The Marina will reverberate to a different type of sound this weekend when the finale of the XCAT World Series takes place at the Dubai International Marine Club.

The spectacle will take place from Thursday December 12 at 2.30pm – after which What’s On will be treated to a ride in one of the boats, so check back later for our video from the cockpit! – with four different events before the Grand Prix itself at 2.30pm on Saturday December 14. And best of all, entrance is free.

Speaking ahead of the event, Mouawad throttleman, Gary Ballough, who is in with a shot of glory by the end of the weekend, said: “I hope it excites people. It does something for us when we look over and see the crowd enjoying the race.

“Perhaps they can get a bit closer to the drivers and come over and chat to us – we’re very approachable and maybe they can support their favourite team. We hope that they notice all the nationalities that are on the boats and all the different characters that are here racing. We want to bring something back to them.”

In between racing there are also plenty of other activities on offer to keep the whole family entertained with Skydive Dubai and Flyboard exhibitions and a dedicated kids’ area. There is also a competition with a number of iPad minis up for grabs.

But what of the boats themselves? XCATs are multi-hulls made of advanced carbon technology with two outboard engines with upto 6,000cc of horse power, each capable of touching speeds of 120mph with their V6 engines.

For more information, visit the official Facebook page.

TIMINGS
First official practice: Thursday 2.30pm
Practice: Friday 9am
Race for Emaar Pole Position: Friday 10.15am
Dubai Duty Free Speed Cat Run: Friday 3pm.
Official practice: Saturday 11.30am
Dubai Grand Prix: Saturday 2.30pm

Dubai International Marine Club, Al Sofouh Road, Dubai Marina. Tel: (04) 399 5777