Qatar To Run Former Reliable Carriers Cat in Superboat Class

With the acquisition of the former Reliable Carriers offshore raceboat, a 42-foot-long Marine Technology, Inc., catamaran, the Spirit of Qatar team has added a third boat to its fleet. Formerly owned and campaigned on the offshore racecourse by Tom Abrahams, the 42-footer is part of a stable that includes the team’s 41-foot Victory cat powered by twin 1,000-hp Lamborghini engines and built for Union International Motonautique Class 1 competition, as well as its soon to be completed Mystic Powerboats 50-foot cat with twin 1,500-hp turbine engines. (For special speed events, the Mystic will be powered by twin 3,000-hp turbine engines.)

According to Steve Curtis, the team’s primary throttleman who shares the cockpit with driver and team leader Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani, the team will campaign the MTI, which is being outfitted with twin 750-hp Scorpion Racing engines, in Super Boat International’s Superboat catamaran class.

“For at least the first few races, we plan to run the MTI in the Superboat class and the turbine boat in the Turbine class,” Curtis said.

While Sheikh Hassan and Curtis will man the turbine-powered cat, a yet-to-named driver and throttleman will pilot the MTI. As for the Spirit of Qatar Class 1 cat, it is not likely to see much action in 2013 as it will be decidedly unpowered in the Superboat Unlimited class against the likes of Miss GEICO with its 1,650-hp Mercury Racing engines.

“The team may run the Class 1 boat, we call it the ‘No. 9 boat,’ in Key West,” Curtis said.