NEWSLETTER
Football legend Maradona to follow the third Xcat round action in Naples
UIM Newsletter July 2014 UIM NEWS • Football legend Maradona at the • Xcat race in Naples • Aquabike Class Pro World • Championship in style, in Milan • The UIM Athletes & Equality • Committees • The UIM at Solar1 Monte-Carlo Cup • UIM 3A & 3B World Championships • in Guernsey island • Xcat fourth round in Stresa • Out & About
The dream finish scenario that Naples resident Alfredo Amato had described the day before the race was not to be at the Napoli Grand Prix – the third round of the UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series. After starting in pole position, Amato and Marco Pennesi missed a buoy and were handed a penalty long lap from which they struggled to recover, eventually finishing down in eighth place. But the massive, local crowd was nevertheless given plenty to celebrate as two other Italian teams, Marine Investimenti Sud (Serafino Barlesi and Alessandro Barone) and T-Bone Station (Luca Fendi and Giovanni Carpitella) made it onto the podium in second and third respectively. Neither of them, however, could catch the imperious Fazza team of
Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir Bin Hendi, who started the race in second spot but took the lead on the first lap. And despite fairly serious steering problems from the fourth, the duo managed to hold onto the lead for their third consecutive victory to further extend their lead at the top of the overall Series standings. “It was very difficult for us because we started well but after four laps we had a problem with the steering,” admitted Al Zaffain afterwards. “I think something happened in the oil system. But we tried to continue together and Nadir really helped me with the steering because the boat was going left and right. We just tried to do our best to make it to the
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UIM NEWS JULY 2014
finish which we did and stayed in front so I am very happy”, he added. Barlesi, meanwhile, was thrilled with his podium finish. “The set up was perfect today. We have a new boat with short propellers and this meant we were very fast,” he said after the race. “We are very happy because we are a new combination in the boat and we’re getting along very well. We are extremely proud to be on the podium in Italy. Allesandro is from Messina and I am from Rome and here in between the two cities, we are on the podium,” he added. The trophies were presented by Argentinean football legend Diego Maradona, who earlier in the day got his first taste of driving an XCAT powerboat. Maradona, who is hailed as a hero in Naples after guiding the city’s football team to glory in the 1980s, took the wheel of Six with Italian powerboating stalwart, Matteo Nicolini as his throttleman. “I won!” Maradona quipped as he returned to the pontoon after reaching a speed of 90 miles an hour out on the water. “It’s great to be part of the XCAT World Series again, especially here in Naples – a city I love so much.” Nicolini, meanwhile, was impressed with Maradona’s driving skills. “He was very excited about the speed and really liked it. I think he could be a good driver. A champion like him could be a champion in any sport,” he said. “Maradona is known worldwide – I think he’s even more famous than the president here in Italy – they love him a lot,” reckoned Fazza’s Bin Hendi.
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UIM NEWS JULY 2014
Glory for Perez, Macclugage, Menard and ‘The Rok’ at the spectacular Grand Prix of Italy A star-studded gathering of World, European and National Champions have headed up a stunning international field of 91 riders from 19 countries at the Grand Prix of Italy at Idroscalo in Milan, 5-8 June, round 2 of the UIM-ABP Aquabike Class Pro World Championship. Jeremy Perez and Chris MacClugage produced two outstanding performances and cruised to victory in heat 2 in their respective categories Runabout and Ski to win the Grand Prix of Italy, with Jennifer Menard lifting the title in Ski Ladies and the imperious Rok Florjancic extending his remarkable unbeaten run to claim the Freestyle title. After taking his first UIM-ABP tour win the day before, the Frenchman was fired up and looking to complete the double, but despite starting from P1
was outgunned at the start by Andrzej Wisniewski, his race ending on lap 4, and trailed the Polish rider for the opening laps before hitting the front on lap 3 with Qatar’s Mohammed Al Heidus in third. In Ski MacClugage led from start-tofinish to banish the memory of seeing the Qatar Grand Prix title agonisingly slip away from him when he broke on the last lap. This time the American made no mistake, getting the perfect start and stealing the advantage of starting from pole position away from rival Jeremy Poret immediately, and form that point was in control of the race,
going on to close out the eleven lap race and take his first victory on the UIM-ABP tour, winning by 4.96 seconds. “I really won it at the start, the bike launched like a bullet from a gun. I think it was having my family here that really fired me up to get this win,” MacClugage said. “I kept on eye on Sousa throughout the race and he did a great job holding off Jeremy [Poret]. To win the racing today makes me feel like the best in the World.” Jennifer Menard produced a gutsy performance racing with a heavily bruised hip after the day before’s coming together with Julie Bulteau, and despite taking the chequered flag
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UIM NEWS JULY 2014 in second place was the race winner after Sweden’s Emma Ortendahl, who led from the start, was given a one lap penalty for jumping the start, the same penalty handed to Estonia’s Helen Lauri dropping the pair to sixth and seventh respectively. After the day before’s brilliant win, all went wrong for 18-year-old Estelle Poret on the start lap, dropping the bike twice but she recovered to take second and second overall with the returning three-time World Champion Julie Bulteau in third and claiming the final slot on the Grand Prix podium. After an impressive set of tricks by Nac Florjancic, he then had to sit back and watch routine by elder brother Rok, who produced another stunning performance scoring 94 points to extend his unbeaten run to 20 and ten consecutive Grand Prix titles, with Italy’s Valerio Calderoni third.
