ABU DHABI: First blood in this year’s three-race UIM World Class 1 Powerboat Championship fell to Victory 3’s Arif Saif Al-Zafeen and Nadir Bin Hendi, after Tuesday’s opening Grand Prix laid on by the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC) off the Abu Dhabi breakwater.
Team Abu Dhabi 6’s John Tomlinson and Gary Ballough played their lap strategy in a canny fashion, but could not match the Dubai crew on this occasion, slowed toward the end and reached the chequered flag 1min 50.33sec behind their arch rivals, who take a five-point advantage into the second race on Thursday afternoon.
Italian Giovanni Carpitella and England’s Ian Blacker belied their lack of experience together to produce a solid performance to claim third overall. A late engine change meant that Rashed Al-Tayer and Majed Al-Mansoori missed the start in Team Abu Dhabi 5 and plans to join the race after the start lap were thwarted when the work took a lot longer than scheduled. It was a disappointing start to the race week for the local crew.
Nico Huybens and Daniel Cramphorn battled against the clock to prepare the unbranded Aquasport for the opening race. Badged and raced as Maritimo 12 by Peter McGrath and Giorgio Manuzzi in 2009 and then used by Zabo Racing for several seasons, Aquasport 99 eventually missed the opening race, although the crew will be in action over the next three days.
Team Abu Dhabi is sponsored by Etihad Airways and runs under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al-Nahyan, adviser to the head of state and chairman of the board of directors of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC).
Race 1
Victory 3 started in pole position from Team Abu Dhabi 6 and Relekta and the run out to the opening turn buoy would be crucial for the three starters after the original start was red-flagged. Victory stole the advantage and began to pull away down the back straight to take a 5.43-second lead into lap two. Relekta began to fall behind the leading duo.
Both 6 and 91 played the lap strategy on the subsequent tour and Victory’s lead grew to 28.29 seconds. Relekta was now a long way adrift with a misfiring engine, as Tomlinson and Ballough fell 46.25 seconds behind their Dubai rivals. The gap fell to 18.87 seconds after Victory 3 took the longer lap.
Victory went ‘long’ again on lap five and Team Abu Dhabi closed the gap to just 2.46 seconds to set up a thrilling duel to the chequered flag.
Team Abu Dhabi 5 was lowered into the water the first time just as Victory complete its sixth lap and the crew extended their lead over Team Abu Dhabi 6 to 9.3 seconds. The pendulum was swinging in the Dubai crew’s favor.
Team Abu Dhabi’s team manager Randy Scism decided against putting the number five boat into action because it was too late to score race points (70% of race distance needs to be completed) and mechanics worked at the pontoon to check the engine for Wednesday. By the start of lap eight, Victory’s lead was still nine seconds and it grew to 12.11 seconds after lap nine.
Team Abu Dhabi 6 slowed noticeably over the closing laps and Victory was able to reach the chequered flag with a winning margin of 1min 50.33sec, with Relekta a distant third and lapped by Victory 3 meters from the flying finish.
Pole Position – race 1
Victory 3 was first on to the water for the one-hour of qualifying and the Dubai crew opened their account with a lap of 2min 48.155sec before returning to the pontoon. Al-Tayer and Al-Mansoori ran for three circuits with a best time of 2min 54.866sec and then Tomlinson and Ballough ran a three-lap stint with each lap considerably faster than the other.
They thought they had done enough to claim pole with the fastest lap of the race meeting so far – a flying 2min 44.000sec — but Al-Zafeen and Bin Hendi had other ideas and they hit the top spot on their return to the water with an impressive lap of 2min 43.653sec and then bettered that with a pole-winning 2min 43.234sec.
Tomlinson said: “We posted a 2min 44sec, but you never know. I thought we were in good shape, but we got bumped. The Victory guys are good. We are still trying to figure out the boat and get time in it. We are happy, but it would have been nice to have pole. It’s pretty close. Last year, the top three boats were the same. It’s good racing. Whoever gets around that first buoy first and comes in first will be in really good shape in the race. It’s a course that is very difficult to pass on, even if you are 4-5mph faster down the straights, it is very hard to pass.”
A minor engine issue kept Blacker and Carpitella off the water until 18 minutes from the end of the session, but the Anglo-Italian duo opened their account in Class 1 racing together with an impressive 2min 58.78sec lap.
