class one opener
 

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Supplied picture
The new Dubai Victory Team boat, which will be launched at the Qatar Marine Festival Grand Prix in Doha on April 25.



Victory guns for title with Fazza 3
Staff Report
Published: April 21, 2009, 23:02


Dubai: The Dubai Victory Team will launch their 2009 Class 1 World Championship charge in Doha this week with an all-star pairing gunning for the title in a boat named in honour of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.

Current world champion Nader Bin Hendi will join forces again with 2007 world number one Arif Al Zafeen in the 1,800hp Fazza 3 - the first time a boat from the Victory stable has raced in the sport's premier competition without the team's name on the hull.

"Our participation in the 2009 World Championship is a result of the great support the team receives from our chairman Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of the Executive Council," said Victory Team Managing Director and former world champion Khalfan Harib.


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"While one of our two entries in the world championship will be called Victory 1 and will feature our traditional colours and name, the Fazza 3 boat is painted in a unique style and will carry 'Fazza 3' on both sides of the hull. The name is synonymous with Shaikh Hamdan and we are proud and honoured to be able to race under his name in 2009."

While the 2009 season - which gets under way with the Qatar Marine Festival Grand Prix in Doha on April 25 - will be the first outing for the Fazza team, the boat's crew is one of the best and most experienced in the world.

Bin Hendi stormed to his first Class 1 world crown just five months ago, while Al Zafeen lifted the same title a year earlier at the end of a remarkable rookie season.

Initially paired together for the 2008 campaign, Al Zafeen and Bin Hendi picked up maximum points in Doha last year before a racing injury forced Al Zafeen to sit out the remainder of the season.

Bin Hendi subsequently paired up with Mohammad Al Marri and the duo powered on to win the Victory Team's eighth Class 1 world crown in the boat now renamed Fazza 3.

While Al Zafeen and Bin Hendi will compete in Fazza 3, Victory 1 will see experienced throttleman and former world champion Jean Marc Sanchez join forces with rookie driver Mohammad Al Mehairi.

CLASS 1 SET FOR UNPREDICTABLE SEASON-OPENER IN QATAR
Monday, 20 April, DOHA (Qatar): Teams and competitors in the UIM-WPPA Class 1 World Powerboat Championship are poised to renew rivalries in the Qatar Marine Festival Grand Prix on Saturday, 25 April – the first race of the season and the eleventh race to be held in the Qatari Capital City of Doha in eight years.

Victory want a first Grand Slam, Qatar want a first World title and all their rivals want a piece of the action - Class 1 looks set for a captivating and possibly unpredictable season.

Ten boats will line up for the 21-lap, 96.45Nm Qatar Marine Festival Grand Prix; but with the introduction of new rules governing the use of electronics, limited propeller choice, new teams and a handful of untried driver-pairings, the outcome of the season-opener is hard to predict.

Dubai’s Victory Team, the defending World, Middle East and Edox Pole Position Champions, will start amongst the favourites for race honours and have rolled out three World Champions as they launch their bid to retain their crowns and hunt down a fourth win in Qatari waters as they aim for that elusive grand slam of all four titles in a season - only ever achieved by Spirit of Norway in 2003 - and described by Victory’s General Manager, Gianfranco Venturelli, as ‘mission impossible’. Defending Champion, Nadir Bin Hendi, is joined in last year’s winning boat - now named Fazza 3 - by the 2007 World and European Champion, Arif Al Zafeen, and will be looking to repeat their 2008 win in Doha, whilst his former partner, Jean-Marc Sanchez, is once again called on by the team’s hierarchy to draw on all his experience and steer another rookie - Mohammad Al Mehairi - through his first season, running in Victory 1.

The Qatar Team pose the greatest threat to Victory’s aspirations and Sheikh Hassan Bin Jabor Al-Thani is in absolutely no doubt that his team can win the World title and can kick-start their season-long campaign with a win on home waters. Sheikh Hassan, still looking for his first win in Doha, again lines up with former World Champion Steve Curtis - a five-times winner in Qatar - and will more than likely run the repaired and modified Qatar 96 with Skema V12s, whilst team-mates Matteo Nicolini and Abdullah Al-Sulaiti, who still hold the in-house bragging rights after taking the team’s only win in 2008 and fancy their chances of title glory this season, line up in the Sterling V8-powered Qatar 95, with Al-Sulaiti looking for his second win in front of a partisan crowd.

