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February 2008 n. 2

DOHAhosts season opener

VICTORYsplits up World and European Champions

2008 title race will be wide open

t h e o i c i a l p o w e r b o a t m a g a z i n e

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The signing o an agreement o cooperation between the WPPA (World

Proessional Powerboating Association) and the UIM (Union Internationale

Motonautique) clears the way or the World’s leading powerboat series, the

Class 1 World Powerboat Championship, to return to racing under the aegis o

he sport’s World Governing Body – the UIM

The agreement reached in Dubai earlier this month between WPPA President,

Saeed Hareb and recently elected UIM President, Raaele Chiulli gives the

WPPA the exclusivity to continue to manage Class 1 under the aegis o the UIM,

with the WPPA recognising the UIM as the sole International Governing Body or

World Powerboat Racing. “I can assure all parties that the conicting situations

and mistakes which determined the choice o the WPPA to independently

organise Class 1 racing or one year have been overcome by this agreement,”

said UIM President, Raaele Chiulli.

Ater signing the agreement , WPPA President, Saeed Hareb said. “I am

delighted that we have reached this amicable agreement or the uture o our

sport. I believe that with a new strategy and the clear approach o Raaele we

can achieve proessional and ambitious objectives together. Both o us are

convinced that what has been achieved will take the sport in the right direction

and will block any attempt to damage our solid and long lasting cooperation.”

2008 TITLE RACE

WILL BE WIDE OPEN

The fght or the 2008 Class 1 World Powerboat

Championship looks set to be the most fercely and openly

contested or almost a decade. O the ten boats that will

challenge or the title this season, nine will feld new driver

pairings, with two new teams and three new drivers set to

make their Class 1 debuts.

VICTORY SPLITS UP CHAMPIONSHIP-WINNING PARTNERSHIP

Victory Team’s newly crowned World andEuropean Champions, Ari Sai Al Zaeen and

Jean-Marc Sanchez will become team rivals

this season, racing against each other.

The team carried out an extensive test

programme over the winter months in Dubai

trying out several new driver-pairings with

the new line-ups revealed at the Dusseldor

Boat Show. Ari Sai Al Zaeen will carry the

prestigious number one plate, with Nadir bin

Hendi taking the throttleman seat, whilst Jean-

Marc Sanchez – who or the second year in a

row – is tasked with guiding and developing the

talents o the latest recruit to the Victory camp,

Class 1 rookie driver, Abdullah Al Mehairbi, in

Victory 7.

MONTAVOCI GETS NEW WHEEL-

MAN IN FORESTI & SUARDI

Norwegian, Kolbjorn Selmer, is the new driver in Foresti & Suardi

alongside team owner-throttleman, Giampaolo Montavoci.

Kolbjorn made his frst Class 1 appearance in Oslo last year, testing

with Montavoci, beore moving into the driver’s seat or his Class 1

race debut alongside Domenico Cirilli at the Romanian Grand Prix

in the team’s number two boat, VM Foresti & Suardi. He partn ered

Montavoci in the Egyptian Grand Prix - fnishing a creditable fth

- and in the Qatar Grand Prix in the number two boat, with Monta-

voci’s boat sidelined ater a crash in qualiying in Egypt.

SEVENELEVEN’S NEW LOOK

SeveneleveN throttleman, Nicola Giorgi, has confrmed that or their 2008 campaign, the team will

run a Michael Peters-desig ned Victory hull with Giorgioshore V12 power-plants. The team has

also confrmed that Italian, Giorgio Manuzzi, a ormer motor racing driver who made his Class 1

debut in SeveneleveN at the Egyptian Grand Prix in Porto Marina and partnered Nicola in one race

TEAM ONE

Antonio Monteleone is the man behind a new team or

2008 – Team One – with Italian, Lino di Biase appoin-

ted as Technical Director and taking the throttle seat,

and France’s Jerome Brarda making his Class 1 debut as

driver.

NEGOTIATOR CAN MOUNT SERIOUS TITLE

CHALLENGE IN 2008

Negotiator will be the only outft to line up in Doha with the same driver pairing as in 2007,

with team owner-throttleman, Chris Parsonage, confrming he will race alongside 2005 World

Champion, Bard Eker, with the Sterling supercharged V8s powering Negotiator.

The team’s development o the Sterling engines paid dividends towards the latter stages o 2007;

they grabbed two podium fnishes in Qatar and Dubai, with the team ending the season sixth

overall in the title race and ourth in the Middle East Championship – and Parsonage is confdent

that the team can build on their double podium success and mount a serious title challenge this

season.

