SARASOTA, Florida: Qatar’s Ali Al Neama and Mohammed Al Nasser finished third in the Superboat class in yesterday’s race on a 5.3-mile course at the 29th Annual Suncoast Super Boat Grand Prix Festival at Sarasota in Florida.
The Spirit of Qatar 20 crew held fourth in the unofficial points standings behind WHM Motorsports, Team Stihl and JD Byrider before Sarasota and moved closer to JD Byrider in third after this excellent podium finish.
Team Stihl’s Robert Noble and Grant Bruggemann led from the start to record a sensational victory in the Superboat class from WHM Motorsports’ Billy Mauff and Jay Muller, as the two boats pulled clear of their rivals in the Superboat points standings.
Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani, president of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), and British throttleman Steve Curtis were not able to make the start of the race in their new turbine boat, Al Adaa’am 96, after a fuel leak was reportedly discovered on the new boat.
The stunning new race craft was in the pits over race weekend alongside Miss Mary Mac, but further work is required before the Mystic boat, which is powered by Whispering turbine engines, is ready for its race debut and ongoing competition.
Heavy rain and unsafe conditions on the Ohio River meant that racing at the Madison Regatta, round three of the 2013 H1 Unlimited Championship, for the Lucas Oil Indiana Governor’s Cup race was cancelled.
Therefore, Kip Brown was not able to take to the water in Spirit of Qatar 95 and attempt to close the gap on Jimmy Shane and Steve David in the H1 National High Points’ standings.
THE PENINSULA
