class 1 set for enthralling season - Class-1.com

June 2007 n. 1CLASS 1 REVS UPIf the last two seasons have seen nerve-tingling,edge-of-the-seat climaxes to the Class 1 WorldPowerboat Championship – in 2007, Class 1 looksset for one of its strongest seasons to date; acompetitive fleet with new teams, pilots and lineups,three new venues: Athens (Greece), Constanta(Romania) and El Alamein (Egypt), plus the return ofOslo (Norway) along with Arendal (Norway), Doha(Qatar) and Dubai (UAE) making up an impressivecalendar, and a raft of new marketing initiativesadding to the mix for what promises to be a year toenthral and captivate.Eleven boats line up for the season-opener in PalaioFaliro-Athens, Greece on Sunday, 10 June; five areproven race-winners, seven have won a pole positionand eight have also grabbed podium finishes.And with new technical rulings and a new format tothe EDOX Pole Position, all of which are designed tomake the racing and competition closer, the outcomeof the Greek Grand Prix, let alone the 2007 titlerace, is impossible to predict.If a favourite or winner is hard to pick, the teamto beat is not. Spirit of Norway has over the lastfive seasons made the title their own, but know thatthey will face a fierce onslaught from their rivals, allof whom are desperate to end their reign. Gjelstenand Curtis, who, with 30 wins together from 74starts, seem happy with their set-up, hint at havingmade one or two ‘adjustments’ but stay with theirtrusty V12 engine package, and both will look at thelist of new pairings with great interest.Victory 77, who has pushed Spirit to the brink forthe last two years, start with newcomer Arif Saif AlZafeen taking over the wheel from Mohammed Alpage 2