CIRILLI TO HEAD ALL-SPANISH

LINE-UP

Domenico Cirilli will unveil a new, all-Spanish team at the Montenegrin

Grand Prix in Budva and confrmed that Sergio Mora Carrasco will

make his Class 1 debut as his driver. Further details o the team

will be released over the coming weeks, but it is likely that Cirilli and

Carrasco will run the Victory hull that Cirilli raced in 2007, with Scam

V12 power-plants.

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February 2008 n. 2 February 2008 n. 2

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2007 was a season to savour, producing spectacular racing,

bitter conrontation and intense rivalries – as well as some

simply imperious perormances. Three new venues, Athens,

Constanta and Porto Marina added their names to a growing

list o countries looking to host a round o the World’s leading

powerboat series, and all delivered spectacular o-water

entertainment, with boat parades, ashion shows, gala dinners

and rock-concerts providing top class entertainment or the

hundreds o thousands o spectators who turned out to support

Class 1 throughout the season.

The season ended with the crowning o new and well-deserved

WPPA Class 1 World Powerboat Champions, with Victory 77’s Ari

Sai Al Zaeen and Jean-Marc Sanchez becoming respectively

the frst ‘rookie’ and frst Frenchman to lit the coveted Sam

Grifth Trophy. It also marked the end o an era, with Spirit

o Norway’s Bjorn Rune Gjelsten bowing out; in announcing his

retirement rom the sport, he signalled the end o his outstanding

career and his ten-year partnership with Steve Curtis.

There was little to separate the sport’s big three – Victory 77,Spirit o Norway 10 and Qatar 96 – in terms o perormance.

Victory and Spirit shared the race wins – our apiece – and no

matter how hard Qatar 96 pushed, they just ailed to crack the

top spot on their seven visits to the podium.

The title was eectively won and lost in the frst hal o the

season, three wins out o our setting up Victory 77 – and giving

them the European title – as Spirit o Norway 10 managed only

one win and suered two breakdowns, leaving them with too

much to do to retain their crown. But a brilliant second hal to

the season, taking three wins, saw Spirit o Norway 10 clinch

the Middle East Championship. Qatar 96 kept the pressure on

all season long, but a moment o misortune and a problem in

the penultimate race o the season ended their title hopes.

Aside rom the leading protagonists, three outfts produced

strong showings, Qatar 95 and Victory 7 gracing the podium,

as did Negotiator, the only other European outft to do so – all

taking two podiums apiece. Foresti & Suardi grabbed a ourth

on the debut outing o Montavoci and Pennesi together, to

ultimately fnish the season as the top Italian team, with Class

1’s young guns, Tom Barry-Cotter and Pal Virik Nilsen, taking

our top six fnishes in their frst season together. SeveneleveN

started brightly with a top six fnish in Athens, Jotun promised

much but bad luck plagued their season, whilst multiple driver-

changes in Fainplast hindered their progress.

2007 Class 1 World and European Champions

Victory 77 – Arif Saif Al Zafeen/Jean-Marc Sanchez

2007 Class 1 Middle East Champions

Spirit of Norway – Bjorn Rune Gjelsten/Steve Curtis

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EDOX POLE POSITION

The Edox Pole Position produced some edge-

o-the seat qualiying sessions in 2007, but

it was Spirit o Norway’s Bjorn Gjelsten and

Steve Curtis who were the undisputed ‘kings

o speed’ taking seven wins out o seven to

set a new record in Class 1, winning all the

rounds in a season.

2007 Class 1 Edox Pole Position

Champions

Spirit of Norway – Bjorn Rune

Gjelsten/Steve Curtis

NEW LINE-UP FOR JOTUNPer Carsten Michelsen, co-owner and team manager o Ugland Oshore Racing, says he

is extremely optimistic about the team’s prospects or this season; he confrmed a new

line-up in Jotun, with ellow owner Jorn Tandberg maintaining throttle duties and Class

1 newcomer, Norwegian, Inge Brigt Aarbakke and Bjorge Jacobsen sharing the driver’s

seat this year, with Jacobsen on the wheel or the season opener in Doha. The team will

run an improved Mercury Class 1 engine package and has also restructured its on-shore

personnel, bringing in American Jon Maas to t ake over as crew chie.

