Victory And Racing For Cancer Prevail, Outerlimits Crashes On Final Turn In Qatar Cup

In an almost a carbon copy of Thursday’s Qatar Cup performance, the Dubai-based Victory team of Nasir Bin Hendi and Arif Al Zaffain led from start to finish in today’s 12-lap Supercat Light feature on Doha Bay. They were followed by The Hulk Team of owner-driver Robert Nunziato and throttleman Dan Lawrence and—just as on the Thursday—the Abu Dhabi team of Faleh Al Mansoon and Rashid Al Tayer.

Shown here during Thursday’s race, Racing For Cancer took first place today in the Supercat class during the final day of Qatar Cup action. Photo courtesy/copyright Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

At one point during the race, The Hulk Team whittled Victory’s lead to approximately 5.5 seconds. But Nunziato and Lawrence could not narrow the gap any further, and Victory finished ahead of Hulk by a little more than 7 seconds. Still, no completely United States-based team has ever contended so closely with a Victory team.

In another positive note for the Americans who traveled to Qatar for the event, the Wicked Performance Marine team of Jay Muller and Robert Wageman finished in fourth place. The team finished fifth in Thursday’s contest.

Official Supercat Light results put Victory in first place overall for the event, with The Hulk taking second and Abu Dhabi claiming third.

It took 11 of 14 laps for Racing For Cancer to overtake Pro Floors Racing, but once throttleman Randy Sweers and Jay Cooke grabbed the lead from the New Zealand-based Pro Floors cockpit duo of throttleman Chris Hanley and driver Wayne Valder they stretched their lead and never looked back. But the final drama of the Qatar Cup happened on the final lap, when—battling for third place with Spirit of Qatar 20—Steve Curtis and Joe Sgro appeared to barrel-roll (but may have spun, neither Sgro nor Curtis could recall rolling over) Sgro’s Outerlimits 43 V-bottom. Curtis reportedly exited the boat under his own power. Sgro, however, was extracted from the boat (reportedly conscious) and is currently en route to a local hospital for examination.

Official results for the Supercat class put Spirit of Qatar 20 in first place overall, Racing For Cancer in second and Pro Floors Racing in third.

Editor’s Note: Since this story was filed, Steve Curtis has reported that Sgro has undergone an MRI as a precaution. Srgo may have a concussion, but that appears to be the extent of his injuries. Look for a comprehensive feature on the Qatar Cup in the January/February issue of Speed On The Water digital magazine, which will be released next week.

Related Story: 2015 Qatar Cup Coverage