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Little & Blacker take runners up spot.
TOP OF THE WORLD – FAZZA MAKES IT A CLEAN SWEEP AT POWERBOAT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Nettuno (ITALY): Fazza powerboat crew Arif Al Zafeen and Nader Bin Hindi completed a magnificent first ever UIM Class 3 (Six Litre) World Championship with a third straight win in Nettuno yesterday (Sunday).
With the world crown already wrapped up after back-to-back wins in the opening two races, the Fazza duo enjoyed a race-long battle with Britain’s Kingfisher S14, crewed by Peter Little and Ian Blacker, to take the chequered flag by 14 seconds. Third home were Lorenzo Bacchi and Saul Bubacco of Italy in Siempre Adelante Bacchi S8.
It was a fitting end to Bin Hindi and Al Zafeen’s Class 3 (Six Litre) debut and a welcome start to the Eid Al Fitr celebrations. Despite a rain lashed race and intermittent thunderstorms, Fazza S3 and its British rivals lit up the 42Nm event with a closely fought duel over the majority of the race.
But in the end Fazza S3 was not to be denied and, watched by WPPA and UAE Watersports Federation Chairman Saeed Hareb, Bin Hindi and Al Zafeen made it a maximum 1,200 points from three races to win the world title by 600 points from Blacker and Little. In third overall, making it a double success for the Victory Team, were Italy’s Serafino Barlesi and Alessandro Barone in their Victory-built boat Ina Assitalia S20.
“Winning this world championship is important for the UAE as it shows the strength and professionalism of our team in the Class 3 (Six Litre) series as well as in X Cats,” said Hareb.
Fazza 2
“It’s also important that two Emirati pilots won this title in a boat called Fazza. Our government always wants to be number one in this sport – we have achieved that in this world championship and now we are looking ahead to doing the same in Class 1. To do it again would underline both Dubai and the UAE’s position in the sport of powerboat racing and prove the professionalism of both Fazza and the Victory Team.”
Yesterday’s (Sunday) final race of the series saw Fazza S3 compete with exactly the same engine package it employed in the first two rounds.
“We’ve been really impressed with the boat and the engines,” said Bin Hindi. “Today was all about finding out the capabilities of the Kingfisher guys as we will no doubt be facing them many more times in the months ahead. They have a good boat and an excellent crew but I believe we have the edge.”
Three wins from three starts means one UIM world crown is heading back to Dubai, while Bin Hindi and Al Zafeen turns their sights back to the Class 1 World Championship which resumes in Stresa, near Milan, in two weeks time.
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Chris Davies
I drifted into powerboat racing photography like one drifts into prostitution.
First I did it to please myself.
Then I did it to please others.
Then I did it for Money.
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