The bid to oust the sport’s two titans and upset the form book, is headed by the defending European Champion, Jorn Tandberg, who reforms his winning partnership with fellow Norwegian, Christian Zaborowski, running the Mercury-Class 1, V8-powered scarlet MTI, Welmax.

Maritimo Australia is the third team fielding a two-boat line-up and will be hoping to repeat the success that team owner, Bill Barry-Cotter and Peter McGrath enjoyed in Doha, when they took their maiden Class 1 win at the first Grand Prix held in Qatar in 2002. Twenty-one-year-old, Tom Barry-Cotter and Pal Virik Nilsen form the youngest partnership in Class 1, but can boast the most races and cockpit time together of any driver-throttleman combination in the Championship, and will run their new hull, Maritimo 11, with the straight-talking New Zealander, Peter McGrath, joined by Italian, Giorgio Manuzzi, in Maritimo 12, the boat the team debuted in Dubai last season - both outfits opting to run Maritimo Performance V8 power-plants.

Throughout the fleet, new driver-combinations dominate, adding to the unpredictability of the race outcome; throttleman, Giampaolo Montavoci and Francesco Pansini, back racing in Class 1 after a 13-year absence, team up for the first time in Foresti & Suardi- Roscioli Hotels.

Nicola Giorgi, who grabbed his first Class 1 podium in the penultimate race in Dubai last year, will be looking to build on that success and is joined in the Giorgi V12-powered Giorgioffshore by the team’s test-driver Riccardo Calugi, making his Class 1 debut, with the experienced Giovanni Carpitella partnering relative newcomer, Mohammed Abdelkader Ahmed, in Spirit of Spain in which Carpitella raced last year, taking an impressive fourth in the final race of the season.

The Qatar Marine Festival Grand Prix weekend kicks off with a two-hour official practice session on Thursday afternoon (23 April), followed by a second practice session on Friday morning ahead of the Edox Pole Position official qualifying session in the afternoon. A final practice session on Saturday morning precedes the 96.45Nm Qatar Marine Festival Grand Prix, run on the notoriously tricky Doha Bay circuit - which has seen some spectacular racing and incidents over the years - consisting of one 5.15Nm start lap, 18 race laps of 4.5Nm and two compulsory 5.15Nm long laps.

pics:cool:

the new paint job paid off in a victory for Fazza 3 in Qatar today....

That black boat has got to be a biotch to work on in that heat.

All the latest images including aerial shots are now online so check them out.

http://www.h2ofullthrottleforum.com/...?showtopic=245

:ernaehrung004:

hopefuly someone over at CBS sees this kinda of racing!!
10 50' cats ALL in the SAME CLASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dave ?????? What is that supposed to mean ????

If u are for our sport ,,u should be writing,," hopefully CBS will get us there " !!!!

And not a negative comment like this dump question !!

It's a novel idea, put on a good show with professional teams.

Sean,,,,why don't u buy us all supercats ???

Then we can all be pro's !:rolleyes:

Oh,,by the way !! do u have a race boat ?

It's a proven model to be successful in motorsports. If you want corporate America to invest in our sport, you have to offer those two things.

I also didn't name any class or orginization, so I am not sure what you want there? I just pointed out that Class 1 does it right, are you saying they don't? The single fact that we follow what they do says they are doing it right. Do you think they stay up odd hours waiting for results from America?

scott, lets be realistic about this "CBS tv" deal. is it nationwide or just the local coverage? i've heard all the different org's talk about tv over the last few years but yet to see any thing. the closest powerboating has got is stu jones pokerruns which i've actually seen on a cablr channel. as for sbi the few reggie commercials with highlights of his boats running is the only other thing i've seen.

if you think that the cbs deal will some how "get us there" than again your probably wrong. tv can't fix what wrong with offshore racing, only the racers can. and sadly i don't see that happening anytime soon.

Amen! It's hard to believe so many people share the same passion, but their are so many different ideas that keep it from moving forward. I know all the racers want the same end result (T.V. Race sites,Prize Money and Fans) to showcase their passion. It's hard to imagine that happening, until the The Big Three (SBI,OPA and OSS) go behind closed doors and merge their resources. Each series has it's positives and negatives and will always have them. I am afraid if nothing is done, it will end up like the The Big Three (GM,FORD and DODGE)

Dave, its NATIONWIDE !!!!

