Power play

Porto Marina played host to round five of the WPPA Class 1 World Powerboat Championship, reports Mohamed El-Sayed

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They flocked to Porto Marina to view speed and power

Perhaps it was the novelty of the powerboat race in Egypt that attracted thousands of local spectators, let alone foreigners, to watch the first event of its kind performed in Egyptian waters. Or maybe they were driven by the passion of seeing what is one of the most expensive sports in the world, the preserve of the ultra rich.

Hosted by what is arguably the North Coast's most luxurious resort, Porto Marina, the Class 1 Powerboat Championship kicked off to the excitement of an audience which flocked from across the country. Dubbed the Egyptian Grand Prix, the race was the fifth round of the WPPA Class 1 Powerboat Championship and the first round of the WPPA Class 1 Middle East Championship. With 11 teams from eight countries -- Australia, England, France, Italy, Norway, Qatar, Spain and the UAE -- are competing in eight races across Scandinavia, southern Europe and the Middle East.

Before the fifth round started in Egypt, Middle East teams Victory 77 of the Emirates and Qatar 96 dominated the first half of the season. They kept their European rivals off the podium at three out of the four races. This round, however, the Spirit of Norway's Bjorn Gjelsten and Steve Curtis overcame rough conditions to produce an extraordinary victory in 46.08,81 after 18 laps. The Qatar 96 team came in second place with 46.08.45, and the Victory 77 team of the Emirates finished third with 46.50,48. However, the results did not change the world championship standings. Victory 77 remains on top with 93 points, and Qatar 96 in second place with 75 points, and Spirit of Norway in third place with 69 points.

With three rounds to be held in other Middle Eastern countries (one in Qatar on 17 November, and two in the UAE on 1 and 8 December) the world title is still very much up for grabs.

"It was one of the most difficult, yet most interesting, races held in the history of this championship," said Said Hareb, chairman of the World Professional Powerboating Association. "It was a real powerboat race thanks to the difficult sea conditions and high waves," Hareb added.

Highest levels of safety for racers who drive their boats at a speed of 160km per hour was the preoccupation of the organisers. As such, the race was shifted from the shallow waters of the resort to the deep blue sea. Also, six rescue boats and three helicopters were roaming to ensure the highest levels of safety.

"With nine teams providing 11 boats and a number of the talented drivers making their Class 1 debuts, this championship is one of the most enthralling and closely contested races in recent years," said Mansour Amer, chairman of Amer Group, the organiser of the event.

Perhaps only a few Egyptians are acquainted with the Class 1 World Powerboat Championship or the sport in general. Powerboat racing features fit drivers competing with 42ft powerboats, weighing five tons and powered by two 900hp engines at perilous speeds exceeding 160mph in unpredictable conditions.

It was long distance offshore powerboat races, such as the one in Miami-Nassaur, Cowes- Torquay-Cowes Classic, and Viareggio-Bastia- Viareggio, that initially brought the sport of offshore powerboat racing to the public's attention. It was in 1964 that Class 1 was officially sanctioned by the Union International Motonautique (UIM), the world's governing body of waterborne motor sports.

Speeds have altered beyond recognition since powerboat racing first came into existence. However, it evolved from 34-foot, 21hp wooden mono-hulls of the 1950s with an average speed of 20mph into a modern 42-foot, twin-engine, 900hp carbon Kevlar composite catamarans that are capable of exceeding speeds of 160mph.

Not only have the last 30 years seen an evolution in the technical side of the sport, but there has been a complete reconstruction of the overall make-up of the championship, with it becoming a more international event. In the early years, it was commonplace for teams to field two boat entries, competing in as many as 18 races at venues across America, Australia, South Africa, Sweden, France, Italy and the UK. Even with the financial austerity of the sport affecting the championship in the 80s, the number of competing nations continued to increase to include Argentina, Brazil, Finland, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Monaco, New Zealand and Norway. The championship reverted to a multi-event competition in 1992 and in the following years the diversity of nationalities claiming the World Drivers' Championship swelled in numbers to include America, Great Britain, Italy, Monaco, Norway, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Since the Class 1 Championship was established, 14 championships have been won by Americans, 12 by Italians, six by competitors from the UAE, seven by a Briton, five by Norwegians, and one each by representatives from Brazil, Monaco and Saudi Arabia. Five champions have won their crowns as novices in their first season in Class 1 racing and only three drivers and throttle-men partnerships have managed back to back titles (Bonomi/Powers in 1973-4, S Al Tayer/Serrales in 1995-6 and Gjelsten/Curtis in 2002-3).

Not surprisingly, no Egyptian racer took place in the showpiece event given the extremely high cost of the game (a powerboat costs from $1.5 million to $11 million). Evidently, only the multimillionaires can afford to buy one, let alone shoulder the cost of practicing and travelling around the world.

Most of the spectators took souvenir pictures as they stood next to the boats on display. They will probably continue taking pictures during the next four rounds to be played over the coming four years in the same resort.