COCOA BEACH, Florida: Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al Thani replaced Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and sat alongside Italian throttleman Matteo Nicolini to steer Spirit of Qatar 613 to second position in a thrilling Superboat Unlimited race at the 5th Space Coast Super Boat Grand Prix off Cocoa Beach in Florida yesterday.
The Spirit of Qatar 613 pairing became embroiled in a stunning duel with American arch rivals, Marc Granet and Scott Begovich, in Miss Geico 113 and the pair traded turns, momentum and rooster tails for 11 of the 13 laps, before Granet edged in front of a slowing Qatar boat over the closing two laps to reach the chequered flag in first position.
Qatar’s Ali Al Neama and American throttleman Billy Moore were entered in the hotly contested Superboat category and reached the finish in third position after a solid performance. Victory fell to J R Noble and Mark Kowalski in Team Stihl US-1. They were pushed all the way by early leaders WHM Motorsports.
“It was a fantastic race to be a part of, but the engines kept switching into ‘guardian mode’ at crucial times, especially after the fourth lap and, every time we wanted to push a little harder, we did not have the power at the crucial time,” said Sheikh Hassan, president of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) and driver of Spirit of Qatar 613.
“We backed off a little over the last two laps, but we are delighted with the progress the team has made,” Sheikh Hassan said.
“We will assess the engine data and make sure that this boat is ready for Nasser to drive in Sarasota,” Sheikh Hassan explained.
“He will love these engines. As far as the turbine boat is concerned, we are on track and should have the engines ready in the coming week or so to ensure that Steve (Curtis) and I are raring to go in Al-Adaa’am 96 for Sarasota,” he added.
Qatari rally driver/boat racer Al Attiyah was forced to miss the race after deciding to continue his rallying challenge for the 2014 FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies at the Pharoans Rally in Egypt.
The second of the day’s two races featured Superboat and Superboat Unlimited entrants, who were set to tackle 13 laps of the 5.5-mile course for a total race distance of 71.5 miles.
Blustery conditions were prevalent with winds on the Atlantic coast ranging from 18-22mph and blowing from an east-south-easterly direction.
Sheikh Hassan lined up with Matteo Nicolini in the twin-1650 Mercury-engined Victory hull, Spirit of Qatar 613, to take on Lucas Oil Silverhook 77 and arch rivals, Granet and Begovich, in the Superboat Unlimited class.
Ali Al-Neama and Billy Moore entered Spirit of Qatar 20 in the Superboat class alongside US-1 Team Stihl, 05 Broadco, 5 WHM Motorsports, 33 Autonation-Racing for Cancer and 38 Warpaint, with Instigator 22 the sole entrant in Superboat Extreme. THE PENINSULA
