Rosario and Joseph Schiano Di Cola proved they are the real thing again in Race 2 of the Kuwait Grand Prix XCAT, the defending world champions capitalised on a first lap accident and the Sharjah Team’s second consecutive retirement to claim their first victory of the season.
Victory Team’s Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali came home 8.95 seconds behind to extend their championship advantage to 130 points. Scott Williams and Martin Campbell brought Team GB home third, 15.22 seconds off the pace.
Red Flag Halts Opening Lap
The race was red-flagged after the opening lap when Swecat’s Sebastian Groth and Mikael Bengtsson had a coming together with Kuwait 17’s Abdullatif Al Omani and Khalid Ali.
Officials subsequently ran seven laps under yellow whilst Swecat was cleared from the course.
Sharjah Suffer Second Consecutive Retirement
Shaun Torrente and Konstantin Ustinov took the lead from pole when racing resumed. The three-time F1H2O world champion and his co-driver pulled clear of the pack through the opening laps.
Engineering failure struck on the sixth racing lap and the boat limped into the pits for the second consecutive day, their technical troubles costing them victory in both races after leading.
HPI Fujairah Racing Team 96 inherited the lead and held it to the flag. The Di Cola brothers had qualified third with a 2:18.571 lap.
Victory Team Extend Championship Lead
Al Adidi and Al Ali picked up crucial points with second place. The Dubai crew had qualified fourth but made the most of Sharjah’s problems.
Victory Team hold a 22-point advantage over Team GB heading into the Dubai finale on 12 December. Williams and Campbell moved into second in the standings on 108 points.
The Di Cola brothers’ victory lifted them to third with 76 points, jumping Kuwait 17 who were eliminated in the opening lap collision.
Race 2 Results
| Pos | Team | Driver 1 | Driver 2 | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HPI Fujairah Racing Team 96 | Rosario Schiano Di Cola | Joseph Schiano Di Cola | 27:17.72 | — |
| 2 | Victory Team 7 | Salem Al Adidi | Eisa Al Ali | 27:26.67 | +8.95 |
| 3 | Team GB 8 | Scott Williams | Martin Campbell | 27:32.94 | +15.22 |
| 4 | Faz Marine 3 | Arif Al Zaffain | Francis Notschaele | 28:34.13 | +1:16.41 |
| 5 | Mate USA 16 | Giampaolo Montavoci | Alberto Huober | 18:58.66 | +5 Laps (DQ) |
| 6 | Sharjah Team 9 | Konstantin Ustinov | Shaun Torrente | 11:00.16 | +7 Laps |
| — | Swecat 2 | Sebastian Groth | Mikael Bengtsson | — | DNS |
| — | Kuwait 17 | Abdullatif Al Omani | Khalid Ali | — | DNS |
| — | Victory Team 33 | TBA | TBA | — | DNS |
| — | Energima Racing 55 | Erik Sundblad Johansen | Marit Strømøy | — | DNS |
Championship Standings
| Pos | Team | Driver 1 | Driver 2 | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victory Team 7 | Salem Al Adidi | Eisa Al Ali | 130 |
| 2 | Team GB 8 | Scott Williams | Martin Campbell | 108 |
| 3 | HPI Fujairah Racing Team 96 | Rosario Schiano Di Cola | Joseph Schiano Di Cola | 76 |
| 4 | Kuwait 17 | Abdullatif Al Omani | Khalid Ali | 66 |
| 5 | Swecat 2 | Sebastian Groth | Mikael Bengtsson | 44 |
| 6 | Sharjah Team 9 | Mikhail Kitashev | Shaun Torrente | 35 |
| 7 | Energima Racing 55 | Erik Sundblad Johansen | Marit Strømøy | 34 |
| 8 | Faz Marine 3 | Arif Al Zaffain | Francis Notschaele | 22 |
| 9 | Mate USA 16 | Giampaolo Montavoci | Alberto Huober | 18 |
| 10 | Blue Bank 20 | Serafino Barlesi | Andrea Comello | 0 |
Victory Team’s 22-point advantage over Team GB sets up a decisive finale in Dubai. The championship leaders have accumulated 130 points across the opening two rounds, winning Race 1 and finishing second in Race 2.
Team GB remain within striking distance on 108 points after claiming third place in both Kuwait races. HPI Fujairah Racing Team’s victory moved the defending champions into third position on 76 points, 32 points behind Team GB.
Kuwait 17’s collision-induced retirement dropped Abdullatif Al Omani and Khalid Ali to fourth place on 66 points. The home crew had qualified sixth for Race 2 after securing second place in Thursday’s opening race.
Sharjah Team’s double retirement proved costly, the team sit sixth in the standings on 35 points despite qualifying on pole for both races.
The UIM XCAT World Championship concludes with the Dubai finale on 12 December.
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.