UIM Council brings Athletes and Equality into the limelight During last Council meeting which took place in Milan on Monday, June 9th, Council Members have appointed the Equality Committee and the Athletes Committee members. As an International Federation recognized by the IOC, the UIM is willing to demonstrate that we are not only sharing the same passion for sport but also the same values. By creating an Equality Committee and an Athletes Committee, the UIM is striving to raise awareness about gender equality and to make sure that the athletes’ interests are protected. The Equality Committee (Formerly called Women’s Committee) and the Athletes Committee which have been discussed and ratified by the 2013 General Assembly in Auckland, consist of 1 chairperson and up to 8 members appointed by the Council. The appointment of the chairperson and members is valid
for one year and automatically renews for a further period of one year unless the Council withdraws the appointment or replaces the relevant function with another person for the end of the year. Their duty is: • To give advice to the Council, to the Commissions and Committees in questions of its function, • To study all existing UIM rules and all new rule proposals with regard to its function, • To identify problems in the area of its function and to propose rule proposals, modifications of new rule proposals and other solutions to the relevant body of the UIM. UIM appointed Committee members will have the opportunity to attend the first meeting which will be held in Ibiza in October 2014. A great opportunity for all of them to exchange knowledge and experiences.
EQUALITY COMMITTEE rule 8.13 UIM by Laws Michela LAUTA Italy Chairman Ana Mónica Mateus LEONARDO Portugal Member Denise PREECE New Zealand Member Mette Brandt BJERKNAES Norway Member Nadezhda PYLAEVA Russia Member Ieva TAUNINA Latvia Member Alyona GOLOVKOVA Belarus Member Sami Abu SHAIKHA Qatar Member ATHLETES COMMITTEE rule 8.14 UIM by Laws Marit STROMOY Norway Chairman Duarte Leitão Maia BENAVENTE Portugal Member Evgeny ERUKHIMOV Russia Member Pal VIRIK NILSEN Norway Member Alberto PASCALI Italy Member
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UIM NEWS JULY 2014
The UIM at Solar1 Monte-Carlo Cup Last 10-12th of July, The UIM President Dr. Raffaele Chiulli and the Environmental Working Group Chairman, Dr. Riccardo Ballesio attended Solar1 Monte Carlo Cup, three days of festivities, filmed by Eurosport, which attracted 24 teams from across the globe. The 1st Solar1 Monte Carlo Cup was held in the magnificent new premises of the Yacht Club de Monaco (YCM), designed, with low environmental impact criteria, by the famous building’s architect Lord Norman Foster . The Solar1 Race, under the Green Patronage of the UIM saw a double success of the Dutch team, winning the Open Class (the most innovative, as there is only one restriction - the length - 8m or less) and in the A class (maximum length 6m and four solar panels). The Russian Team, Beluga, Powered by Synergy won the one-design V20 class. Finally the Monegasques, who were the only team from the Mediterranean basin, took third in their Nakhimov Racing boat driven by Gianmarco Casiraghi, the son of Marco Casiraghi. Aside from racing, the on land activities never stopped. The stimulating solar conference attracted a range of speakers ranging from top universities and engineering businesses to extraordinary naval architects like Vripack, the technical partners for the Solar1 Cup 2014 who were also awarded with the
2013 UIM ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD Special Mention “Greening the Sport “during last UIM Awards Giving Gala. “The first edition of the Solar1 Monte-Carlo Cup has given evidence that solar-powered propulsion has a bright future in the Powerboating Sport and I am very much looking forward to building a close cooperation between the UIM and Solar1. “Dr. Raffaele Chiulli, UIM President. “It was a great event that demonstrated the relevance of the environmental issues. The Green Patronage granted by the UIM EWG has the aim to promote new green classes, as required in the
last General Assembly in Auckland.” Riccardo Ballesio UIM Environmental Working Group chairman. To top off this exquisite event, at the closing dinner, Solar1 received the thanks from HSH the Sovereign Prince Albert II of Monaco, President of the YCM, whose commitment to preserving the planet is well known through his eponymous foundation.
