Running more than 30 minutes, the completed video compilation for the inaugural Qatar Cup offshore powerboat races in Doha, the country’s capital city, went live today. The video includes everything from qualifying for the Super Cat/Super Vee and Super Cat Light classes to the actual races for the classes on Thursday and Saturday.
The Planet Powerboat video team used mulitple angles to capture the Qatar Cup action.
Veteran offshore racing announcer Peter Butler narrates the entire video. Butler breaks down not just the action, but explains the basics of handicapping system used by the organizers to level the playing for raceboats of varying power. Even dunker testing and the extensive safety assets put in place for the Qatar Cup are included in the video.
Butler and the Planet Powerboat video team used extensive camera angles—from water-level and onboard to aerial—to chronicle the event, and the entertaining result walks the line between a solid documentary and an upbeat music video. The action is displayed at “real speed” as well as slow motion. And, of course, the video is loaded with candid and enjoyable interviews with racers.“We love that racecourse, it’s better than a rectangle,” said Dan Lawrence of the Hulk Team, which raced in the Super Cat Light class, shortly after qualifying. “It actually requires some driving.”
Lawrence and The Hulk team’s owner/driver took second-place overall in the Super Cat Light class. Fan favorites Chris Hanley and Wayne Valder of Pro Floors Racing—a team from New Zealand—finished third overall in the Super Cat class.
“We’re not here to mess around,” Hanley said in the video also after qualifying. “We want to take some hardware home.”
An onboard camera captured the Outerlimits SV 43 spin out on the final turn.
Related Story: Related Story—2015 Qatar Cup Coverage
Editor’s Note: To enjoy a complete feature on the Qatar Cup, download the January/February 2015 issue of Speed On The Water Digital Magazine at no charge by clicking here.