It’s fair to say that just recently there has been more drama played out onshore than off it at the UIM XCat World Championships.
PRW is well aware of the modern-day insatiable appetite for controversy but what we don’t want to see is all that drama over-shadow the positive aspects of the sport such as the welcome return of Pål Virik Nilsen after his battle with cancer or stand out performances by the British team who secured the UK’s best ever XCat result with a superb second place last Saturday.
Team GB Throttleman Scott Williams said
It was a great weekend for us. The rough water conditions really worked in our favour, and we were chuffed with second place in the first race. Sundays was even rougher, and we started really well. Then on the third lap we lost the trim control on one engine and rather than push for a podium finish we opted for a finish to collect more points. Fifth overall for the new team is a great start to this year’s series.
Martin Campbell, the team’s driver spoke about the weekend
I was blown away with a second-place finish. When we raced here just before Christmas it was the start of a steep learning curve for me. Then when you realise that there are teams here who have never been on the podium it just goes to show what a brilliant result it was. Sunday saw that once again we were right up there until engine problems. Now we are leaving the UAE holding fifth place in the world championships, plus it’s great knowing there is still a lot to play for this season.
Team Manager Shelley Jory-Leigh certainly rolled up her sleeves and put a shift in
To have achieved the best result in XCat for a British team makes me enormously proud. As a former racer I know how tough it is out there on the course.
Now as a Team Manager in XCat World Championship you need a different kind of strength because it’s quite demanding but worth it when it all comes together which it certainly has this weekend in Fujairah.
The team are now relaxing at a beach club before heading back to the UK and will be looking forward to the next rounds of the 2022 UIM XCat World Series the double header taking place on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia in mid-June.