UIM 3A & 3B World Championships in Guernsey The Island of Guernsey is proud to announce that, with the sanction of the Union International Motonautique (UIM) and Royal Yachting Association (RYA), the UIM 3A & 3B World Offshore Powerboat Championship is to take place in Guernsey Channel Islands in September 2014. The three race Championship will run from 9th to 15th September. The centre of operations will be at the prestigious Guernsey Yacht Club, situated on the Castle Emplacement overlooking the lovely harbour of Guernsey’s capital, St Peter Port and its neighbouring islands. For many years the Island of Guernsey has earned a reputation as a premiere venue for International Powerboat Racing. The tidal waters, both sheltered and exposed, form a natural
amphitheatre for racing between the smaller islands of Herm, Sark and Jethou. Challenging race conditions coupled with first class safety cover, combined with great hospitality, have tempted racers, teams and spectators to come here over many years. What is more the week will feature the world famous Red Arrows aerial display team, an open air “Last Night of the Proms” concert on the Albert Pier and the Decorated Boat Parade.
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UIM NEWS JULY 2014
Four in a Raw for Fazza An intriguing long lap battle and a maiden trip to the podium marked the fourth round of the UIM Skydive Dubai XCAT World Series in Stresa. While the winner may have been the same as the last three races, the battle to get there was certainly not quite as easy as in the previous rounds. Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir Bin Hendi were taken by surprise at the start when the T-Bone Station combination of Luca Fendi and Giovanni Carpitella stormed into the lead. But a tactical move after the fifth lap saw the Fazza team taking their first of two mandatory long laps and eventually restoring their usual spot at the front of the pack, which they then held onto until the finish. T-Bone Station finished second and the Yachts Magazines pair of Francois Pinelli and Saul Bubacco, who left their long laps to very late in the race, claimed their first ever XCAT podium place after finishing in third.
“In testing this morning we felt good, but we were surprised by boat number 10 [T-Bone Station]. They had a very good start, so we tried to push them. But after five laps, I told my driver we have to do the long lap because our radio man had told us our lap times were quicker than theirs,” said Al Zaffain. “After I did it, we saw that we were in front. And then we continued the rest of the race in this position so I am very happy and we want to say thanks to all the organisers here in Stresa. Our goal in the Victory Team is always to take the Championship. After today’s race we really have a big points lead and I can say I’m 90 per cent sure the 2014 Championship is finished,” added Al Zaffain, who together with Bin Hendi has indeed all but secured the overall Series title. Speaking about their phenomenal start, which saw them leaping from fourth position to first, T-Bone Station’s Fendi explained: “We were challenging with the start boat. We were really concentrating on seeing the yellow flag and going together. We took it to the limit and then pushed to the limit when we saw the green flag. “The second they showed the green flag we already had good acceleration so that was the secret.” After this victory, Fazza have extended their lead at the top of the overall standings with 1600 points. Dubai (Salem Al Adidi and Jay Price) are second with 789 and TBone Station are third with 620. After their impressively improved performance in Stresa, Yachts Magazines are now in sixth spot with 405.
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UIM NEWS JULY 2014 Fe Aquabike Music Klingande at the
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