Though the 2005 season of Boat GP World Powerboat Championship ended up in Seoul, Korea, some of the drivers did not return to their home countries with the equipment for the winter maintenance, but took their way towards the Middle-East to meet another challenge at the President’s Cup.
The President’s Cup has been on schedule from early January till April each year and has turned to a major series of contests in the recent seasons also offering a year-round possibility of racing. Having started in Doha, Qatar, 2006 welcomed 6 of the previous year Boat GP contestants featuring Jay Price (55, USA, DAC), Arif Al Zafeen (7, UAE, DAC), Jonas Andersson (83, SWE, Molgaard), Rich Hakonsen (8, NOR, DAC), Colin Jelf (4, GBR, Molgaard) and Philippe Tourre (19, FRA, Molgaard).
The local course was met by Boat GP earlier in 2004 as the final stop of that season, however an alternative course was set due to the windy conditions, this time the event went down as planned and what more success could have happened than all podium places were won by the Boat GP drivers. Winning the event and also starting the race from Pole Position, Jonas Andersson took the unbelievable Grand Prize with the first place, followed by Jay Price and it was Philippe Tourre who remarkably finished as third. Continuing the roll-call, Colin Jelf came as fourth of the race, leaving the grid from the fourth position as well at the time of the green light. Arif Al Zafeen closed the event on the seventh position, while Rich Hakonsen got off the water as ninth. The Boat GP family is proud of their members for gaining more triumph and raising the level of powerboat racing worldwide and also appreciates the work of Leo Molendijk, UIM Technical Commissioner for looking after the technical background of the events.
With 11 nations being represented during the 2006 tour of 5 events, the President’s Cup as scheduled on the Official Website will go on at Sharjah, UAE on 24th February and finish a month before the first event of the World Championship to be launched in Vukovar, Croatia on the 5/6th May, 2006.