QMSF 2015 Qatar Cup in Doha

[Serious News]

January 30, 2015 - 2:23:00 am


Ali Al Neama will team up with Billy Moore in the Spirit of Qatar 20 at the inaugural Qatar Cup.

DOHA: The Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) is making its final preparations for the largest powerboat racing festival ever to be staged in the Middle East.

Under the presidency of H E Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al Thani, the QMSF has joined forces with Offshore Powerboat Grand Prix (OPGP) to run the 2015 Qatar Cup in Doha Bay from February 3 to 7.

Months of hard work and planning by officials in Qatar and the USA have now come to fruition and race-crafts from the USA have already safely arrived in Qatar and will be joined by boats from Turkey, Australasia and the Middle East to take part in a series of races and qualifying sessions over four days next week.

Topping the field are the flagship race boats in the SuperCat and SuperVee classes but they will be joined on the Doha Bay course by racers entered in the C1, C2, SuperCat Lite and C225 classes. There will also be a Pro Marathon class race for local competitors next Friday.

Spirit of Qatar 20 tops the list of entrants in the SuperCat class. Local driver Ali Al Neama and American throttleman Billy Moore have been competing in Super Boat International (SBI) for the last two years in the USA, but their MTi has returned to Qatar and they will line up alongside the likes of Randy Sweers’s Racing for Cancer MTi and Ron Roman’s Motley Crew Skater. Other boats to make the trip across the Atlantic Ocean in the class include Peppers, Pro Floors Racing and Persu Cat Racing.

An impressive list of SuperCat Lite boats were on the ship that arrived in Doha on January 17 and include The Hulk, Smart Marine and Gary Ballough’s Doug Wright-built BG Racing. Qatar’s XCat star Mohammed Al-Nasser and two race boats from Dubai and Abu Dhabi are also on the provisional list of entries.

Billy Glueck’s Twisted Metal Fountain and Dan Kleitz’s Outerlimits 43 top the SuperVee class before official registration and technical inspections get underway on Tuesday.

“One of our visions at the QMSF was to stage an event of this nature and to attract some of the finest racers from all over the world to come here and take part,” said the President of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation.

“We have achieved that in a short space of time. Through the hard work of every member of my team in Qatar and the efforts from the staff at OPGP it has been possible to stage the Qatar Cup. On behalf of everyone at the QMSF, I take this opportunity to welcome our overseas visitors, media, television personnel, team members and competitors to what we hope will be four days of safe and spectacular racing on Doha Bay.” THE PENINSULA

2015 Qatar Cup Schedule

Tuesday, February 3

9am-5pm: Technical inspections and registration

Wednesday, February 4

9am–10am: Inshore time testing

(C1 and C2)

10am—11am: Offshore time testing (SuperCat Lite)

11am–12pm: Offshore time testing (SuperVee and SuperCat)

1pm-2pm: Inshore time testing and pole position (C225)

2pm-3pm: Offshore pole position

(SuperCat Lite)

3pm–4pm: Offshore pole position (SuperVee and SuperCat)

Thursday, February 5

9am-9.45am: Inshore race 1 (C2)

10am–10.45am: Inshore race 1 (C1)

11am-11.45am: Inshore race 1 (C225)

3pm-3.45pm: Offshore race 1 (SuperCat Lite)

4pm–4.45pm: Offshore race 1 (SuperVee and SuperCat)

Friday, February 6

1pm-1.30pm: Practice Pro Marathon

1.45pm-2.15pm: Offshore race 1 (SuperCat Lite)

2.30pm–3.30pm: Inshore testing

Saturday, February 7

9am-9.45am: Inshore race 2 (C2)

10am–10.45am: Inshore race 2 (C1)

11am-11.45am: Inshore race 2 (C225)

2.30pm-3.15pm: Offshore race 2 (SuperCat Lite)

3.30pm – 4.15pm: Offshore race 2 (SuperVee and SuperCat)

4.45pm: Awards ceremony

 

[Serious News]

Vodafone to sponsor Offshore Powerboat Qatar Cup in Doha
MENAFN - The Peninsula - 28/01/2015

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Vodafone Qatar will be the Communications Partner for the highly anticipated Offshore Powerboat Qatar Cup, it was announced here yesterday.

The Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) and the recently-formed Offshore Powerboat Grand Prix (OPGP) will jointly promote and run the brand new UIM Qatar Cup, a four-day powerboat racing festival, in Doha Bay , Corniche to Pearl from February 4 to 7.

The Cup, set to be the biggest offshore powerboating championship in the world, will comprise of 50 boats spread over six racing categories, ranging from the big 45 foot long Super Vee boats all the way down to the pro class category, in addition to 30 jetskis.

Boats are being shipped to Doha from the USA, UAE, New Zealand, Kuwait and Turkey.

Ali Ali Al Naema and Mohammed Nassr Al Nassr, two of the biggest names in Qatari Offshore powerboat racing will also be seen in action.

"We are proud to be sponsors for this year's Offshore Powerboat Qatar Cup. Vodafone Qatar has a history of supporting sport in Qatar including our long time sponsorship of Al Sadd football Club and promoting sport and fitness within its employees through the Company's Wellness Programme. We firmly believe in the benefits sport brings on both a community and individual level and will continue to promote this to help realize the Qatar 2030 vision," said Kyle Whitehill, CEO, Vodafone Qatar.

"We are honoured to be working with such an esteemed organization such as Vodafone Qatar, and we look forward to pooling our knowledge and experience together in order to execute a world class event for the state of Qatar," said HE Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al Thani - QMSF President Entry for the public to the event is free.

VIP tickets can be purchased at QMSF's stand located at the Landmark mall.

For more information on the Qatar Cup visit: Facebook Account Qmsf Doha, Facebook Page Qatar Marine Sports Federation Events Qatar Cup 2015 and Instagram - @qmsf.

 

[Serious News]

GAC Pindar enters the world of power racing as official logistics provider for the Offshore Powerboat Grand Prix (OPGP) Series first foray into global offshore powerboating.

Under the three-year deal, the global provider of marine and sports leisure logistics will coordinate the complex logistics of equipment and infrastructure for five races held every year in Florida, USA, under the OPGP banner, including the renowned Sarasota Suncoast Offshore Grand Prix race. GAC Pindar’s appointment represents its first foray into global offshore powerboating. The company will also coordinate the logistics, including transportation of at least twelve team boats from the USA, for The Qatar Cup on 6-8 February.

The 2015 edition of the yearly showcase event, in association with the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), will include one day of qualifying heats followed by two days of racing. Up to 25 offshore racing teams are expected to take part. GAC Pindar has emerged as a leading player in the field, providing expert logistics support for a range of prestigious inshore and offshore sailing competitions including the Extreme Sailing Series and The Volvo Ocean Race which set off on its nine-month circumnavigation of the world from Spain last month.

Dominic Watson, GAC Pindar’s Operations Manager – Seafreight, says: “The addition of such a prestigious powerboat race series to our portfolio brings an exciting challenge for our team of experts. Their passion and commitment match that of the drivers and teams who will compete, and we look forward to playing our part in what will be an incredible series.”

Steve Curtis, OPGP’s Acting President, adds: “We were incredibly impressed with the fresh and innovative approach in GAC Pindar’s proposal, which exactly mirrored the ethos of OPGP. Their knowledge, experience and sailing credentials are second to none. We’re looking to really take power boating to the next level with the OPGP and are confident of doing so with GAC Pindar helping to drive us forward.”
See more at: http://www.godubai.com/citylife/press_release_page.asp?pr=94158#sthash.LCunbz9A.dpuf

 

[Serious News]

Coming off the transport to Qatar, in Qatar. Courtesy OPGP.

 

[Ratickle]

The drivers, throttlemen, and crews should be arriving about now......

