Shaun Torrente and Faleh al Mansoori

Shaun Torrente and Faleh al Mansoori

XCAT: Abu Dhabi 4 at full throttle as they win also race 2 of Stresa Grand Prix

Sport

24/07/2019 - 13:09

The second race of the XCATs on Lake Maggiore says once again Abu Dhabi 4, as Shaun Torrente and Faleh al Mansoori dominate it from the first lap to the finish. Behind them, Dubai Police and Team Australia are also second and third in the championship. But Maritimo is there as well. The first stage of the 2019 UIM XCAT World Championship has ended, with the second race of the Stresa GP on Lake Maggiore, Italy. A hot sunny day with a light breeze, enough to create somw chops and have the XCATs show their props many times around. The winners of the race are once again Shaun Torrente and Faleh al Mansoori: the USA/UAE crew started from first after winning race 1 on Saturday, and had no trouble in keeping the lead. Just once they crossed the line in 2nd, when in lap 8 they went for their long lap so Team Australia of Pål Virik nilsen and Jan Trygve Braten stepped up to first. But when the Norwegian duo went for their long lap as well, Abu Dhabi 4 went back to the front and there they stayed until the checkered flag. Behind them Team Australia battled with the Dubai Police boat of Arif al Zaffein and Nadir bin Hendi, with the latter able to gain one position from the initial grid and finish second. With today's third spot, Team Australia also takes the third position in the overall ranking, although they share the place with the other team from down under: Maritimo of Tom Barry Cotter and Ross Willaton.

Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi

The two aussies had a great debut with their new boat, getting the pole position for race 1, then a bad start for an engine warning made them finish second. Today, from P2 at the start, they had once again an unfortunate start and slipped down to fifth, where they stayed until the end despite a great overtake on Swecat, on the inside of the last turn on lap 8. Abu Dhabi 5 closes in the fourth spot, while P6 is for 222 Offshore. Swecat gains one position to seventh, followed by Consulbrokers and De Mitri. The result is not bad for these last two, as the crew are new together and there's still much space for improvement as they gain more and more confidence by racing along. Unfortunately some teams finish the weekend with disappointment: Hi-Performance Italia, Videx and Kuwait are forced to retire and get no points. The joint work of UIM, FIM and the local hosts in Stresa built a successful event, as thousands of people packed the shores of the lake, with many more spectators watching the race from the water as well on hundreds of boats. After the summer break the XCAT Championship is moving to China, where many thrilling events have been held in the past years: the upcoming scheduled events are two back-to-back weekends in Taizhou and Hangzhou, from 13 to 22 of September.

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