a time after a loss of power caused by electrical problems. SeveneleveN and Negotiator also failed to start the session, with the Negotiator crew carrying out repairs to internal structural damage sustained in Egypt.
First official practice:
1. Qatar 95 - A Al-Sulaiti (QAT) / M Nicolini (ITA) – 02.53,10
2. Victory 1 - M Al Marri (UAE) / N Bin Hendi (UAE) – 02.56.01
3. Victory 7 - A Al Mehairbi (UAE) / JM Sanchez (FR) – 02.57,73
4. Jotun 90 - IB Aarbakke (NOR) / J Tandberg (NOR) – 02.58,12
5. Foresti & Suardi 8 - K Selmer (NOR) / G Montavoci (ITA) – 03.03,76
6. Spirit of Spain 88 - S Carrasco (ESP) / G Carpitella (ITA) – 03.08,56
7. Maritimo 11 - T Barry-Cotter (AUS) / PV Nilsen (NOR) – 03.12,34
8. Roscioli Hotels Roma 60 - M A Ahmed (ESP) / A Al Suwaidi (UAE) – 03.30,51
SeveneleveN 18 - G Manuzzi (ITA) / N Giorgi (ITA) – dns
Negotiator 50 - C Parsonage (GB) / W Moore (US) – dns
Qatar 96 - H Al-Thani (QAT) / S Curtis (GB) – dns
VICTORY POISED TO LIFT WORLD TITLE
Thursday, 4 December, DUBAI (UAE): Dubai’s Victory Team stand poised to lift their eighth World Championship in this weekend’s Mina Seyahi Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season, but will err on the side of caution, knowing that they do not need the win to wrap up the title. "Getting to the end of the race is vital and if we do that we are in a very good position." said Victory’s general manager, Gianfranco Venturelli. "Our focus is, of course, the World Championship and our strategy is simple. The instruction to both crews is to run a clever race, not to get involved in a fight for the win, and above all, not to take any risks."
Victory 1’s Mohammed Al Marri and Nadir Bin Hendi lead the title race by 15 points and know their biggest threat comes from their team-mates, Abdullah Al Mehairbi and Jean-Marc Sanchez, but Venturelli has said that there are no real team orders. "They have to be sensible and must not fight each other," he said. "The Victory 7 crew knows that Victory 1 has the best chance of winning the title and must not put any obstacles in their way."
For Victory’s rivals the target is to fight each other for the race win, and in today’s first official practice session it was Qatar 95’s Abdullah Al-Sulaiti and Matteo Nicolini, currently lying in third place in the Championship standings and a point ahead of their team-mates, who posted the fastest time of 2m 53.10s on their one and only timed lap, with Victory 1 and 7, second and third quickest respectively. "This was our first chance to run our new Sterling engines and to go quickest is very encouraging. Although they have the same power, the power-curve is better, and this will make us very competitive," said Matteo Nicolini.
Jotun’s Inge Brigt Aarbakke and Jorn Tandberg used the session primarily to shake down a new pair of Mercury V8s and to give Aarbakke, racing in Dubai for the first time, an opportunity to familiarise himself with the course.
Despite posting the fifth fastest time, Foresti & Suardi’s Giampaolo Montavoci was far from happy with the performance from his new propellers and struggled to find the pace he was expecting. Spirit of Spain completed the top six before cutting their session short after breaking a water hose, with team-mates Al Suwaidi and Abdelkader Ahmed going eighth quickest in Roscioli Hotels Roma.
Wild card entry Maritimo unveiled their new Class 1 raceboat, with Tom Barry-Cotter and Pal Virik Nilsen shaking it down for the first time. "There was no need to push it out there. Today was all about getting a feel for the boat and to understand how she handles," said Tom. "She is very light, very flighty and a little tricky to handle in the turns. I think we will add some weight at the front, but what we need now is time in the boat."
For Sheikh Hassan and Steve Curtis the weekend got off to a bad start, with Qatar 96 failing to record a time after a loss of power caused by electrical problems. SeveneleveN and Negotiator also failed to start the session, with the Negotiator crew carrying out repairs to internal structural damage sustained in Egypt.
First official practice:
1. Qatar 95 - A Al-Sulaiti (QAT) / M Nicolini (ITA) – 02.53,10
2. Victory 1 - M Al Marri (UAE) / N Bin Hendi (UAE) – 02.56.01
3. Victory 7 - A Al Mehairbi (UAE) / JM Sanchez (FR) – 02.57,73
4. Jotun 90 - IB Aarbakke (NOR) / J Tandberg (NOR) – 02.58,12
5. Foresti & Suardi 8 - K Selmer (NOR) / G Montavoci (ITA) – 03.03,76
6. Spirit of Spain 88 - S Carrasco (ESP) / G Carpitella (ITA) – 03.08,56
7. Maritimo 11 - T Barry-Cotter (AUS) / PV Nilsen (NOR) – 03.12,34
8. Roscioli Hotels Roma 60 - M A Ahmed (ESP) / A Al Suwaidi (UAE) – 03.30,51
SeveneleveN 18 - G Manuzzi (ITA) / N Giorgi (ITA) – dns
Negotiator 50 - C Parsonage (GB) / W Moore (US) – dns
Qatar 96 - H Al-Thani (QAT) / S Curtis (GB) – dns
12-05-2008, 09:15 AM
#12
Registered
Thread Starter
QATAR 1-2 , 96 (curtis Hassan) takes pole. It's rough for Dubai and we know that's Curtis's water.
