The F1 powerboat racing World Championship is conducted in various countries just like the Formula 1 car racing. Normally, the F1 powerboat racing calendar consists of 10 major events held at Portugal, Germany, Italy, Finland, Russia, Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The event at the UAE is a joint program by Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Both individual championship events as well as team events are conducted in powerboat racing.
In Abu Dhabi, powerboat racing is gaining lot of popularity, apart from the traditional interest in camel racing. For the people of the UAE, who had been addicted to racing through their famous camel racing, powerboat racing offers an interesting variation in adventure sports. Hence, powerboat racing attracts a large appreciative audience in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
The event ended in a nail-biting finish of a 50-lap shootout at the Sharjah Grand Prix. Scott Gillman, the American, finished the year with his fourth world title in 10 years. Scott reached the podium 4 times in 6 races with an overall points tally of 69. The Emirates powerboat racing team, which he was part of, prided itself for achieving a dominant season in its brief history of F1 powerboat racing. This had provided a tremendous boost to powerboat racing in Abu Dhabi.
The Emirates powerboat racing driver Thani Al Qamzi also achieved 3 podium appearances and came third in world ranking with 63 points. Scott and Thani obtained a team championship with 132 points in F1 powerboat racing. Defending world champion Guido Cappellini of the Tamoil team finished at the second rank with 65 points.
With the F1 powerboat racing being conducted in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the neighboring Qatar, enormous interest is generated in these parts in powerboat racing. The Emirates teammates achieving first and third ranks had provided further encouragement to powerboat racing. The events are watched by tens of thousands of race fans with about 30 race drivers from 4 continents participating. Further, the F1 powerboat racing events are broadcast live to more than 20 countries, with an eager audience of around 750 million around the globe.
If you are an enthusiastic follower of powerboat racing, do not forget to time your visit to the UAE in December 2007. You would get to watch both the Abu Dhabi and Sharjah powerboat racing events to be held on December 8 and on December 15 respectively. You could make your stay there for about 10 days and get to see both these exciting powerboat racing events in person. If you have more time on your hand, you can also watch the powerboat racing event in Qatar on November 24, if you arrive in these parts around November 20. Do not miss this rare opportunity of visiting Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Qatar, where you could do sightseeing and shopping to your heart and also watch the most exciting powerboat racing events.