JEDDAH: Emma Kimilainen of Finland and Sam Coleman of Britain, pilots of Team Brady, on Saturday clinched the first round of the UIM E1 World Championship with a convincing victory in Jeddah in front of thousands of fans on the Red Sea.
The E1’s first Super Final featured eight team-owned sports and entertainment celebrities taking part in the waters of the Red Sea, among them Team Brady, Team Rafa, Team Miami, and Blue Rising, owned by Indian cricket star Virat Kohli.
On the final day of racing, the team owned by American Football legend Tom Brady staged an impressive comeback to beat day-one leaders Team Miami, owned by singer-songwriter Marc Anthony.
The winning margin was almost 20 seconds with Team Brady clocking in a time of 6.58.51.
Team Miami finished in second, while Kohli’s Blue Rising took third place.
Kimilainen and Coleman revealed their delight at the victory in the first round and looked forward to continuing their winning spirit in the upcoming round.
Asked by Arab News how Tom Brady reacted to their victory, Kimilainen said: “We’ve already had a message through from Tom and he’s super happy with the win. Both Sam and I are so incredibly proud to represent Tom and we’re pleased we were able to make history at E1’s inaugural race.”
Prince Sultan bin Fahd bin Salman Al-Saud, chairman of the Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation, said at the end of the race: “We are very happy to host the first round of the E1 series, and believe me it is a success.”
Meanwhile, Saudi rally driver Masahel Al-Obaidan, the lead pilot of Aoki Racing — which came in at seventh place — was happy to get her first experience of racing on water under her belt.
“It is been a great experience and I am so glad to represent my country,” she said.
Rodi Basso, co-founder and CEO of E1, said: “It is been a fantastic two days here in Jeddah and has surpassed our expectations.”
Meanwhile, Alejandro Agag, co-founder and chair of E1 said: “We have had an incredible weekend here on the Red Sea. It was a great race and hope the thousands who attended the race enjoyed the powerboat race.”
The UIM E1 World Championship will take place this May in Venice.
Championship standings following the Jeddah GP results:
Team Brady – 20 points
Team Miami – 17 points
Team Rafa – 14 points
Blue Rising – 10 points
Sergio Perez E1 Team – 8 points
Team Drogba – 5 points
Aoki Racing Team – 3 points
Team Brazil – 1 point