Billy 11 sec off pace in Qualifying but Billy's strong in the rough as well and that could equalize the playing field. If they were fixing structure during the week the question remains..Will the boat hold up?
QATAR ONE-TWO IN QUALIFYING
Friday, 5 December, DUBAI (UAE): Qatar 96’s Sheikh Hassan and Steve Curtis will start tomorrow’s Mina Seyahi Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season, from Pole Position after setting the fastest time in today’s qualifying session, with team-mates Abdullah Al-Sulaiti and Matteo Nicolini second quickest ahead of Victory 1’s Mohammed Al Marri and Nadir Bin Hendi.
Today’s win for Sheikh Hassan and Curtis, their third of the season, was a must if they were to reduce the 11-point deficit to Victory 1 and stay in the fight for the Edox Pole Position Championship. And with Qatar 95 producing their best qualifying performance of the season to take second spot, the lead is now down to just three points, with Victory 1 and Qatar 96 going head-to-head in the final round next weekend for the title. "This was an excellent result for the team and our target now is to do the same in tomorrow’s race," said Sheikh Hassan. "We have shown here, and in Egypt, that we our very strong in rough seas. Our only concern was that conditions might deteriorate, so it was important to make our first run count."
With the threat of bad weather closing-in during the 75 minute session, the top five oufits went out early. The opening exchanges saw Victory 1 set the early pace, posting a time of 2m 51,90s, with Qatar 95 and Victory 7 both falling short. Qatar 96 then produced a stunning opening gambit – a repeat of their opening qualifying lap in Egypt – going six seconds quicker in a time of 2m 45,09s to secure the pole, with Jotun following them out onto the water to go third quickest in 2m 52,07.
Qatar 95’s second run saw them improve and move into second place, and then go even quicker on their next two runs, producing their best time of the afternoon, 2m 48,43s on their fourth and final lap. " A Qatar one-two in Dubai – it doesn’t get much better than that. " said Al-Sulaiti. "Matteo was pushing very hard and in the conditions it was quite a challenge. But we took some risks and they paid off."
Victory 1 also improved on their opening time, but failed to match either of the Qatar boats to qualify in third place, with Victory 7 shaving three seconds off their time on their third run to jump ahead of Jotun, with Negotiator completing the top six.
Edox Pole Position - results
1. Qatar 96 - H Al-Thani (QAT) / S Curtis (GB) – 02.45,09
2. Qatar 95 - A Al-Sulaiti (QAT) / M Nicolini (ITA) – 02.48,43
3. Victory 1 - M Al Marri (UAE) / N Bin Hendi (UAE) – 02.51,48
4. Victory 7 - A Al Mehairbi (UAE) / JM Sanchez (FR) – 02.51,54
5. Jotun 90 - IB Aarbakke (NOR) / J Tandberg (NOR) – 02.51,95
6. Negotiator 50 - C Parsonage (GB) / W Moore (US) – 02.56,40
7. Foresti & Suardi 8 - K Selmer (NOR) / G Montavoci (ITA) – 02.56,75
8. SeveneleveN 18 - G Manuzzi (ITA) / N Giorgi (ITA) – 02.58,73
9. Spirit of Spain 88 - S Carrasco (ESP) / G Carpitella (ITA) – 03.00,03
10. Maritimo 11 - T Barry-Cotter (AUS) / PV Nilsen (NOR) – 03.12,59
11. Roscioli Hotels Roma 60 - M A Ahmed (ESP) / A Al Suwaidi (UAE) – 03.43,29
EDOX POLE POSITION CHAMPIONSHIP – after round 7 of 8
1. Victory 1 – 102pts 2. Qatar 96 – 99pts 3. Jotun 90 – 70pts 4. Qatar 95 – 59pts
5. Victory 7 – 45pts 6. Foresti & Suardi 8 – 24pts 7. SeveneleveN 18 – 20pts
8. Negotiator 50 – 17pts 9 Spirit of Spain 88 – 7pts 10= Qatar 9 – 5pts 10= White 4 – 5pts 12. Roscioli Hotels Roma 60 – 3pts
Billy 11 sec off pace in Qualifying but Billy's strong in the rough as well and that could equalize the playing field. If they were fixing structure during the week the question remains..Will the boat hold up?
