Victory Team To Race Stock Class In U.S.

Long dominant in Union Internationale Motonautique Class I and Class III offshore racing—now called XCAT—the Dubai-based Victory team will campaign its Fazza XCAT raceboat in Super Boat International’s Superboat Stock class this season. According to renowned Stock- and XCAT-class throttleman Gary Ballough, who leaves this evening on a flight to the Middle East, the Victory-built, 28-foot-long catamaran powered by twin Mercury 2.5-litre outboard engines currently is on a cargo ship headed for the United States.

XCAT world champions Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir Bin Hendi will run the Victory’s team’s Fazza cat in SBI’s Superboat Stock class this season.

Ballough said the team is hoping to have the boat in Florida and ready to go in time for the SBI season-opener in Charlotte Harbor April 11-13. “It’s going to be close—I’m not sure if they’re going to be able to make the first race, but they’re going to try,” said Ballough. “I may be picking up the boat for them as soon as I get back. They asked me to look for a warehouse space for their boat and equipment, and I think I’ve found one.”

The world-championship winning duo of Arif Al Zaffain and Nadir Bin Hendi, who claimed the overall XCAT World Series title in Fazza in 2013, also will run the boat this season on the SBI circuit in the states. Ballough said he is looking forward to the competition.

“They didn’t have enough fun beating me up over there, they want to slap me around in front of my own people,” joked Ballough, who is among the most dominant—if not the most dominant—competitors in Stock-class history. “Any boat out of the Victory camp is a rocket. I’m looking forward to having them here. I won’t have to be the ‘bad guy’ anymore.”

Related Story: Fazza Takes Another XCAT World Series, Americans Finish 2-3