Prince Misha'l Bin Majed, Governor of Jeddah will patronize Wednesday the final stage of the third round of the Formula 2000 World Championship in Obhur. The Saudi team ended first in a speed race of the third round of the world power boat competition although the race was called off. This race will be run again Wednesday morning. Abdul Salam Fairooz, an UIM F2000 World Cup promoter, said that many people don't know why this tournament is held in Jeddah. “The World Race consists of four rounds, the first one was held in Portugal while Latvia hosted the second. The thid round is being held during Jeddah Obhur Festival here. The fourth round will be held in Sabah in Malaysia,” he explained. According to him results of the speed race were withdrawn due to weather conditions. “Safety of competitors is very important. This race will be re-run Wednesday if the weather is fine. The speed record results determine which boat starts first, it is a privilege for the winner,” he told Saudi Gazette. “Participants in this tournament will be chosen for other different competitions like that of Europe, which consists of six rounds, and Scandinavia, which has seven rounds,” he said. “As for the Obhur Festival, Prince Abdullah Bin Saud, the festival's executive chairman, has provided all possible support to make this race amazingly successful. He has proved that Jeddah is better than many other cities with sea fronts,” Fairooz added. Fairooz said the Jeddah competition has three parts. On the first day, teams prepared for the tournament, while trials were held on the second day. The last day will witness the final round of the competition. Fairooz pointed out that a committee from the international federation will be attending the event headed by Gordon Sutherland. He also added that the Formula 2000 would cost no less than $500,000 for an 18-to-20 boat race. He also revealed that the Saudi boat will take part with a British driver, a mechanic and two assistants. “That was the way we started in the UAE, but now we have our own drivers who have gained enough experience and they participate now in many international events,” he said. Prince Abdullah Bin Saud said that the Saudi team has sought the help of an international boat driver to help qualify Saudi young men, while a Saudi company, Dirati Al-Ghaliyah, has sponsored the team. Participants in Monday's speed record race: Saudi Arabia, Britain, Finland, Sweden, Norway, France, Kuwait, Italy, Hungary, Holland, Latvia and Germany. The Saudi team ended the race first in 00:50:74 minutes at 133.4 km/h in 17 laps. __