QATAR TEAM POST FORMIDABLE LINE-UP

The Qatar Team has posted a ormidable line-up or the their assault on the 2008 world

title, with Sheikh Hassan confrming that he will race in Qatar 96 – the ex Spirit o Norway

10 – alongside team ‘newcomer’ and eight times World Champion, Steve Curtis, with

Matteo Nicolini switching to partner Abdullah Al-Sulaiti, with whom he won the Class 3,6

litre World title in 2006. Nicolini and Al-Sulaiti will run last year’s Qatar 96 as 95, with

Nicolini confrming that both boats will run with the Skema V12 powerplants.

beautiul Montenegrin City o Budva is the latest new addition to the

s 1 calendar. “We are delighted that the City o Budva will host a round

e most prestigious nautical event in the world – the WPPA Class 1 World

erboat Championship. This will be the top tourist event o the 2008

on, and the City o Budva has recognised its importance or the promotion

r country,” said Mr. Rajko Kuljača, Mayor o the City o Budva.

NEW VENUE IN 2008

It is a pleasure or me to welcome you all to Doha or the Qatar

Grand Prix, the rst race o the 2008 season. I would like to

take this opportunity to congratulate Saeed Hareb and Raaele

Chiulli on the signing o the agreement o cooperation between

the WPPA and the UIM, which means that ater a ‘year’s leave o

absence’ the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship will again

run under the aegis o the UIM – the World Governing Body o

Powerboat Racing – and will continue to be managed by the

WPPA.

The Championship continues to evolve both commercially,

thanks to the valued support o our partners Edox, Nor-Tech,

Cli & Dune, Marinetek and Moving, as well as geographically,

with a new venue, Budva, Montenegro joining the calendar -

demonstrating the ever increasing interest rom new countries

looking to host a round o this prestigious series.

2007 was a hugely successul year or the Class 1World Powerboat Championship; one o

great excitement and wonderul

entertainment – both on and

o the water – and one that

produced spectacular and

hard-ought racing rom

start to nish, and we can

all look orward with great

excitement to another season

o top-fight competition and

I wish everyone involved

with the Championship a

successul 2008.

heikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani

hairman

ternational Offshore Team Association

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Qatar is simply the perect gateway to the Arabian

Gul and has grown to become a major destination o

discovery or visitors rom all over the world.

Situated on the western shoreline o the Arabian Gul,

Qatar is a country o ascinating contrast with an

abundance o well-preserved natural and historical sites,

with the untamed natural beauty o the desert and miles

o unspoilt beaches bordering the Arabian Sea.

At the heart o this thriving and vibrant country and

built on the shores o a beautiul bay and palm tree-

lined corniche, is its capital city and commercial and

administrative centre, Doha, whose cosmopolitan

spirit strikes a perect balance with its rich cultural

and religious heritage and where the traditional sits

comortably alongside the modern.

Complementing the country’s emergence as a top-ight

business and tourist destination, Doha has also become

a major venue on the international sporting stage,

attracting a diversity o prestigious World Championship

events including Tennis, Moto GP, Powerboat Racing and

World Superbikes and in 2006, Qatar had the honour o

hosting the 15th Asian Games.

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CLASS 1 WORLD POWERBOAT CHAPIONSHIP

1 VICTORY

Team: VICTORY TEAM (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

Boat: # 1 Victory

Pilots: Ari Sai Al Zaeen (D) UAE / Nadir Bin Hendi (T) UAE

Overall Length: 12.67m

Beam: 3.75m

Racing Weight: 4800kgs

Engines: Victory V12

Builder: Victory

Boat Construction: Composites

Technical specifcations:

Team Owner: Government o Dubai

Managing Director: Khalan Harib

Team Manager: Gianranco Venturelli

7 VICTORY

Team: VICTORY TEAM (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

Boat: # 7 Victory

Pilot s: Abdullah Al Mehairbi (D) UAE / Jean-Marc Sanchez (T) France


Beam: 3.75m


Engines: Victory V12

Builder: Victory



Team Owner: Government o Dubai

Managing Director: Khalan Harib

Team Manager: Gianranco Venturelli

8 Foresti & Suardi

Team: VENETA MARINA (Italy)

Boat: # 8 Foresti & Suardi

Pilots: Kolbjorn Selmer (D) Norway / Giampaolo Montavoci (T) Italy

Team Owner: Giampaolo Montavoci

Team Manager: Per Jørgensen


Beam: 3.75m


Engines: Lamborghini-S CAM 8.2litre, V12

Builder: Victory

Boat Construction: Carbon Kevlar Composites


18 SeveneleveN

Team: GIORGIOFFSHOR E (Italy)

