Team Abu Dhabi’s Torrente, Al Mansoori out to reclaim No.1 spot after tough day in China
Team Abu Dhabi’s Shaun Torrente and Faleh Al Mansoori are primed for a big fightback in China to regain the lead in the UIM XCAT World Championship after Australians Tom Barry-Cotter and Ross Willaton took Maritimo to a race victory in the Shanghai Grand Prix today.
Starting in pole position, Rashed Al Tayer and Majed Al Mansoori took second place in Abu Dhabi 5, with the Dubai Police combination of Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir Bin Hendi claiming the third podium place to grab a fragile lead in the XCAT title race.
Reigning XCAT world champions Torrente and Al Mansoori in Abu Dhabi 4 were fourth to finish, but a 38-seconds penalty imposed for hitting a race buoy dropped them to sixth.
They now go into tomorrow’s third and final race of a frantic weekend two points behind Al Zaffain and Bin Hendi, meaning the championship looks poised for a thrilling finish in December’s final round in Dubai.
“We broke an oil pump in qualifying and did only two laps so we were lucky to get fourth in race one,” said Torrente. “The team worked flat out, changed the oil pump and swapped powerheads. Unfortunately the motor still had an issue today. But we think we have it sorted now so we can fight back tomorrow.”
Shanghai Grand Prix Race 2 results
1. Maritimo (AUS) Tom Barry-Cotter / Ross Willaton 37.42,83
2. Abu Dhabi 5 (UAE) Rashed Al Tayer / Majed Al Mansoori 37.59,29
3. Dubai Police (UAE) Arif Al Zaffain / Nadir Bin Hendi 38.10,14
4. HPI Racing Team (IT) Rosario Schiano Di Cola / Guiseppe Schiano Di Cola 39.34,47
5. Swecat Racing (SWE) Erik Stark / Sebastian Groth) 39.46,11
6. Abu Dhabi 4 (UAE) Shaun Torrente / Faleh Al Mansoori 39.52,38
7. Kuwait (KWT) Abdullatif Al Omani / Moustafa Al Dashti 37.54,39
8. 222 Offshore (IT/AUS) Giovanni Carpitella / Darren Nicholson 38.16,55
9. De Mitri (IT) Roberto Lo Piano / Marco Di Cosmo 38.47,58
10. New Star Racing (RU) Mikhail Kitashev / Dimitry Vandyshev 39.14,54
XCAT World Championship positions
1. Dubai Police (UAE) Arif Al Zaffain / Nadir Bin Hendi 117pts
2. Abu Dhabi 4 (UAE) Shaun Torrente / Faleh Al Mansoori 115
3. Maritimo (AUS) Tom Barry-Cotter / Ross Willaton 95
4. Abu Dhabi 5 (UAE) Rashed Al Tayer / Majed Al Mansoori 90
5. 222 Offshore (IT/AUS) Giovanni Carpitella / Darren Nicholson 51
6. The Blue Roo (AUS) Pal Virik Nilsen / Jan Trygve Braaten 48
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