ABU DHABI, UAE - Tuesday, 11 August: Victory Team Executive Director Arif Saif Al Zaffain has given a very clear indication that the Dubai-based team is in the F1H2O World Championship for the long-haul and are in it to win it.
Victory is without question one of world powerboat racing's leading lights and dominant forces, winning races and multiple world titles across a spectrum of series' and now will focus its considerable resource and expertise on F1H2O and take on the world's most competitive single seater circuit racing championship, one that is littered with talent, the current ten team 20 driver line-up boasting three World Champions and nine drivers with proven race winning track records.
Speaking in Porto Al Zaffain revealed their future plans. "Our focus is very much Formula 1, this is our project. We have a new design, a mould and we our aiming to have our new boat on the water for Abu Dhabi in December," he said. "But of course first we will have to test intensively and if I am not happy we won't put it in the race. If Shaun is fighting for the title we must make sure he has a boat the he can win in.
"Shaun is the right man for us. Look at his CV. He is smart, a winner, I like to work with him and for sure he will be back on the podium soon. Victory Team is here looking to win and we will have a strong presence at every race."
In the day's leading up to the Grand Prix of France Victory threw a race career lifeline to point's leader Shaun Torrente, who returned to the fray in Evian to take a very well-earned fourth place and but for a painful yellow flag period a podium beckoned.
Despite some handling issues in Porto, thanks to his [Torrente] skill and guile he brought the boat home in fifth to retain a fragile one point lead in the title race over defending World Champion Philippe Chiappe.
The team also launched Nadir Bin Hendi on his F1H2O career in Porto the multiple World Champion enjoying a rather rude awakening and an early bath in qualifying on his switch from twin-engine shared cockpit to single seater action. "Formula 1 is very different, smaller boats, very fast and you must find feeling for the boat but if you don't make mistakes you never learn and what happened in Porto was a good lesson. Next race will be different," said Al Zaffain of his racing partner. "The best route in and to learn is F4 and F2, but to come over from Class 1 and XCat is not easy those boats don't fly as easily, but Nadir is smart and will adapt very quickly."
Round 4 of the UIM F1H2O World Championship takes place in Liuzhou, China on 1-2 October