They bettered that on their fourth tour with 2min 57.298sec, but qualified fourth after Al-Tayer and Al-Mansoori confirmed third late on with 2min 54.341sec. Huybens and Cramphorn missed the session to ready Aquasport for the race.
Victory 3 draws first blood in 3-race UIM Class 1 World Championship
Victory 3 draws first blood in 3-race UIM Class 1 World Championship
Saudi rally driver sets her sights on the fast lane
- With podium finishes at home and ambitions abroad, Mashael Al-Howaish is ready for the next race
- Rally Jameel remained a defining chapter in Al-Howaish’s journey, exposing her to the demands of desert racing and pushing her beyond familiar limits
MAKKAH: What began as a chance encounter with motorsport has evolved into a growing rallying career for Saudi driver Mashael Al-Howaish.
With a growing list of domestic achievements and ambitions that extend beyond the Kingdom’s borders, Al-Howaish is carving out her place in a discipline defined by endurance, precision and mental resilience.
Her first exposure to rally driving came as she emceed the second Rally Jameel in 2023, the region’s first women-only navigational rally.
Witnessing the participants’ determination and competitiveness sparked Al-Howaish’s curiosity about motorsport and encouraged her to explore the possibility of competing herself.
A recommendation from Saudi rally driver Abdullah Bakhashab opened the door to her first professional opportunity with Lexus, marking the start of her rally career during the fourth Rally Jameel in 2024.
That quickly translated into results. As a Lexus team driver, Al-Howaish secured first place in her category and sixth overall among more than 40 participants.
Rally Jameel remained a defining chapter in her journey, exposing her to the demands of desert racing and pushing her beyond familiar limits. She continued to compete in subsequent editions, later earning second place overall and first in her category, before taking part in events at other race circuits across Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East and North Africa region.
Despite entering a traditionally male-dominated sport, Al-Howaish says she did not perceive her path as a challenging one.
Instead, she highlights the extensive support she received on multiple fronts, from Saudi Arabia’s leadership and the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation to corporate backing from Lexus.
She also credits her family, particularly her mother, for playing a vital role in shaping her confidence and determination long before she entered competitive racing.
Among her domestic successes, Al-Howaish considers her Time Attack victory in Jeddah last year as one of the most significant milestones of her career. One of her earliest races, it saw her progress steadily to first place in the Women’s Cup, reinforcing her belief in her own capabilities.
Another pivotal moment came in 2024, during the Racing Hill Climb, where she raced on mountainous terrain for the first time in Taif. The unfamiliar conditions tested her technical skills and adaptability, ultimately accelerating her development as a driver.
Competing at a high level has reshaped Al-Howaish both on and off the track. Racing alongside experienced champions has, she says, been both humbling and motivating.
Over time, she has developed a deeper understanding of the technical side of motorsport, spending increasing amounts of time studying vehicle dynamics and kinematics to better synchronize her driving style with the car. Personally, the sport has made her more confident in facing uncertainty, strengthening her ability to approach new challenges with focus rather than fear.
Al-Howaish is often viewed as a role model for Saudi women entering motorsport, something which makes her feel humble. She says she would be honored to inspire just one woman but believes role models exist across all levels of the industry. For her, progress comes from observing the strengths of others and applying those lessons to one’s own journey — a philosophy she sees as relevant far beyond motorsports.
Managing pressure and risk is an integral part of rallying, and Al-Howaish relies on preparation and composure to navigate intense stages. Planning ahead helps her mitigate challenges, while calm decision-making becomes crucial when conditions change unexpectedly.
In a sport where every second counts, she emphasizes that clarity and decisiveness often make the difference between success and setback.
Looking ahead, Al-Howaish has set her sights firmly on international competition. She aims to compete in the Middle East Rally Championship and hopes one day to line up at the start of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.
She is also eager to explore other racing formats, viewing the learning process itself as one of the most rewarding aspects of her career.
To young Saudi women who aspire to follow a similar path but hesitate because they fear failing, Al-Howaish offers a simple word of advice — start.
She believes progress begins with the first step, learning through experience and allowing confidence to grow over time.
In a rapidly evolving motorsports scene, her journey stands as a reflection of what is increasingly possible in Saudi Arabia — both on the road and beyond it.
