Abu Dhabi is returning to the UIM XCAT World Championship after nearly five years away. The Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club announced on November 11, 2026 that its Chairman of the Board of Directors, Sheikh Mohammed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, has approved the team’s return.
It starts at the Fujairah Grand Prix, December 4 to 6, Round 1 of a season cut to two rounds. Dubai follows on December 11 to 13.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club:
The return of the Abu Dhabi team to the World X-Cat Championship comes within the framework of our keenness to enhance the team’s presence in international marine championships, and to continue the journey of achievements it has accomplished over the past years. We look forward to a strong participation worthy of Abu Dhabi’s name and sporting standing, and reflecting our ambition to compete for world titles.
Why Abu Dhabi Left in 2022
The team’s last XCAT race was Race 1 of the 2022 Fujairah Grand Prix on Saturday, March 5, 2022. Abu Dhabi 4 (Shaun Torrente and Faleh Al Mansoori) and Abu Dhabi 5 (Rashed Al Tayer and Majed Al Mansoori) were two of four boats disqualified for not following the track outline. The others were Q8 Oil and Pastamato.
Two course buoys had been destroyed on the first lap, and race control cancelled the X-Point circuit for the rest of the race so that boats on the short lap would not cross those on the normal lap. XCAT said the change was communicated to every competitor before any of them could take the short lap, and put the disqualifications down to miscommunication between the four boats and their team managers.
Abu Dhabi saw it differently. A hearing the next morning revoked the disqualifications, but Torrente said the team was given penalties of two laps and six minutes instead, against a normal penalty of 30 seconds. Abu Dhabi 4 then took pole for Race 2, and the team pulled both boats before it started, announcing its withdrawal from the 2022 championship and citing fairness.
The team’s drivers told Al Ittihad that officiating errors by the organising committee had cost the team the win in the first main race, that earlier penalties had been unfair, and that the withdrawal was final.
Shaun Torrente, who was driving Abu Dhabi 4, said at the time:
I fully endorse Team Abu Dhabi’s decision to withdraw from the XCAT World Championship.
Abu Dhabi’s XCAT Record
Abu Dhabi first raced in the XCAT series in 2015 and finished runner-up, 14 points behind XDubai. The 2018 title is the team’s only entry in the UIM’s list of XCAT world champions. It was runner-up again in 2019, and finished second in 2021 before both boats were disqualified from that championship.
| Year | Result | Boat | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Runners-up | Abu Dhabi 5 | Rashed Al Tayer / Faleh Al Mansoori |
| 2018 | World champions | Abu Dhabi 4 | Shaun Torrente / Faleh Al Mansoori |
| 2019 | Runners-up | Abu Dhabi 4 | Shaun Torrente / Faleh Al Mansoori |
| 2021 | Second on points, then disqualified | Abu Dhabi 5 | Rashed Al Tayer / Majed Al Mansoori |
Torrente and Faleh Al Mansoori took the 2018 title on 213 points, 9 clear of Dubai Police on 204, after the last races of the season were cancelled. In 2021 Al Tayer and Majed Al Mansoori won the last race, at Dubai, and finished on 143 points, 13 behind Dubai Police on 156, with Torrente and Faleh Al Mansoori third on 109.
That result did not stand. After a protest over a technical infringement, the UIM commissioners disqualified both Abu Dhabi boats from the whole 2021 championship in December and the results were recalculated. The team appealed to the ICA.
Majed Al Mansoori was named the team’s Assistant Technical Manager in March.
The Grid They Return To
The titles from 2023 to 2025 went to Team GB, Fujairah Racing Team and Victory Team. Victory Team are the reigning champions, having clinched the 2025 title at Dubai Race 1 last December. The UIM XCAT World Championship page carries the 2026 calendar and the 2025 standings.
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
Cite as: John Moore, "Abu Dhabi Returns to XCAT at Fujairah After Leaving in 2022", Powerboat News, 11 November 2026. https://powerboat.news/abu-dhabi-team-returns-xcat-world-championship-fujairah/
