December 2nd, we had another day full of emotions at Fujairah International Marine Club for Race 2 of the 2021 XCAT World Championship. 

Just after the start, the race was red-flagged, so the competition was shortened to 15 laps instead of 16. The battle for the leadership was fierce and the top four boats kept fighting for the whole race, with a spectacular head-to-head battle between boat no. 5 (Abu-Dhabi Team) and boat no. 6 driven by Tomaso Polli and Matteo Nicolini.

At the finish line, the team of Shaun Torrente and Faleh Al Mansoori (Abu Dhabi Team, boat no. 4) had a double privilege: winning the race and getting the chequered flag waved by H.H. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Sharqi himself. What a blast!

Finishing 2nd, the Dubai Police Team with their boat no.3 preceded the Abu-Dhabi Team with boat no.5. However, an incorrect procedure during the long lap resulted in a 30 seconds penalty for boat no.5 and therefore the third step of the podium went to the next classified boat: no.6 driven by Polli/Nicolini. After taking into account the penalty, the final classification was:

1st) Abu Dhabi 4
2nd) Dubai Police
3rd) The Six
4th) Abu Dhabi 5

Another great day of XCAT action came to a conclusion, and we look forward to experiencing another adrenaline fuelled day tomorrow, with the long awaited Fujairah Speed CAT Challenge.

Text & Photo Credits: UIM XCAT World Championship