Americans are coming!

Looking forward to a fast small race course, one everyone on the shore can see.

One of the powerboats is at the Landmark Shopping Mall for all to see up close.

Really it will be a great weekend after a long time ...

Cheers...

John Dearhill

hope...dis aint gonna b lyk da old boat races!!

Drove bt the sheraton a bit ago and seen the Hydroplanes. They look half F16 fighter jet and Half F1 race car. simply AWESOME! I agree with you UncleSam this will be the biggest show in doha period

kinimoto of course you can go! tell your friends

hope i can come... i want to go..

"I don't go back on my words, that's my way of ninja"

Make sure, they are going back , because of Financial crisis

The Amercian Boat Racing Association (ABRA) announced they have hired Tampa Digital Studios to produce and broadcast live the inaugural Oryx Cup UIM World Championship, Nov. 19-21 in Doha, Qatar via the hydroplane racing series’ web site, www.abrahydroplanes.com.

SO If you can't make it out to the race you can still watch. If your going tell your family back home to watch and maybe they can spot you in the crowd. for the broadcast times see their web site.

don't think they will let you get anywhere near the course with your dinghy. best to watch from the shore. IMO

While your husband is watching the race, you could always watch me hydroplane my rubber ducky.

Life is short. Break all the rules. Forgive quickly.

Kiss slowly, love truly and never regret the things that

made you laugh.

Graduated from Xavier Institute for Higher learning

I own one of those Hydroplanes, the problem is, it will run only on Air and it is made of rubber. My rubber ducky hydropalne is only good in my bathtub.

Life is short. Break all the rules. Forgive quickly.

Kiss slowly, love truly and never regret the things that

made you laugh.

Graduated from Xavier Institute for Higher learning

Im gonna ask my hubby to watch it, yehey!!!!!!

The Boats are in town. yeah it will be a good race to watch!

steve

I have a tiny sail boat (with oars) i will get as close as i can to the action, there is room for two more if interested

comandbitme

wow man the video is so cool, i'll be there, thanks.

Yalla!

wow!that's great news.....will try to make it! :-) what with the wonderful weather these days,it sure is going to be a beautiful day! :-)

Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car. ~ Garrison Keillor

Thanks for sharing the information!

Dude, that is going to be totally gnarley!! Thanks for the info.

No there is no Qatar unlimited hydroplane teams! there is only Americans teams! this is a American racing series. the race course is from the sheraton hotel to the oryx statue so anyone can attend along the corniche.

Check out this video

http://www.abrahydroplanes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=503&Itemid=59

The following press release from the QMSF was sent to media in Europe, Asia and the Middle East in Englilsh and Arabic....

*DOHA (Qatar):* The Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) has now gained official approval from the sport’s governing body, the UIM, to host the final round of the ABRA Unlimited Hydroplane World Championship, which will now be known as the Oryx Cup – UIM World Championship.

The second race of its kind to take place outside the United States of

America – a race was held in Acapulco in 1981 - will run from November 19th

-21st in Doha and will be organised jointly by the QMSF, under the

presidency of His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani, and the

American Boat Racing Association (ABRA).

Three titles – the Oryx Cup UIM World Championship, the Series Champion Team

and the Series Champion Driver – will be up for grabs at what promises to be

a thrilling race weekend in Qatar.

"We are honoured to be able to contest the UIM World Championship in Doha at

the Oryx Cup," said ABRA chairman Sam Cole. "This adds prestige to what

already promises to be a world class event. Our teams are preparing, the

drivers are excited and we cannot wait to race on Doha Bay. It will be

spectacular.

"Sheikh Hassan recognises the significance of this event in international

powerboat racing. We look forward to introducing the world to Unlimited

Hydroplane Racing. These boats are amazing and will bring a new level of

excitement to Doha."

Race officials have now confirmed that the Unlimited race weekend will take

place on a 3.2 km oval course in Doha Bay and will consist of qualifying on

Thursday, November 19th, with drivers being allowed to select their racing

lanes based upon their qualifying speeds. A minimum speed of 209 km/h is

required to qualify for the event, although ABRA race officials admit that

boats may reach speeds of 320 km/h on the straights.

The event consists of four sections of heat races, with five boats in a heat

and four laps in each heat. Heats 1A, 1B and 2A and 2B will run on Friday,

November 20th and heats 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B will take place on Saturday,

November 21st. The Championship Final will also take place on Saturday

afternoon.

Points are accumulated throughout all of the Heat races and the top six

boats after all elimination heats will vie for the Oryx Cup World

Championship – a winner-take-all final heat.

“In this form of racing, we use ‘flying starts’ similar to yacht racing,

where the boats mill around during a five- minute period, score-up at the

one-minute gun and must be at the start/finish line when the clock reaches

zero,” said ABRA chairman Sam Cole. “A boat that passes the starting line

before the clock reaches zero is penalised one lap.

“The start is the most critical part of a race, when five boats are

side-by-side at racing speed and literally dive into the first turn. This is

one of the most spectacular moments in all forms of motor sport and it will

happen nine times during the Oryx Cup event in Doha.”

Unlimited hydroplanes are generally 8.5 metres long and have a minimum

weight of 3,062kg. They are powered by Lycoming T-55 turbine engines, which

produce in the region of 3,000 hp and will be making their way from the

United States to the Middle East at the end of September.

The race boats will leave Jacksonville in Florida on September 28th and are

scheduled to arrive in Doha on October 28th. ABRA announced at the recent

Thunder on the Ohio race that it had chosen Peters & May USA as the official

transport agent.

The Chicago-based company will be responsible for transporting all the

boats, trucks, support vehicles and equipment on each international leg of

the ABRA circuit. For the Doha race meeting, P&M will use a Hoegh Autoliners

RORO vessel.

We can watch some spectacular performance.....

Is there a team from Qatar ?

are bachelors allowed?