Arif al Zafeen and Nadir bin Hendi, the reigning world champions, laid down an early marker in the UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship by posting the fastest time yesterday in the first official practice for the Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi. The Victory Team crew set the pace and mastered the tricky conditions and gusting winds across the course in front of the Abu Dhabi Corniche to post a time of 2mins 58.26secs, the fastest of the afternoon.
They were the only team to break the three-minute mark and their time was four seconds clear of their rivals.
Less than two seconds separated the next four teams in their wake, with Team Abu Dhabi driver Rashed al Tayer - Race 1 winner in Abu Dhabi last year - the second fastest with a time of 3mins 02.20secs.
John Tomlinson, his regular throttleman, did not arrive in the country until last night so he went out with XCat throttleman Majid Al Mansouri.
The stand-out performance of the afternoon belonged to Ugur Isik and Christian Zaborowski.
Racing together for the first time, and marking Isik's return to racing in Class 1 for the first time in over a decade, the Relekta crew got quicker by the lap to go third fastest in 3mins 02.05secs.
Having spent the past two weeks in Abu Dhabi all but rebuilding their two boats, the Spirit of Qatar Team made an understandably measured return to the championship. Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor al Thani and Steve Curtis posted the fourth fastest time of 3mins 03.20secs, with Class 1 newcomer Ali al Neama and Matteo Nicolini, sixth in 3mins 05.18secs.
With their new Outerlimits boat in Italy, Fendi Racing's Luca Formilli Fendi and Giovanni Carpitella, running the Victory boat that ironically took them out of Race 2 here last year, split the Qatar boats.
Maintaining their partnership that closed-out the 2010 season but switching roles, with Nicolo Giorgi taking the wheel and Tomaso Polli on the throttles, the MITI pairing finished seventh ahead of Parsonage Racing's new pairing, Giorgio Manuzzi and Pal Virik Nilsen.
It was a frustrating afternoon for Poliform and Welmax with both teams sidelined with technical problems.
Ten rival boats are taking part in the first two rounds of the world championships, which take place today and tomorrow on a course off Lulu Island.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