And i do think it helps the racers fix some of the problems if used right .
I really do believe that ,,,i may be wrong . But like u said its up to each team, and if u get a tool like that u should use it correctly and it will be a plus !:ernaehrung004:

[QUOTE=daredevil;2852903]Dave, its NATIONWIDE !!!!


how many races did SBI cancel last year??
maybe if you told me sarasota was being televised, i might beleive you. i just can't see how this is going to pay for itself on the tv side. i guess reggie going to buy 20 mins of commercial time for the 1/2 hr show.

[QUOTE=skaterdave;2852937]Dave ,,,regie has nothing to do with it ,,,just wait and u will see !!!

And the shows are 1 hour shows and all 8 races this year will be televised.
Last year 2 races had been canceled, out off 12 in 08 !!!!
Just wait until the press release is out and read the whole story ,,whats behind it !!:ernaehrung004:

scott, next your going to tell us that your going to race in 18 plus races. you got more to think about than TV, remember the OPA dinner. you still coming up to Oc md to run with the jersey boyZ???

TV can't help you if your sitting in a lawn chair??

when i can go to cbs sports online and see the listing then i'll stop laughing and poking fun.

[QUOTE][And the shows are 1 hour shows and all 8 races this year will be televised.
/QUOTE]

So do you think?? The Maimi race will bring in new viewers and they will be hooked??? 12 boats in XX classes is 12 boats! Class 1 only has 10 boats, but they are within the same parameters. As in the past TV shows they try and focus on boats actually racing one another, if you are tearing it up all by yourself you probably arent going to get the airtime you want or think you deserve.

:Whatever:

Why is it whatever?? Its great to have TV, but do you honestly think people are going to be changing their plans, because 12 boats are racing???? Let's be logical, unless some form of unity is made, a reduction of classes, for the general public to understand it will not be a main stream event, no matter how much passion all have for the sport.

Boat racing and TV are in the entertainment business whether you like it or not, while it may be a great thrill for you to compete, if it isnt entertaining the crowd, well why continue to put money in other's pockets!

U know what i used to tell my X-wife ??!!!

Same for u ,,, U TALK SO MUCH ,BUT SAY SO LITTLE !!!

Its not worth arguing or discussing this matter with u ,,because u know it all, U know what thousands or millions of people want . GOOD FOR YOU !!

Why don't u then take pictures of Birds , or something else ?? NO your at the race sites taking pictures of the view boats running and try to sell them ,,,WHY ??? if nobody wants to see us ???

Again :Whatever:

Scott,

Behave!!! lol
Pete is a good guy, he has his beliefs and his loyalties and nothing you can say or do will change his mind. Will CBS fix offshore. Absolutly not! (It is only a tool that could help us fix it)As someone said above, only the racers can fix this sport. As racers, especially those of us who have been around a while, we have been shown so many carrots its not even funny. You have to remember, the guys you are speaking to on these boards in this thread were not in Miami with us and didnt have the oportunity to meet with the Seminole/Hard Rock reps like we did. Sean and Dave are right, 11 boats isnt much of a show, but honestly more will be in Marathon and the kinks will be worked out by Sarasota. I dont know how the show will be shown, but with the Seminoles' name and money involved, I guarantee it wont be crap, they wont allow it.

Also on a side note, Sean lists KC/LOTO as his residence. Missouri is known as the"Show-Me" State its on all their tags. He is absolutly correct when he says show me proof.

This is a class one thread and it needs to get back to that topic, they have had some bugs through out the years but have seemed to work them out and I am sure that they dont have a bulletin board where they cry, complain, groan to each other. They pic up the phone like men and work it out, privately.

My suggestion to everyone, you will see more press releases in the next few weeks and we all should keep our comments to ourselves and get back on here in December and rate how this season went. Only time will tell.

Thanks Sean and Dan for the updates and Ned for the pics, keep um coming

Trent

Let's start with " I know It all" Never once said that! YOU said that!

Second Its a open forum, I'll say as I please and conform with the rules of this forum. Been here a lot longer than you!

