first ever egyptian grand prix proves to be a great success at porto marina
Porto Marina was recently the place to be for an event filled with speed, adrenaline and excitement. This weekend Porto Marina hosted the first ever Egyptian Grand Prix, which is one of the eight rounds that make up the ‘Class 1’ World Power Boat Championship. With four races in the Middle East over the next six weeks, the Egyptian Grand Prix was the start of an intensive period of racing for the teams.
Thousands of spectators turned up over the three days to witness the battle of man and machine against the sea, where sportsmen of a different caliber and skill took to the water in state-of-the art technology worth millions of dollars. Amer Group, the event’s hosts and organizers, provided an extensive entertainment program, catering to the taste of visitors from different age groups and of different interests.
Porto Marina got dressed up for the event; people from all around Egypt started arriving Wednesday night, and filled out the promenade throughout the event to enjoy the great outdoor music and the festive feeling that filled the air. Thursday night, the performance of Yehia Khalil, was the forth part of the festival where people enjoyed delightful dinners at Porto’s outlets whilst listening to his great music.
Thursday also saw the arrival and registration of the seven teams taking part in the race, but the real competition began on day two with the Edox Pole Position race, which acted as a qualifying round for Saturday’s Grand Prix. Porto Marina was the destination for over 20,000 spectators during the course of the weekend, however, with careful forward planning and a work force of over 1000 employees brought in especially for the event, Amer group were able to ensure that all ran smoothly and the resorts facilities were available to all.
On Saturday, 27th Oct, the rough weather conditions, that had forced race officials to shorten the Grand Prix course to 57.59Nm and cancel any morning practice sessions for the teams the day before, improved and did not deter Spirit of Norway’s Bjorn Gjelsten and Steve Curtis who went on to produce their second perfect performance of the weekend to win the Grand Prix and keep their world title hopes alive. Second place went to Qatar 96 and third to Victory 77 who still remain in first place for the World Championship Title.
After the race, drivers moved to the dock of Porto Marina, followed by the helicopters that were filming the whole event. The closing ceremony took place in Porto Marina Promenade, where champions collected their medals and, in an unforgettable moment, Egypt’s National anthem was played to applaud the efforts of the host country, and was then followed by the National anthem of Norway.
The closing ceremony was followed by a press conference with a panel that included H.E Zoheir Garranah, Egyptian Minister of Tourism; General Mohamed Al Shahhat, Governor of Matrouh; Saed Hareb, WPPA Chairman; and Mansour Amer, the Chairman of Amer Group.
“We are trying, through a number of activities and events, to bring people to this area and to encourage people to use this area throughout the year whether it be for foreign tourism or internal tourism,” emphasized Amer during the press conference. H.E Minister Garannah in the same way encouraged international and local media to cover the event, so as to show the world the beautiful weather Egypt enjoys the whole year round. “I look forward to more successes for this event in the next five years, backed by the great efforts of Amer Group to promote the North Coast as an all year round destination,” Governor of Matrouh said, expressing his extreme contentment with the great success Egypt achieved in organizing this event,
Yet the three day event not only marked a great success for the Grand Prix winners themselves, but also for the event’s organizers. With such a successful start, Amer Group can only seek to improve the event over the coming four years, ensuring that Porto Marina really was the best choice to host the first ever Egyptian Grand Prix. Allocating a large budget to increase awareness of the sport and promote for the race.
Amer Group’s efforts were greatly appreciated by all parties involved especially as an International high-Key event such as this is usually organized by governments rather than corporations.
“The turnout was unprecedented and unforeseen; many countries have hosted the race before, Egypt surpassed all our previous experiences. The organizing came out perfectly, maintaining the highest international standards, and the participation was beyond anticipation,” asserted Saed Hareb, Head of the WPPA. He further added that he is looking forward to hosting Amer Group in Dubai next year in order to exchange feedback and opinions with reference to the successful race in Dubai, similar to the one that was just wrapped up in Porto Marina. At the end, Hareb thanked the Egyptian media for their strong participation which, as he explained earlier, highlights the fact that Egypt is always open to receive new and diverse types of sports, and is very much ready to host world class tournaments.
