Victory Team Reportedly Withdraws from Class 1

With rumors swirling around, it appears that the all-mighty Victory Team based in Dubai  is pulling out of the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) Class 1 World Powerboat Championship season.

As reported by Anthony Fernandes on Sport360 (click here to read the story), the most successful team in the sport’s history has informed Class 1 promoters that it won’t be participating this year as there is no firm calendar in place yet besides the first round event in Sanya, China (March 28-30).

Speedonthewater.com has been trying to confirm the information all week after receiving information from trustworthy sources. A source affiliated with Class 1 did confirm the rumors, but said the group would have official word on Victory Team’s commitment to the season when the Class 1 boats were shipped from Abu Dhabi to China at the end of this week.

While it’s strange that Victory Team would pull out of Class 1 after committing so much to the sport over the last couple of decades, according to the Sport360 story, the government-funded team was unable to place a plan before both its government and its sponsors since a Class calendar has yet to be confirmed.

Nadir bin Hedin, deputy executive director of Victory Team and the team’s former throttleman, said that the organization is a multisport company and will concentrate on its other venues, including jet ski, X-Cat and rally racing.