ABU DHABI // Team Abu Dhabi can secure their first UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship title this weekend if John Tomlinson and Gary Ballough win the penultimate race of the season in the capital on Thursday.
With 20 points up for grabs for the race winner, Tomlinson and Ballough, in the No 6 boat, hold a 16-point cushion over teammates Majid Al Mansoori and Rashid Al Tayer in the No 5 boat, who will be looking to secure the runners-up position outright in the championship.
They are tied for second with the T-Bone Station’s Italian crew of Luca Formilli Fendi and Giovanni Carpitella. Dubai’s Victory Team partnership of Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir bin Hendi, the defending world champions, are just two points further adrift.
With the final race of the 2015 Class 1 campaign following on Friday, the two Team Abu Dhabi crews know any mistakes could still produce a late change in fortunes, and they are determined to make it a 1-2 championship finish to the season.
Six boats take part in the Class 1 championship, with the V1 championship also reaching its conclusion as four monohull boats from Belgium, England, Malta, and Italy tackle a course off Lulu Island.
Spectators at the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club will be able to watch the racing from a specially erected grandstand and have the chance to win a range of raffle prizes.
These will include air tickets from Team Abu Dhabi sponsors and official carrier, Etihad Airways.
The first of two Class 1 races gets under way at 3.30pm tomorrow and the second starts at the same time on Friday. They will be preceded by pole position races starting at 10.30am tomorrow and 11am on Friday.
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