His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani and Steve Curtis MBE have marked their return to offshore powerboat racing with a commanding victory in the Extreme class at the 44th Annual Offshore World Championship in Key West, Florida.
The Qatari-British pairing, reunited after a decade away from competition, dominated Wednesday’s opening Truman Waterfront Cup race to establish an early championship lead aboard their redesigned Spirit of Qatar 96 hull.
Decade-Long Partnership Renewed
The victory represents a significant comeback for the duo, who last raced together in 2015. Their Spirit of Qatar 96 entry, supported by Qatar’s Ministry of Sport and Youth, proved immediately competitive against a strong international field at the Florida venue.
Sheikh Hassan and Curtis controlled the eight-lap contest from the opening turn, building a commanding 2min 39.4sec margin over their nearest rivals in American Custom Marine, crewed by Jeff McCann and Mickael Knoblock. The performance secured a crucial 10-point championship advantage heading into Friday’s second race.
Perfect Execution in Challenging Conditions
Speaking after the race, Sheikh Hassan highlighted the team’s tactical approach to the bumpy water conditions that characterised Wednesday’s racing.
It was a good race today and we had a good start. We took the lead from the start. The water was a little bit bumpy. But that was good for us. The boat is a 55-footer. We just handled it and managed it then the way we needed to.
The Qatari driver emphasised the strategic nature of the weekend’s championship format, with Wednesday and Friday’s races each carrying half points before Sunday’s decisive full-points finale.
We finished on the top step of the podium. It was half points today and the next race will be half points as well on Friday and then full points on Sunday. It’s a long weekend but we will wait for the data out of the race and then we will plan for what Friday will look like. So far, all good, everybody is happy and the crew is happy with the result. We are all looking forward to Friday.
Strong International Entry List
The 2025 Key West championship has attracted a record-breaking 96 boats across multiple racing categories, marking the strongest entry in the event’s 44-year history. Teams from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Bermuda are competing across classes including Extreme, Class 1, Super Stock and various bracket divisions.
Notable entries include Sheikh Hassan’s former Class 1 rivals Darren Nicholson and Giovanni Carpitella aboard 222 Offshore Australia, alongside Billy Mauff and Jay Muller in WHM.
The Super Stock class features former Qatar Team factory racer and current F1H2O driver Shaun Torrente, who is competing alongside Matt Jamnickzy in Team Nautical Ventures. Victory Team’s former throttleman Gary Ballough has partnered with Cole Leibel aboard Raymarine in the same category.
Championship Schedule
Racing continues on Friday, November 7th with the Southernmost Continental Championship, before Sunday’s championship-deciding finale awards full points across all categories.
The Spirit of Qatar 96 crew will analyse Wednesday’s race data to refine their approach for Friday’s second encounter, as they seek to build on their opening-round advantage in pursuit of the Extreme class world championship title.
Neil Perkins, is a seasoned sports journalist and PR professional. Educated at Adams’ Grammar School, Newport, he developed a lifelong passion for sport, including football, cricket, golf, and snooker.
Perkins began his career as a trainee accountant before moving into sports journalism in 1986 with Motoring News, covering events worldwide. In 1990, he founded NDP Publicity Services in Shropshire, specialising in sports public relations. Over three decades, he has worked across 114 countries for governments, sporting federations, royalty, celebrities, and major events such as the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and Winter Olympics.
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