Boat: # 18 SeveneleveN

Pilots: Giorgio Manuzzi (D) Italy / Nicola Giorgi (T) Italy

Team Owner / Manager: Gian ni Giorgi


Beam: 3.69m


Engines: GIORGIOFFSHOR E V12

Builder: Victory

Boat Construction: Carbon Kevlar - Epoxy


20

Team: TEAM ONE

Boat: # 20

Pilots: Jerome Brarda (D) France / Lino di Biase (T) Italy

Team Owner: Antonio Monteleone

Team Manager: Lino di Biase


Beam: 3.57m


Engines: Mercury Class 1, 9.1litre

Builder: Tencara



50 Negotiator

Team: CHRIS PARSONAGE RACING (England)

Boat: # 50 Negotiator

Pilots: Bard Eker (D) Norway / Chris Parsonage (T) England

Team Owner: Chris Parsonage

Team Manager: Ben Shearn / Jim Poole


Beam: 3.69m


Engines: Sterling V8 Supercharged

Builder: Victory

Boat Construction: Carbon Fibre Composites


2008 looks set to be one o the most open and ercely contested championship

seasons or almost a decade. Ten boats, with competitors rom England,

France, Italy, Norway, Qatar, Spain and the UAE competing in eight races across

Scandinavia, northern and southern Europe and the Middle East will compete or

the coveted Class 1 World title, and the prospect o a spectacular season’s racing

is uelled by new teams, new driver line-ups and one o the most competitive

feets to line up or many a season.

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CLASS 1

As the ofcial and exclusive timekeeper o the WPPA Class 1 World Powerboat Championship and the EDOX

Pole Position Championship, EDOX underlines the sporting values o quest or perormance, precision and

pushing onesel to the limit.

EDOX frst became involved in Class 1 at the beginning o 2006 as an ofcial partner o World Champions,

Spirit o Norway, and Christian Hotz, EDOX Marketing Director, saw the opportunity to strengthen the

company’s commitment in 2007 to what he describes as a ‘spectacular and nerve-tingling’ sport and to

increase the synergy between the two brands. “EDOX is a young, dynamic, privately-owned company with a

product range that reects excellence, quality, style, reliability and glamour and the Class 1 World Powerboat

Championship epitomizes these values.”

www.edox.ch

EDOX – OFFICIAL TIME KEEPER

As the ofcial clothing supplier or the WPPA

Class 1 World Powerboat Championship,

Cli&Dune provide both the Class 1

organisation and the host venue organisers

with co-branded merchandise and, as part

o the agreement Cli & Dune has obtained

the global rights to market Class 1 branded

apparel, accessories and certain image-

related materials. “We are extremely

excited to associate our emerging luxury

brand with the world o Class 1. This move is

very important to us, and we are convinced

that this partnership will aid us in reaching

discerning clientele on a more global basis

as we migrate our business rom a bespoke

to a 'made-to-order' and 'exclusive limited-

edition' model," said Cli & Dune’s Celestina

Silva.

www.clidune.com

CLIFF&DUNE

OFFICIAL

CLOTHING

MARINETEK – OFFICIAL PONTOON

As one o the leading marina developers in the world oering a wide range o pontoons and breakwaters as well as

"turn-key" marina solutions, Marinetek operates through its representatives and partners in over 25 countries and has

been the supplier to the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship, providing its oats or the Wet Pits area since 2003.

“There is a perect synergy between Class 1 and our products,” said Marinetek, CEO, Ilkka Seppala. “The saety and

advanced technology o our products were evaluated and are highly regarded by Class 1’s team o specialists.”

www.marinetek.net

NOR-TECH

OFFICIAL PACE BOAT

America’s leading high-perormance boat manuacturer

provides the WPPA Class 1 World Powerboat

Championship with a state-o-the-art, twin-engined, fve-

seater Nor-Tech 3600 Supercat, powered by the new CE

approved Mercury 600 with NXT drives and the latest

Nor-Tech stealth exhaust system. “We are delighted

to have teamed up with the world’s leading powerboat

championship,” said Trond Schou, President and owner

o Nor-Tech. “Nor-Tech has the most complete line o

custom products o any hi-perormance builder in the

industry and our partnership with Class 1 will allow us to

showcase our products on a worldwide stage.”