 

[Serious News]

2015 QATAR CUP // TIMETABLE OF EVENTS

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 3
09.00 – 17.00 Technical inspections and registration

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 4
09.00 – 10.00 Inshore time testing (C1 and C2)
10.00 - 11.00 Offshore time testing (SuperCat Lite)
11.00 – 12.00 Offshore time testing (SuperVee and SuperCat)
13.00 - 14.00 Inshore time testing and pole position (C225)
14.00 - 15.00 Offshore pole position (SuperCat Lite)
15.00 – 16.00 Offshore pole position (SuperVee and SuperCat)

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 5
09.00 - 09.45 Inshore race 1 (C2)
10.00 – 10.45 Inshore race 1 (C1)
11.00 - 11.45 Inshore race 1 (C225)
15.00 - 15.45 Offshore race 1 (SuperCat Lite)
16.00 – 16.45 Offshore race 1 (SuperVee and SuperCat)

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 6
13.00 - 13.30 Practice Pro Marathon
13.45 - 14.15 Offshore race 1 (SuperCat Lite)
14.30 – 15.30 Inshore testing

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 7
9.00 - 09.45 Inshore race 2 (C2)
10.00 – 10.45 Inshore race 2 (C1)
11.00 - 11.45 Inshore race 2 (C225)
14.30 - 15.15 Offshore race 2 (SuperCat Lite)
15.30 – 16.15 Offshore race 2 (SuperVee and SuperCat)
16.45 Awards ceremony

 

[Serious News]

QATAR CUP INVITATIONAL

Seventeen of the world’s top offshore powerboat teams have traveled to Doha, Qatar this week to take part in what organizers expect to become the crown jewel of offshore, the Qatar Cup.

Twelve American, and five International teams in three major offshore classes, will take part in the four-day event, racing through Doha Bay along the picturesque Corniche, in a battle for the big prize, the Qatar Cup.

Teams will begin the week testing and qualifying for starting positions, beginning Tuesday, February 3. They will then run their first of two races on Wednesday, February 4, before more testing on Thursday leads to championship races on Saturday, February 7.

While in Doha, teams will also enjoy many of the unique cultural and social offerings in Qatar, including fine dining, a safari, a trip to the renowned Souq Waqif and a day inside the Museum of Islamic Art. Keep tabs on the Qatar Cup right here or through the Offshore Powerboat Grand Prix Facebook page.



SuperCat
Spirit of Qatar
Fastboats/Racing For Cancer
Persu Cat Racing/Thordon Bearings
Motley Crew
Peppers/Peters & May Racing
Pro Floors Racing

SuperCat Lite
Double Edge/Peters & May Racing
The Hulk
LA Marine
Smart Marine Group
Wicked Performance Marine
Victory Team
Team Qatar
Team Abu Dhabi
Raheeb

Super Vee
Twiated Metal
Outerlimits

 

[Serious News]

QATAR CUP RACE 1 RESULTS
February 5, 2015 at 6:38am

2015 Qatar Cup
Doha Bay, Qatar – February 3-7, 2015

For immediate release

Thursday, February 5th, 2015

QATAR’S AL-NEAMA AND AL-NASSER FINISH FIRST AND FOURTH IN SUPERCAT AND SUPERCAT LITE OPENERS AT UIM QATAR CUP

Victory Team’s Al-Zafeen and Bin Hendi win first SuperCat Lite race
SuperVee and SuperCat success for Outerlimits and Spirit of Qatar
EFE Project claims pole position for UIM World Offshore 225 race
C1 and C2 wins for Mohammed Turki Jumaa and Ahmed Al-Fassam

DOHA (Qatar): Respective race one victories in the SuperCat Lite, SuperVee and SuperCat categories at the inaugural UIM Qatar Cup fell to Victory S-3, Outerlimits and Spirit of Qatar 20 in Doha Bay on Thursday afternoon.

Qatar’s Mohammed and Nasser Al-Nasser reached the chequered flag in fourth position in their Supercat Lite race, but Ali Al-Neama and Billy Moore were in superb form to win the SuperCat race.

Victory S-3’s Arif Saif Al-Zafeen and Nadir bin Hendi qualified on pole for the 10-lap SuperCat Lite race and managed to fend off a strong field to pass the chequered flag seven seconds ahead of eventual race runners-up, Robert Nunziato and Dan Lawrence, in The Hulk.

Team Abu Dhabi’s Faleh Al-Mansoori and Rashed Al-Tayer qualified third and rounded off the podium positions, while Mohammed and Nasser Al-Nasser climbed from fifth - at the expense of Grant Bruggemann and Gary Ballough in Smart Marine - to snatch fourth place. LA Marine retired on the last lap and Smart Marine succumbed one lap before.

