Turkish Grand Prix Proves Spirit Determined for 2002 Title, Victory 7 Take 2nd Place 

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In a race that will long be remembered for its dramatic dueling action, Victory Team threw down the gauntlet to challengers for their title, Spirit of Norway, and double dared them to notch up their 4^th consecutive win during the Turkish Grand Prix. They answered, as they have for the last four races, with a first place finish on the podium. “It was a great race out there today, and we really enjoyed the course.” said a jubilant Steve Curtis, throttleman for Spirit of Norway. “Although we hold the lead, we are still wary of Victory Team as all it will take is a mistake from us at this point and they will be right there. We are certainly looking to be careful during the upcoming rounds.”

Coming in with a second place finish past the chequred flag (and in the championship race series), Ali Nasser and Ali Al Qama in Victory 7 hopes of rough seas were dashed with relatively calm conditions proving less then ideal for their pre-race propeller selection and boat set up. A tough course to race on for the big blue boat that favors rougher and longer runs, the tight turns and short laps saw the Dubai pairing put up a formidable fight to catch 1^st place and gain the much needed points.

With the drop of the green flag, a total of 25,000 horse power unleashed itself off the Southern coast of Turkey in front of an estimated 1 million spectators. Off to a flying start it was the two Victory boats who were in the lead in their bid to gain the advantage on what turned out to be a grueling 60 minutes of hard riding rough rivalry between the leading boats. In the end the first and vital race to the buoy went to Victory 1; though from there Victory Team’s ambitions for a first place on the podium came to an unlucky conclusion into the 2^nd buoy.

After leading from the start, current World Champions in Victory 1, Saeed H. Al-Tayer and Mohammed Al Marri were disastrously cut off coming into the second turn buoy by red boat Jotun. As if once wasn’t enough, again they suffered in the form of a complete white wash when they were hit with blinding spray coming into the third buoy. Already forced to a stop during the first cut off, the second spray proved too much and they were put into 5^th place. Despite a truly heroic effort that saw them go from 5^th and finally tailing and nearly catching Riviera, they had to make do with their second ousting from the top three with a 4^th place finish; though they still hold in 3^rd place in the overall championship.

Riviera ’s flirtation with podium placings turned into a double date as they notched up their second consecutive podium visit with yesterday’s third place finish. Pre-race, the Aussies battle looked to be with the red boat Jotun, but with the opening lap they proved that their sights were set much higher, on the top gunners in the championship.

GFN Gibellato proved that their run of consistency was no mere fluke as they confirmed themselves to be one of the few boats in the series to run glitch free. They finished with a 7^th place yesterday that puts them in a commendable 5^th place in the championship.

With ambitions for 6^th place in the championship on the minds of the two highly competitive boats- Jotun and Damas- there was a spasmodic dogfight from the two rivals that lasted till the final climax of the race. In the end it was Jotun that finally emerged the victor, although at times it proved excruciatingly close.

Landing the first punch in the second start group, it was Damas who took home a 6^th place finish yesterday. The move puts them in 7^th place in the overall championship standings, 4 points ahead of ECS lying in 6^th.

Highlander again failed to finish in what must have been a disappointing realization for the Italian Edoardo Polli and Renny Harlin. With three retirements and a non start under his belt, the Italian may well have witnessed any hopes of a championship placing die with technical problems during lap 3. Highlander now stands in 12^th and last place, behind Roscioli and Binautica sharing equal 10^th place.

The Turkish Grand prix signaled the second half to the UIM Class One Offshore Championship and a time for the competitors to mark their intentions if they wish to stay in the running for the sports ultimate prize in October.

Next stop on the powerboat calendar, Fujairah , United Arab Emirates where the soaring temperatures are expected to match the blistering pace that is expected from the 11 boats in their chase for the championship title.