VICTORY TEAM READY FOR ROUND 4 AND LOOKING TO STEAL THE LEAD

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Marking the halfway point of the UIM Class 1 World Offshore Championship, the Scandinavian Grand Prix held in the Norwegian capital of Oslo (10^th - 11^th of August), looks set to be a battle of titanic proportions when it powers off today with the Pole Position at 14:30 Norwegian time.

Defending European Championship, Ali Nasser and Ali Al Qama in Victory 7, are hoping for a win this weekend that will put them ahead of Spirit of Norway, and give them their second consecutive European Championship title. Saeed H. Al-Tayer and Mohammed Al Marri in Victory 1, will be looking at this weekend’s race to catch up on points and put any ideas of them relinquishing the World title firmly aside with a fast and furious race to the top spot on Sunday.

Although the season has so far been a mostly 3-boat battle, the chasing pack are expected to put in a fighting bid that may well prove an upset for leaders. And if reports of better performance during testing is any thing to go by, top runners may well have their work cut out for them.

Yesterdays testing of the boats the day before a race is a prerequisite if you want to bring home the trophy. A pre-race shake down gives the crews and the drivers a chance to check the performance of their boats and ensure that all is running well. Any last minute potential engine problems will hopefully show up at this stage and then it is up to the crews back in the pits to have it fixed before the drop of the green flag come race day. With the race venues changing from country to country and sea conditions proving unpredictable, the drivers can also use this opportunity to help choose a propeller size and gear ratio if conditions remain the same for the next day.

One team that will be grateful for the chance of yesterdays testing will be Jotun. Stand in driver for Jann Hilstad, Randy Scism yesterday experienced steering difficulties that could have proved disastrous for today’s 2.5 Nm pole position race. Whilst running at a slow speed, the red boat lost control of steering on the left side and collided with a moored ship. Luckily, damage proves to be repairable to the front of the unfortunate boat and they are hopeful for a good result today.

Highlander will be hoping to repeat their performance during today’s pole position run that saw them come in with the second fastest time in Plymouth last month and a 4^th place in the overall pole championship standings.

In the Victory Team camp, testing shows them ready for Heat 4 where they are currently holding in 2^nd and 3^rd place in both the Pole Position and the W.O.C race standings. With so few mechanical problems plaguing the Dubai team, Saeed H. Al Tayer, throttleman for Victory 1 and current World Champion commented on their reliability. “We are fortunate that we have both the facilities and the skilled personal to rebuild our engines in house and after every race. But we are also fortunate that we have had the good luck to go with it, as that also comes into play.” Smiled Al-Tayer. Set to clinch their first Grand Prix win of the season, the Dubai duo will be the ones to watch out for in their determination to take the lead this weekend and retain the title.

With the European Championship decider this weekend announcing the halfway point in the series, the question seems to be, will Spirit relinquish their lead, will Victory haul back the points necessary to get back in first place running and will Jotun finally break their spell of bad luck and gain some points. Who can say in the unpredictable world of offshore; but one thing you can be sure of, Heat 4 will have the 11 boats out on the Nordic waters with all guns blazing in a formidable fight to clinch the title and the cup.