Spirit of Qatar 20’s Ali Al-Neama and Billy Moore had claimed pole for the SuperCat race on Wednesday and they were not to be denied an emphatic victory on home waters. They brought their MTi to the finish of the 12-lap race 16 seconds in front of the Outerlimits crew of Joe Sgro and Steve Curtis – the winners of the SuperVee category.

The Kiwi crew of Wayne Valden and Chris Hanley were third in Pro Floors Racing and Jay Cooke and Randy Sweers were fourth. Twisted Metal’s Brett Furshman and Billy Glueck retired on lap six.

Pole Position qualifying for Saturday’s Qatar round of the 2015 UIM World Offshore 225 Championship took place at lunchtime on Doha Bay. EFE Project topped the times with a quickest lap of 1min 57.671sec. Bigchefs-EFE Project qualified second albeit over two seconds behind.

The first C1 and C2 races for an impressive array of Qatari. Kuwaiti and Bahraini teams took place on Thursday morning on the shorter Inshore course.

Ten laps were on the agenda for the C1 fleet and Kuwait’s Mohammed Turki Jumaa snatched a 3.12 second victory from Qatar’s Jassim Abdullah Al-Buainain. An impressive 10 boats took the start and Kuwait’s Khaled Ahmed Al-Hassan rounded off the podium.

Six C2 boats ran for nine laps in their opening race and the Kuwaiti Ahmed Sulaiman Al-Fassam reached the chequered flag with a margin of just under six seconds from fellow countryman Ahmed Fouad Abul. Qatar’s Rashid Al-Muhannadi was third.

Tomorrow (Friday), is a more relaxed day for the international crews and the local aqua bike racers take centre stage in front of the pit area. After a briefing and technical checks, the Pro Marathon competitors have a 30-minute practice session from 1pm, before their race starts at 1.45pm.

Both the Inshore and Offshore courses are then open for afternoon testing for the remainder of the UIM Qatar Cup field.

2015 Qatar Cup – Race 1 results (Thursday):

SuperCat Lite/Super Stock

1. Nadir Bin Hendi (ARE)/Arif Saif Al-Zafeen (ARE) Victory S-3 34min 07.2sec
2. Robert Nunziato (USA)/Dan Lawrence (USA) The Hulk S-1 34min 14.6sec
3. Faleh Al-Mansoori (ARE)/Rashed Al-Tayer (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 5 35min 13.8sec
4. Mohammed Al-Nasser (QAT)/Nasser Al-Nasser (QAT) Spirit of Qatar 94 35min 16.2sec
5. Lynn Wagemann (USA)/Jay Muller (USA) Wicked Performance Marine S-33 36min 31.0sec
6. Tanner Lewis (USA)/Ryan Beckley (USA) Peters & May Racing S-111 37min 15.5sec
Allen Christy (USA)/Lee Austin (USA) LA Marine S-12 DNF
Grant Bruggeman (USA)/Gary Ballough (USA) Smart Marine/Auto Mart S-110 DNF

SuperVee

1. Joe Sgro (USA)/Steve Curtis (GBR) Outerlimits 43 38min 07.8sec
Brett Furshman (USA)/Billy Glueck (USA) Twisted Metal 30 DNF

SuperCat

1. Ali Al-Neama (QAT)/Billy Moore (USA) Spirit of Qatar 20 37min 51.9sec
2. Wayne Valder (NZL)/Chris Hanley (NZL) Pro Floors Racing 51 38min 27.5sec
3. Jay Cooke (USA)/Randy Sweers (USA) Racing for Cancer/Fast Boats 33 38min 29.9sec
4. Dan Lawrence (USA)/Ron Roman (USA) Motley Crew 00 39min 39.6sec
5. George Stancombe (USA)/Michael Stancombe (USA) Peppers/Peters & May 2 39min 50.3sec
6. Paul Boudreaux (USA)/Jay Price (USA) Thorndon/Ragin Cajun 57 40min 34.2sec

C1
1. Mohammed Turki Jumaa/Mohammed Saud Alrzaihan (KUW) 42min 28.30sec
2. Jassim Abdullah Al-Buainain/Hassan Nasser Al-Buainain (QAT) 42min 31.42sec
3. Khaled Ahmed Al-Hassan/Hamad Youssef Al-Sharah (KUW) 43min 19.10sec
4. Abdullah Youssef Mohammed/Abdullatif Al-Omani (KWT) 43min 52.93sec
5. Sultan Saqer Ibrahim/Abdulrahman Jassim Addulrahman (BHN) 44min 12.15sec
6. Abdulaziz Ghuloom Shaheen/Mohammed Ghuloom Shaheen (QAT) 44min 35.43sec
7. Khalid Ali Ayadeh/Mohammed Ali Ayadeh (KUW) 44min 37.68sec
8. Saad Turki Mohammed/Shaalan Zaid Al-Temeeni (KUW) 44min 39.59sec
9. Mahmoud Ali Rashid/Mohammed Akbar Haidar (QAT) 46min 32.65sec
Ahmed Sulaiman Al-Fassam/Nasser Bader Al-Fassam (KUW) DNF

C2

1. Ahmed Sulaiman Al-Fassam/Nasser Bader Al-Fassam (KUW) 28min 31.98sec
2. Ahmed Fouad Abul/Abdullatif Mohammed Al-Omani (KUW) 28min 37.77sec
3. Rashid Al-Muhannadi/Mohammed Jassim Al-Harkan (QAT) 28min 59.98sec
4. Hamad Youssef Al-Sharah/Abdulrazak Ahmed Al-Hassan (KUW) 31min 04.80sec
5. Nasser Khalifa Mulhem/Kabeer Malikat (QAT) 31min 33.25sec
6. Khaled Rashid Al-Muhannadi/Mohammed Saif Al-Kuwari (QAT) 32min 12.12sec


UIM World Offshore 225 Championship – Pole Position result

1. EFE Project 1min 57.461sec
2. Bigchefs – EFE Project 2min 01.370sec
3. Beşiktaş – Işiklar 2min 01.805sec
4. S.T.F.A. 2min 06.953sec
5. Big Chefs 2min 06.953sec
6. Gisbir 2min 11.665sec
7. Qatar 2min 11.898sec
8. Işiklar 2min 11.945sec
9. Fujairah Team 2min 15.814sec

2015 Qatar Cup – revised timetable of events

Friday, February 6

13.00 - 13.30 Practice Pro Marathon
13.45 - 14.15 Pro Marathon Race
14.30 – 16.30 Inshore and Offshore testing

 

[Ratickle]

41 boats running, not counting the Marathon for the personal watercraft running today. I wonder if the OPGP is planning on having the C1, C2, and C3-Offshore 225's at their events in the states?

 

[Serious News]

Spirit of Qatar wins SuperCat race one
February 06, 2015 - 3:58:35 am

DOHA: Respective race one victories in the SuperCat Lite, SuperVee and SuperCat categories at the inaugural UIM Qatar Cup went to Victory S-3, Outerlimits and Spirit of Qatar 20 at Doha Bay yesterday afternoon.

Qatar’s Mohammed Al Nasser and Nasser Al Nasser reached the chequered flag in fourth position in their Supercat Lite race but Ali Al Neama and Billy Moore were in superb form to win the SuperCat race.

Victory S-3’s Arif Saif Al Zafeen and Nadir bin Hendi qualified on pole for the 10-lap SuperCat Lite race and managed to fend off a strong field to pass the chequered flag seven seconds ahead of eventual race runners-up Robert Nunziato and Dan Lawrence in The Hulk.

Team Abu Dhabi’s Faleh Al Mansoori and Rashed Al Tayer qualified third and rounded off the podium positions, while Mohammed and Nasser Al Nasser climbed from fifth, at the expense of Grant Bruggemann and Gary Ballough in Smart Marine, to snatch fourth place. LA Marine retired on the last lap and Smart Marine succumbed one lap before.

Spirit of Qatar 20’s Al Neama and Moore had claimed pole for the SuperCat race on Wednesday and they were not to be denied an emphatic victory on home waters. They brought their MTi to the finish of the 12-lap race 16 seconds in front of the Outerlimits crew of Joe Sgro and Steve Curtis — the winners of the SuperVee category.

The Kiwi crew of Wayne Valden and Chris Hanley were third in Pro Floors Racing and Jay Cooke and Randy Sweers were fourth. Twisted Metal’s Brett Furshman and Billy Glueck retired on lap six.

Pole Position qualifying for Saturday’s Qatar round of the 2015 UIM World Offshore 225 Championship took place at lunchtime on Doha Bay. EFE Project topped the times with a quickest lap of 1min 57.671sec. Bigchefs-EFE Project qualified second albeit over two seconds behind.

The first C1 and C2 races for an impressive array of Qatari, Kuwaiti and Bahraini teams took place yesterday morning on the shorter Inshore course.

Ten laps were on the agenda for the C1 fleet and Kuwait’s Mohammed Turki Jumaa snatched a 3.12 second victory from Qatar’s Jassim Abdullah Al Buainain. An impressive 10 boats took the start and Kuwait’s Khaled Ahmed Al-Hassan rounded off the podium.

Six C2 boats ran for nine laps in their opening race and the Kuwaiti Ahmed Sulaiman Al-Fassam reached the chequered flag with a margin of just

under six seconds from fellow countryman Ahmed Fouad Abul. Qatar’s Rashid Al-Muhannadi was third.

Today is a more relaxed day for the international crews and the local aqua bike racers take centre stage in front of the pit area. After a briefing and technical checks, the Pro Marathon competitors have a 30-minute practice session from 1pm, before their race starts at 1.45pm.

Both the Inshore and Offshore courses are then open for afternoon testing for the remainder of the UIM Qatar Cup field.

THE PENINSULA
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/sports/marine-sports/320426/spirit-of-qatar-wins-supercat-race-one

 

[Serious News]

Qatar’s Al-Neama And Al-Nasser Finish Third And Fifth In Second Qatar Cup Supercat And Supercat Lite Races

Victory’s Al-Zafeen and Bin Hendi control second SuperCat Lite race...
SuperVee and SuperCat wins for Outerlimits and Racing for Cancer...
UIM World Offshore 225 race and pole double for EFE Project...
Race two C1 and C2 wins in Qatar for Al-Buainain and Fouad Abdul...

DOHA (Qatar): Dubai’s Victory S-3, Racing for Cancer and Outerlimits claimed victories in the SuperCar Lite, SuperCat and SuperVee categories in their second races at the inaugural UIM Qatar Cup in Doha Bay on Saturday.

Victory S-3’s Arif Saif Al-Zafeen and Nadir bin Hendi were the class of the SuperCat Lite field and reached the chequered flag 9.4 seconds in front of Robert Nunziato and Dan Lawrence in The Hulk. Team Abu Dhabi’s Faleh Al-Mansoori and Rashed Al-Tayer were a further 40 seconds adrift and rounded off the podium places. Mohammed and Nasser Al-Nasser finished fifth in Spirit of Qatar 94.

The Pro Floors Racing crew of Wayne Valder and Chris Hanley looked likely to win a thrilling SuperCat race after leading from lap eight to lap 11. A fierce battle waged between Pro Floors Racing, long-time leaders Motley Crew and Racing for Cancer and the Kiwis were deprived of the win after being overtaken by Racing for Cancer’s Jay Cooke and Randy Sweers on lap 12. Motley Crew later retired.

The Kiwis eventually finished 17 seconds behind their American rivals. Spirit of Qatar 20’s Ali Al-Neama and Billy Moore led on lap one before slipping down to fifth and then climbing back to third.

Joe Sgro and Steve Curtis were never troubled on their way to a comfortable second successive success in the SuperVee category, once Twisted Metal gave up the ghost. They stopped on the last lap, although they had been ahead of four of their SuperCat rivals before failing to reach the chequered flag.

SuperCat Lite – race two
Al-Zafeen and Bin Hendi led from the start of the 12-lap SuperCat Lite race and had already edged into a four-second lead over The Hulk by the end of lap one. Both LA Marine and Smart Marine were sidelined, as The Hulk and Team Abu Dhabi gave chase over the subsequent laps.

By lap six, Victory’s advantage over Robert Nunziato and Dan Lawrence in The Hulk was a constant five seconds, with Team Abu Dhabi’s Falah Al-Mansoori and Rashid Al-Tayer in third, Wicked Performance Marine in fourth and Peters & May heading Spirit of Qatar 94 in fifth.

Al-Zafeen and Bin Hendi continued to apply the pressure at the head of the field, as the S-3 boat and The Hulk began to edge away from Team Abu Dhabi. Wicked Performance Marine moved well clear of Spirit of Qatar, although Mohammed Al-Nasser managed to pass Peters & May on lap eight and claim fifth place – a position they held to the chequered flag.

SuperVee and SuperCat – race two
Six SuperCat and two SuperVee boats lined up at the start of the 14-lap race, with the crews of Spirit of Qatar 20 and Outerlimits hoping for a second successive win on Doha Bay.

Al-Neama and Moore made a superb start for the host nation and held a one-second advantage over Jay Cooke and Randy Sweers in Racing for Cancer after one lap. SuperVee class leaders Joe Sgro and Steve Curtis were third in Outerlimits.

But Al-Neama’s luck ran out on the next lap and the Qatar boat slipped to fifth, as Motley Crew took up the running from the Kiwi crew of Wayne Valder and Chris Hanley in Pro Floors Racing. They were overtaken by Peppers/Peters & May Racing, as Motley Crew entered the fourth lap of a fascinating contest with a 3.6-second lead.

As Pro Floors regained second from Peters & May, Spirit of Qatar slipped behind Outerlimits, but remained well clear of Paul Boudreaux and Jay Price in Thordon.

By lap seven, there was a mere seven-tenths of a second between Motley Crew and Pro Floors Racing, with Peters & May in third. But the race was far from over and Pro Floors moved in front, as a retiring Motley Crew and Peters & May fell behind Racing for Cancer over the closing stages.

EFE Project qualified on pole position for the Qatar round of the UIM World Offshore 225 Championship and provisionally claimed maximum points for winning the race as well. The boat finished clear of the second-placed Spirit of Qatar 18 boat, which also claimed points for second position at the race meeting after qualifying in seventh place. Final results were delayed until UIM officials had carried out eligibility checks on the ECU units in the boats.

The UIM Qatar Cup was organised by the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) in conjunction with Offshore Powerboat Grand Prix (OPGP).

“I would like to extend a big thanks to everyone at OPGP, the QMSF and all our visiting guests who made the inaugural UIM Qatar Cup such a successful event,” said His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani, president of the QMSF. “We were blessed with exciting and close competition and strong fields in all the regional and international racing categories.

Six boats again contested the second 11-lap C2 race on the Inshore course and the leading protagonists from the opening race swapped positions on this occasion, with Kuwait’s Ahmed Fouad Abdul getting the better of race one winner and fellow countryman Ahmed Sulaiman Al-Fassam. Qatar’s Rashid Al-Muhannadi rounded off the podium places in third.

A similar scenario unfolded in the nine-lap C1 contest with race one winner Mohammed Turki Jumaa of Kuwait finishing second on this occasion to race one runner-up Jassim Abdullah Al-Buanain of Qatar. Kuwait’s Khalad Ali Ayadeh was third and fellow Kuwaiti Abdullah Youssef Mohammed was fourth. Three of the 10 starters failed to finish.

2015 UIM Qatar Cup – Race 2 results (Saturday):

SuperVee
1. Joe Sgro (USA)/Steve Curtis (GBR) Outerlimits 43 DNF
Brett Furshman (USA)/Billy Glueck (USA) Twisted Metal 30 DNS

SuperCat
1. Jay Cooke (USA)/Randy Sweers (USA) Racing for Cancer/Fast Boats 33 44min 05.8sec
2. Wayne Valder (NZL)/Chris Hanley (NZL) Pro Floors Racing 51 44min 22.8sec
3. Ali Al-Neama (QAT)/Billy Moore (USA) Spirit of Qatar 20 44min 24.0sec
4. George Stancombe (USA)/Michael Stancombe (USA) Peppers/Peters & May 2 45min 18.1sec
5. Paul Boudreaux (USA)/Jay Price (USA) Thorndon/Ragin Cajun 57 DNF
6. Dan Lawrence (USA)/Ron Roman (USA) Motley Crew 00 DNF

