Water conditions look to be relatively flat with a slight chop and a light North Easterly breeze as final preparation are taking place on the eve of the great race.

It’s the final day for any major changes or rearranges and the teams are going full throttle in preparation for the big race which begins tomorrow.

Nadir Bin Hendi driver of the Dubai based Victory Team said,

I am curious to see how the new Mercury 4-Stroke engines will perform in fresh water.

He also commented that the flatter conditions, the extra weight load that the boat will carry and the fact that the boat will be sitting lower in the water due to the new heavier Mercury Engines will be an interesting test for the team, but is sure it will not pose for anything to worry about as they prepare for their first run at Lake Lugano.

He expressed that whole team is very confident, are at the top of their game and he looks forward to an exciting competitive race.

The latest addition to join the The Xcat Series is New Star, they are very excited to be competing in their first race on the beautiful Lake Lugano.

The team has a very experienced Crew Chief Mr Trevor Chantler who was formerly with Victory Team for 17yrs.

According to Chantler, he is confident with the Teams New Driver Mikhail Kitashev from Russia who will join Shaun Torrente in Lugano.

Chantler said,

The Boat is ready to go, we are only doing the final checks, we will know more about the boat and what we need to tweak after our first run on Friday.

New Star will be running on a 2-Stroke set up making the boat lighter.

After a brilliant performance in in the UAE city of Fujairah Team Australia is motivated and ready for an extremely competitive race.

They Feel the race will be fast with conditions flat.

The course is longer than what the team is typically used with many twists and turns but Lars Inge Graver says,

they are confident in doing very well in any conditions.

After a serious scuffle at the Fujairah race which lead to the teams boat rolling, Lars said that the boat was repaired to the highest standards and running before it left the UAE with the tremendous help of JT and Vladimir and the rest of the crew.

The team is confident that the boat is in peak condition and ready for action, they look for forward to giving the other teams a run for their money.

All the real fun starts tomorrow where the Official Practice Run will be held at approx. 15:00 CET then a fabulous Boat Parade in the center of town finishing up with a Welcoming Party.

The post Final preperations for XCAT GP on Lake Lugano appeared first on Powerboat Racing World.

It wil host the third round of the 2016 UIM XCAT World Series which will most certainly provide as much if not more excitement and competitiveness than previous events. We should expect faster lap times, higher surface speeds as lake conditions are flatter as opposed to offshore racing which will provide more prop bite and thrust on the new longer shaft Mercury 4 Strokes.

The city (Lugano) is one of the most beautiful European cities as it is located at the northern end of Lake Lugano, which is surrounded by numerous mountains that offer spectacular views. It is characterized by Italian style buildings and multiple gardens with subtropical plants such as Baku Civico Belvedere. The City offers a busy city center with Musems, Resturants hotels and bars, there is something for everyone.

MARCO BORRADORI MAYOR OF LUGANO says,

The wonderful context of Ceresio and its shores will be the setup for a great sport event for the Powerboating UIM XCAT World Series, which comes to Lugano for the third stage of the 2016 season. The bravery and courage of the drivers, matched to the technical perfection and exceptional performance of the catamarans, will be the main ingredients for spectacular and exciting races.

He also added that this sport event, watched on TV by millions of spectators, is an important showcase for our City around the world, not only for the beautiful location but also for the services it can provide in any sphere.

Essa Khalfan bin Kharbash Vice President of WPPA thanked and showed his appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, He said the great support, creativity and enthusiasm of UAE Nationals in their relevant professional fields have made this magnificent sports event famous around the world.

Mr Kharbash noted that the vision and plan for the event in Switzerland came to reality through the hard work and support from the primary partners and sponsors of the WPPA’s Global Network which include X Dubai, Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Emaar Properties, Dubai Duty Free (DDF), Dubai Sports Channel (Media Partner) and Mercury Racing (technical supporter).

Mr Khabash also thanks the whole WPPA and UIM Team Members for all their hard work behind the scenes to ensure a smooth successful event. Mr Khabash added by saying that everyone at the WPPA is working hard to expand the tournament to new heights, to increase audience and interest in one of the world most exciting sports not only in the UAE where the concept was born but to the whole world.

The WPPA (World Professional Powerboating Association) is thrilled to be racing in Switzerland for the first time and are also pleased to be playing their part in promoting an environmentally friendly series with the use of new, reduced-emissions four-stroke engines (Mercury XCAT ROS 400 engines).

The WPPA is proud of The XCAT World Series continues to grow from strength to strength, with TV coverage reaching absolutely unprecedented levels as fans around the world can’t get enough of XCAT action.

Lugano Switzerland is preparing to host 14 International Teams to arrive who are eager to set some new records, increase their overall World Ranking with the Victory Team’s Nadir bin Hendi together with Arif Al Zaffain will be hunting for their 3rd win in the series so far.

The weather is forecast to be wet and cloudy, the drivers are not taking anything for granted and are hoping for fast, flat racing around the new circuit at Lake Lugano.

The post Adrenalin builds for the very first XCAT Race on Lake Lugano appeared first on Powerboat Racing World.