Spirit of Qatar 20 Takes First Place in Qatar Cup Race No. 2
Using a short-lap system for less powerful and slower catamarans and V-bottoms to achieve parity, the second race of the day during the inaugural Qatar Cup on Doha Bay proved exciting. In the end, the Spirit of Qatar 20 catamaran team of Ali Al Neama and Billy Moore prevailed in the 12-lap race with Outerlimits 43, a V-bottom piloted by Joe Sgro and Steve Curtis, taking second place and the New Zealand-based team of Wayne Valder and Chris Hanley snagging third place in the Pro Floors Racing catamaran.
In the second race of the day, the parity system appeared to work flawlessly. Photo courtesy Qatar Marine Sports Federation
After the first long lap of approximately 6 miles, the slower and/or less powerful boats—the Twisted Metal V-bottom, Peppers/Peters & May Racing and Motley Crew—did a lap of approximately 4 miles while the balance of the fleet ran the standard 5-plus-mile lap, which all the competitors ran for the balance of the race. By the end of the second lap, Twisted Metal led with Pro Floors in second and Motley Crew in third. Mechanical problems reportedly created by a hose down on the first lap knocked Twisted Metal out of contention between laps No. 5 and 6.
Pro Floors held first place for the next two laps until it was overtaken by Spirit of Qatar 20 and Outerlimits and settled into third place. And that was the way they finished, despite a noteworthy charge on the final lap by American Randy Sweers and Canadian Jay Cook—in his rookie race—in Racing for Cancer.
Editor’s note: Official results have been provided and stand as reported. Contrary to reports on Facebook and elsewhere, this is no live feed online from this event. Look for a comprehensive feature on the Qatar Cup in the January/February issue of Speed On The Water digital magazine.
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