QATAR ONE-TWO IN QUALIFYING
Friday, 5 December, DUBAI (UAE): Qatar 96’s Sheikh Hassan and Steve Curtis will start tomorrow’s Mina Seyahi Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season, from Pole Position after setting the fastest time in today’s qualifying session, with team-mates Abdullah Al-Sulaiti and Matteo Nicolini second quickest ahead of Victory 1’s Mohammed Al Marri and Nadir Bin Hendi.
Today’s win for Sheikh Hassan and Curtis, their third of the season, was a must if they were to reduce the 11-point deficit to Victory 1 and stay in the fight for the Edox Pole Position Championship. And with Qatar 95 producing their best qualifying performance of the season to take second spot, the lead is now down to just three points, with Victory 1 and Qatar 96 going head-to-head in the final round next weekend for the title. "This was an excellent result for the team and our target now is to do the same in tomorrow’s race," said Sheikh Hassan. "We have shown here, and in Egypt, that we our very strong in rough seas. Our only concern was that conditions might deteriorate, so it was important to make our first run count."
With the threat of bad weather closing-in during the 75 minute session, the top five oufits went out early. The opening exchanges saw Victory 1 set the early pace, posting a time of 2m 51,90s, with Qatar 95 and Victory 7 both falling short. Qatar 96 then produced a stunning opening gambit – a repeat of their opening qualifying lap in Egypt – going six seconds quicker in a time of 2m 45,09s to secure the pole, with Jotun following them out onto the water to go third quickest in 2m 52,07.
Qatar 95’s second run saw them improve and move into second place, and then go even quicker on their next two runs, producing their best time of the afternoon, 2m 48,43s on their fourth and final lap. " A Qatar one-two in Dubai – it doesn’t get much better than that. " said Al-Sulaiti. "Matteo was pushing very hard and in the conditions it was quite a challenge. But we took some risks and they paid off."
Victory 1 also improved on their opening time, but failed to match either of the Qatar boats to qualify in third place, with Victory 7 shaving three seconds off their time on their third run to jump ahead of Jotun, with Negotiator completing the top six.
Edox Pole Position - results
1. Qatar 96 - H Al-Thani (QAT) / S Curtis (GB) – 02.45,09
2. Qatar 95 - A Al-Sulaiti (QAT) / M Nicolini (ITA) – 02.48,43
3. Victory 1 - M Al Marri (UAE) / N Bin Hendi (UAE) – 02.51,48
4. Victory 7 - A Al Mehairbi (UAE) / JM Sanchez (FR) – 02.51,54
5. Jotun 90 - IB Aarbakke (NOR) / J Tandberg (NOR) – 02.51,95
6. Negotiator 50 - C Parsonage (GB) / W Moore (US) – 02.56,40
7. Foresti & Suardi 8 - K Selmer (NOR) / G Montavoci (ITA) – 02.56,75
8. SeveneleveN 18 - G Manuzzi (ITA) / N Giorgi (ITA) – 02.58,73
9. Spirit of Spain 88 - S Carrasco (ESP) / G Carpitella (ITA) – 03.00,03
10. Maritimo 11 - T Barry-Cotter (AUS) / PV Nilsen (NOR) – 03.12,59
11. Roscioli Hotels Roma 60 - M A Ahmed (ESP) / A Al Suwaidi (UAE) – 03.43,29
EDOX POLE POSITION CHAMPIONSHIP – after round 7 of 8
1. Victory 1 – 102pts 2. Qatar 96 – 99pts 3. Jotun 90 – 70pts 4. Qatar 95 – 59pts
5. Victory 7 – 45pts 6. Foresti & Suardi 8 – 24pts 7. SeveneleveN 18 – 20pts
8. Negotiator 50 – 17pts 9 Spirit of Spain 88 – 7pts 10= Qatar 9 – 5pts 10= White 4 – 5pts 12. Roscioli Hotels Roma 60 – 3pts
Last edited by Maximus; 12-05-2008 at 09:19 AM.
12-05-2008, 11:20 AM
#14
A to Z
Platinum Member
the proposed new setup for Class 1 has been less than competitive so far, Barry-Cotter and Maritimo has been 7/8 in practice one, 10/11 in practice 2 and qualified 10th out of 11.
Racer
12-05-2008, 01:05 PM
#18
A to Z
Platinum Member
12-05-2008, 01:40 PM
#20
A to Z
Platinum Member
95 qatar runs sterling (supercharged)
victory 1 run lambo (victory's version)
victory 7 runs lambo (victorys version)
jotun runs detuned 1075 mercs
negotiatior (parsonage and moore) run sterling (supercharged)
seveneleven runs lambos
foresti and suardi run lambos
spirit of spain runs detuned 1075 mercs
roscioli hotels runs lambos
maritimo 11 runs mercury supercat based n/a engines
maritimo (?) will run lambos next year (two boat team)
