The 2016 XCAT World Series ends in silence, after losing three of the final four races, assigning the title in an event not even covered by media.
Has anybody realized that thed, the very offshore championship that many (including us) deemed to be the future of powerboating, has just raced the last 2016 event in Abu Dhabi? I believe it’s been very few people, excluding hardcore fans and relatives of the drivers, and some friends of Sergio Abrami – UIM safety officer – who informed his friends through social media while traveling.
XCAT World Series: the win is for Victory Team
The win of Victory Team is not even a news as, after the cancellation of the South Korea and China races, and even of the last one in Dubai, Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir Bin Hendi had already clinched the title on the paper, thanks to their wins in the first three races. Yes, just three, as the 2016 XCAT World Series consisted of just four events: three in the UAE (Fujairah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi) and one in Lugano, Switzerland. You really call it a World Series? It seems the reason behind such a poor end is in the huge dismissals from the Dubai Skeikh (XCAT promoters are from Dubai) after he discovered many failures in public offices. This implied budget cuts for many State-funded activities and XCAT organization (through the WPPA) was one of them. This can explain a scaled-down championship, although not to such extent as we have just seen.
For the records, winners of last race are the Dubai second crew of Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali, who take the runner-up stage of the podium even in the Championship. Third place in Abu Dhabi goes to the Italian Giovanni Carpitella with the local Ahmed al Hameli. Beside some irony in telling the facts, we have a very bitter taste in mouth as one more powerboating championship ends in a farce. Class 1 Offshore has raced in one (one!) venue this year, with a 3-day race in Abu Dhabi, although the website reports a sad “no news available”. Real offshore races like the Italian Viareggio-Bastia-Viareggio or the Pavia-Venezia live just in our memories, while the only events worth a mention are probably the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes with the UK organizers holding it every year, although with not the newest hulls, and the Key West appointment in USA. Maybe it’s because I worked with Mauro Ravenna and I remember our difficulties in packing 40 Class 1 boats on the dry pits in Saint Tropez or Viareggio. Still, this powerboating is really sad and – much worse – it has no perspectives.