www.nor-techboats.com

TIMING

Moving provides all the services necessary to

companies wishing to promote their brand or

their products using dynamic advertising. Its

exible structure is made up o proessionals

who have always worked in this area and

thereore act with good knowledge o the

environment and its problems. Moving does

not limit itsel merely to organising promotional

events, but is able to assist with design and

planning, drawing ideas rom its vast range

o experience. The studies and investigations

which are carried out on a daily basis enable

the company to put orward concrete proposals

which are tailored or the target audience.

www.moving-italia.com

MOVING

OFFICIAL PARTNER


90 Jotun

Team: UGLAND OFFSHORE RACING (Norway)

Boat: # 90 Jotun

Pilots: Bjorge Jacobsen (D) Norway / Jorn Tandberg (T) Norway

Team Owners: Andreas O Ugland, Jorn H Tandberg, Per C Michelsen

Team Manager: Per Carsten Michelsen


Beam: 3.47m


Engines: Mercury Class 1, 9.1litre V8

Builder: Marine Technology Inc



95 Qatar

Team: QATAR TEAM (Qatar)

Boat: # 95 Qatar

Pilots: Abdullah Al-Sulaiti (D) Qatar / Matteo Nicolini (T) Italy

Team Owner: Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF)

Team Principal: HE Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani

Team Manager: Matteo Nicolini


Beam: 3.75m


Engines: SKEMA V12

Builder: Victory



96 Qatar

Team: QATAR TEAM (Qatar)

Boat: # 96 Qatar

Pilots: HE Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani (D) Qatar / Steve Curtis (T) England

Team Owner: Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF)

Team Principal: HE Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani

Team Manager: Matteo Nicolini


Beam: 3.75m


Engines: SKEMA V12

Builder: Victory



88

Team: DUEMME BROKER (Spain)

Boat: #88

Pilots: Sergio Mora Carrasco (D) Spain / Domenico Cirilli (T) Spain

Team Owner/Manage r: Domeni co Cirilli


Beam: 3.75m


Engines: Lamborghini-SC AM 8.2litre, V12

Builder: Victory

Boat Construction: Carbon Kevlar Composites


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TIMETABLE

Thursday, 28 February 08.00 - 18.00 Fuel Available09.00 - 18.00 Cranage available09.00 - 12.00 Administration/Registration09.00 - 12.00 Technical Scrutineering10.30 – 11.00 Team Managers’ Briefng12.00 - 14.00 Class 1 Ofcial Practice (on racecourse)18.30 – 19.00 Drivers’ Briefng19.00 - 21.00 Opening Ceremony and Ofcial Dinner Friday, 29 February 08.00 - 20.00 Fuel available

08.00 - 18.00 Cranage Available10.30 - 12.00 Class 1 Ofcial Practice(on racecourse, incl. long lap)

12.30 – 13.30 Class 3 Ofcial Practice15.00 – 16.15 EDOX POLE POSITION

Saturday, 1 March 08.00 – 18.00 Cranage Available09.00 – 10.00 Class 3 Ofcial Practice10.00 – 11.30 Class 1 Ofcial Practice(on racecourse, incl. long lap)

12.30 – 13.30 Class 3 Race14.00 All boats must be launched in wet pits14.50 Pits Close15.00 QATAR GRAND PRIX

Followed by podium presentation

QATAR GRAND PRIX - DOHA28 FEBRUARY / 1 MARCH 2008

Round 1 o the CLASS 1 WORLD POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP Round 1 o the CLASS 1 MIDDLE EAST CHAMPIONSHIP

RACE MAP

Start Lap 5.09 Nm

5.09 Nm

4.70 Nm

First Lap + 17 Race Laps + 2 Long Laps

95.17 Nm

F – X – X1 – X2 – B – B1 – C – C1 - D – D1 – E – E1 – E2 - F

Start Gate (F – Y5) – X – X1 – X2 – B – B1 – C – C1 - D – D1 – E – E1 – E2 - F

F – A – A1 – A2 - B – B1 – C – C1 – D – D1 – E – E1 – E2 – F

Race Lap

Long Lap

Nigel Quilter tel:+44(0)1252 713223 / mob:+44(0)7785 [email protected] / [email protected] / www.class-1.com

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:

QATAR / Doha

MONTENEGRO / Budva

NORWAY /Arendal

ROMANIA / Constanta

EGYPYT / Porto Sokhna

BAHRAIN / (reserve date)

U.A.E. / Dubai

U.A.E. / Dubai

1 March

25 May

20 July

31 August

18 October

7 November

29 November

6 December

February 2008 n. 2

NEXT RACE - BUDVA, MONTENEGRO 23-25 MAY

TIMING

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