UAE teams in gripping contest

Team Abu Dhabi's Rashid Al Tayer and Faleh Al Mansoori are on collision course for a gripping showdown with XDubai's Arif Saif Al Zafeen and Nadir bin Hendi at the Gold Coast Grand Prix in Australia this weekend.
The two teams are separated in the 2015 UIM XCAT World Series by just one point after the opening three races of the season, with the XDubai team snatching that tiny advantage at the last round in Cascais, Portugal.
"Everyone in the team is looking forward to this trip to Australia and the chance to get back to the top of the championship with another battle against our great rivals," enthused Al Tayer. "It's fantastic that this venue is to host a round of the championship."
Team Abu Dhabi qualified in second position for the last race in Portugal, although technical issues dropped them down to fifth at the chequered flag and that opened the door for XDubai to snatch the series lead. A strong field is expected for the Gold Coast Grand Prix as well and Team Abu Dhabi must prepare for a fierce challenge for the podium from the likes of Hoorsenbuhs, Dubai, Swecat Racing, Marine Investimenti Sud and the home Team Saracen Australia boat, crewed by Tom Barry-Cotter and ex-SuperCat World Champion Ross Willaton.
"This is the first time we are racing in Australia, so we are very excited about it," added Team Abu Dhabi's Al Mansoori. "We have heard many great things about Australia. For sure, it will be a tough race and we are hoping the conditions will suit us well. There is no specific strategy and we're not looking just to beat XDubai. We're focused on ourselves and beating all the teams. Our strategy is to collect points and we're concentrating on that."
The hosting City of Gold Coast stretches along 52 kilometres of south eastern Queensland's coastline and is the sixth largest city in Australia. It is one of the most scenic areas of the world.
Action gets underway in Doug Jennings Park on Friday (August 21) with official practice.