I take pictures of more than OFFSHORE BOATS, I take pics of all types or watercraft racing, as well as wildlife, Models, and whatever else I choose!

As I have said before IF I MAKE A BUCK OR TWO IN THE PROCESS GOOD FOR ME! I HAVE NEVER ASK ANYONE TO BUY SOMETHING THEY DID NOT ASK FOR TO BEGIN WITH!

I may not know what thousands or millions want, but that is not really what I concern myself with. when I shoot a race I am trying to portray a race, not One boat by itself! But its kind of hard to do when there is only one boat in the class!
Or the 3 that are in it break after a lap or two.

And last but certainly not least, why would you worry about me selling my Pics, YOU havent bought any, but like to take them from the Internet, along with the other photographers that shoot races and use them for your avatar's, etc, which is Stealing a copyrighted product. And I certainly can insure that any future work will not be here or any where else for the public to see, even if your the only boat running!

I am glad to see that you have learned how to use spell check, it certainly helps in understanding the jibberish you
spout.

As for your X-wife she is probably a lot smarter than you give her credit for!

:grinser010:

OK,,Pete . U win and where friends again !!! OK ? :party-smiley-004:

PS. do u have some nice pics of my boat that i can buy ?
I do believe i used 1 from u ,,but i asked u if i could ,,,,if i remember correct.
The one in my avatar is my own ,which a friend of mine took.
:ernaehrung004:

Pete,

For my own benefit and protection, in 2007 you told me that I could use your pics for marketing purposes, you even sent me a disk with Pics on it, which I deeply appreciate. You posted a pic on here from Sarasota last year and said something to the affect "heres a pic of Trent, he needs to get a sponsor on the white boat of his" . I am very careful and respectful of copyrights and have obtained permission from Armand, Jay and other various photographers, explained my intent and everyone said ok. If the photo wasnt taken by someone in my team, I have made sure to leave the photographers mark on the photo, in turn promoting that individual photographer and on the media page of my website given credit in the form of "Photos Courtesy of" before the photos are even viewed.

If your policies have changed from our original agreement, please let me know and I will remove them from my site. I wont choose a favorite but the photos that you, Sharkey, Doreen, and Jay take are incredible. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to cover us as racers and not drawing a line in the sand politicaly when it comes to photos. Let me know what you want me to do.

Trent

This right here is what lead,s to other,s making fun of the sport .
If it is just nonsense to you , why not just leave ?

The best TV was speedchannel in early 2000,s
If you missed that ,then you are not as involved you gloat .

[QUOTE=F1-00 Racing;2853213]Scott,


Pete is a good guy,
Will CBS fix offshore. Absolutly not!
we have been shown so many carrots its not even funny.
.................................................. ........................




Nice way to promote The only real tv deal in a while .

wow shut up, I am impressed, you have butchered my post to read negativity into it. You must be a member of the media lol, why dont you go back and quote the whole post and not chop it up to meet your needs of just joining OSO under another screen name just to stir the pot.

Have a good one!!!!

Trent
TnT Racing
www.tntoffshore.com

oh the above was to show you how not to hide behind a screen name, I can be found

Why are you against the media ?

I am not, I am against being misquoted and bits and pieces taken to suit your needs and/or motives. I dont need to hide behind a screen name.

Trent

Excellant answer . The Media is here to HELP . CBS can only be good .

Your exactly correct, if you would have quoted me correctly, you would have seen that I said it will not fix offshore, it is a tool that can be utilized by the racers to fix offshore. All I ask is that you dont misquote me and then try and slam me.

Trent

Thank you .

slice this one up and while your at it please fill us in as to who you are.

Trent

[QUOTE=F1-00 Racing;2853607] s up yo ho yo are

Tr

go aurantium

Why does it sound smart when u say this ???:grinser010:

That was what i posted in the first post ?!:rolleyes:

With CBS coming down here in may ,this is the place to race .

If you have a Sponsor of any kind ,Why not take a chance ?

I know the " Carrot dangling " has gone on ever since The " SPEED CHANNEL " got destroyed by ?????????? (we all know them ) .

Maybe this one is real .

I think it is .


(you can be on an obscure lake for fun ,or put you're sponsor on network TV . )

Place your'e bets now ,come fall its too late .

I am 1000000% with you on this !!!!! Who ever u are !!:ernaehrung004: