Rashid draws first blood in Xcat..

My special friend, Rashid Al Marri is a fantastic man, In february I had Guido Cappellini with me, to show him his workshop, where they exchanged ideas, and today he won the Xcat race infront of Mike Seebold. His Mechanic, Mizan is surly proud. Well done boys

Dubai (UAE): The twin Fazza assault in the opening round of the X-Cat Middle East Powerboat Championship ended up failing to last one lap as the UAE’s Rashid Al Marri and Salam Fadel Al Hamli swept to first place in Extreme Marine 11.

Despite starting on Pole Position after setting the fastest time in qualifying, world champions Nader Bin Hendi and Arif Al Zafeen failed to complete the start lap thanks to a broken gear case in Fazza 3, while team mates Talib Al Sayed and Abdullah Al Mehairbi limped out before the end of the opening lap with engine failure.

But while it was a miserable day for the men in black, there was delight for the Extreme Marine stable as Al Marri and Al Hamli won a dramatic race by seconds from Frenchman Michael Karsenti and the USA’s Mike Seebold in Lux Media Offshore 96 with Ahmed Al Hamli and Rashid Al Hamli in third with Abu Dhabi Racing Team 1.

“Taking pole position in the new boat was a great result for us although the race didn’t quite work out as we hoped,” said Victory Team General Manager Gianfranco Venturelli.

“But these things happen in racing and our congratulations go to Rashid and Salam who drove a great race, while we also have to say well done to Sweden’s Joakim Kumlin – who was making his debut – and Daniel Svenson of Westerlund Racing who finished in fourth in a boat built by Victory Team.”

The 21-boat field – featuring drivers from eight nations – proved that the X-Cat series is likely to provide the most eye-catching action of the year with positions changing hands throughout a race that had to be restarted on two occasions.

The second restart came just before the end of lap three after driver error saw British pair Gavin Parsonage and Ian Blacker flip Kingfisher 14. Fortunately, both pilots emerged unscathed.

At the time of the red flag, Americans Grant Bruggemann and Gary Ballough were enjoying a narrow lead in PRO Marine 19 but that was short lived as Extreme Marine powered by to take a lead they never looked in danger of surrendering.

With first blood going to Extreme Marine, all eyes now turn to the second round of the four-race Middle East series, which will take place on Saturday (April 10) at 12.30pm. While the venue remains the same, the Fazza crews will both be looking for a change in fortunes as they bid to get their title challenge off to a belated start