SuperCat Lite
1. Nadir Bin Hendi (ARE)/Arif Saif Al-Zafeen (ARE) Victory S-3 40min 34.1sec
2. Robert Nunziato (USA)/Dan Lawrence (USA) The Hulk S-1 40min 43.5sec
3. Faleh Al-Mansoori (ARE)/Rashed Al-Tayer (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 5 41min 15.0sec
4. Lynn Wagemann (USA)/Jay Muller (USA) Wicked Performance Marine S-33 43min 00.8sec
5. Mohammed Al-Nasser (QAT)/Nasser Al-Nasser (QAT) Spirit of Qatar 94 43min 39.0sec
6. Tanner Lewis (USA)/Ryan Beckley (USA) Peters & May Racing S-111 44min 26.8sec
Grant Bruggeman (USA)/Gary Ballough (USA) Smart Marine/Auto Mart S-110 DNF
Allen Christy (USA)/Lee Austin (USA) LA Marine S-12 DNF

C1
1. Jassim Abdullah Al-Buainain/Hassan Nasser Al-Buainain (QAT) 29min 15.91sec
2. Mohammed Turki Jumaa/Mohammed Saud Alrzaihan (KUW) 29min 22.15sec
3. Khalid Ali Ayadeh/Mohammed Ali Ayadeh (KUW) 30min 02.98sec
4. Abdullah Youssef Mohammed/Abdullatif Al-Omani (KWT) 30min 22.49sec
5. Khaled Ahmed Al-Hassan/Hamad Youssef Al-Sharah (KUW) 30min 41.49sec
6. Abdulaziz Ghuloom Shaheen/Mohammed Ghuloom Shaheen (QAT) 30min 45.85sec
7. Saad Turki Mohammed/Shaalan Zaid Al-Temeeni (KUW) 30min 59.92sec
8. Sultan Saqer Ibrahim/Abdulrahman Jassim Addulrahman (BHN) DNF
9. Ahmed Sulaiman Al-Fassam/Nasser Bader Al-Fassam (KUW) DNF
10. Mahmoud Ali Rashid/Mohammed Akbar Haidar (QAT) DNF

C2
1. Ahmed Fouad Abul/Abdullatif Mohammed Al-Omani (KUW) 29min 55.65sec
2. Ahmed Sulaiman Al-Fassam/Nasser Bader Al-Fassam (KUW) 30min 05.52sec
3. Rashid Al-Muhannadi/Mohammed Jassim Al-Harkan (QAT) 31min 11.90sec
4. Hamad Youssef Al-Sharah/Abdulrazak Ahmed Al-Hassan (KUW) 1 lap behind
5. Nasser Khalifa Mulhem/Kabeer Malikat (QAT) 1 lap behind
6. Khaled Rashid Al-Muhannadi/Mohammed Saif Al-Kuwari (QAT) 1 lap behind

UIM World Offshore 225 Championship – results (provisional)
1. EFE Project 41min 34.085sec 220 pts
2. Qatar 42min 36.875sec 154 pts
3. Big Chefs 42min 44.925sec 127 pts
4. Gisbir 43min 24.923sec 95 pts
5. S.T.F.A. 42min 20.386sec 79 pts
6. Bigchefs – EFE Project 41min 38.781sec 65 pts
7. Işiklar 41min 56.518sec 43 pts
8. Beşiktaş – Işiklar 42min 00.000sec 42 pts
9. Fujairah Team 42min 00.000sec 22 pts

 

[Serious News]

Joe had an MRI and other than a concussion is reported to be okay.

 

[phragle]

Ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned on the fasten seatbelt light.

http://raceboatinternational.com/index.php?id=2287

We understand that His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani has resigned his post as the president of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) following disagreements with the Qatar hierarchy.
QMSF and the Offshore Powerboat Grand Prix (OPGP) recently jointly promoted and ran the Qatar Cup which was held in Doha earlier this month under the enthusiastic guidance of Sheikh Hassan.
More to follow...

 

[Ratickle]

Not sure yet if that will effect the OPGP here in the states. Waiting to hear from them.

 

[Serious News]

 

[Serious News]

Official word is the Sheik wanted to concentrate more on racing and his kids.

 

[phragle]

And sail boaters have taken over the power boat circuit.... believe nothing, trust no one... the end is near...

 

[Ratickle]

We'll see. At this point, I don't believe it will effect anything.

 

[phragle]

Maybe it will, maybe it wont, but its minus 6 degrees out. Im cold,Im hungry, I need a rum drink and a boat ride. Al Gore lied. Im grumpy

 

[Ratickle]

But he made over a billion dollars lying about it.......