Intro:

Sheikh Hassan Bin Jabor Al-Thani and Steve Curtis of Spirit of Qatar 96 win in rough conditions in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Friday.

Script:

A spectacular race in some rough conditions saw Sheikh Hassan Bin Jabor Al-Thani and Steve Curtis on Spirit of Qatar 96 pounce from third place to win the World Powerboat Championships in Dubai.

Victory 3 took pole position initially but it was LFF Racing who took the lead.

The Spirit of Qatar 96 crew decided to take their long laps early - a shrewd gamble which was to pay dividends.

But by lap six an intimidating 40-second gap had opened between Victory and Spirit of Qatar.

Two laps later it was down to just 10.

Engine problems then plagued any attempts to regain the lead as Spirit of Qatar passed the finish line in first place.

The hopes of Victory 3 winning the title are now pinned on race two on Saturday.

They need to win with Team Abu Dhabi finishing outside the top six.