The UIM XCAT World Championship 2023 got off to an exciting start in the waters of the Port of Fiumicino, located on the West Mediterranean, Ligurean Sea in Italy. The first of the two Italian stages, with the second set to take place in Basilicata next weekend; Race 1 drew a large audience of fans and onlookers who packed the area close to the circuit. After the start, given by UIM President Dr. Raffaele Chiulli, the show was certainly not lacking and the emotions remained high lap after lap.

A speedy start for the favorites of 222 Offshore helmed by Giovanni Carpitella and Darren Nicholson, having taken a pole position in the previous days, hinting at an easy victory. Unfortunately, a high-speed collision with Fazza's Emirati catamaran severely penalized the Italo-Australian team, who in turn, with their boat badly damaged, were being passed by the chasing crews but still finished in fifth place. Fazza, on the other hand, was forced to retire, bidding farewell to any podium aspirations.

The battle for first place was between Team GB and the Swedes of Swecat. In the end, Scott Williams and Martin Campbell crossed the finish line first, unleashing the enthusiasm and joy of the entire British team. The final time for the winners was 48:22.15. Sebastian Groth and Svenne Jansson took home the silver. Consulbrokers, helmed by Alfredo Amato and Luca Betti, took third place on the podium, stopping the chronometer at 48:49.80.

At the end of the race, a beaming Amato commented on the third place: "We got off to a bad start because Fazza got an early start and forced us to chase. We got behind them and remained at third throughout the race. It was not an easy race because outside there was a sea with a meter and a half waves; there was a lot of jumping, we had to administer the boat, but in the end, we made it to take the podium. An Italian podium here in Fiumicino is really a proud moment. And tomorrow we will try again, obviously trying to improve."

Disappointment printed on the face at the end of the race for Carpitella for what happened on the water: "We had started strong but after the incident we had a drop in engine power, and we did our best to bring home the result; we were in constant worry about engine alarms. We hope to be in the race tomorrow, but it will not be easy, the technicians are already working to put the boat back together but the damage is serious."

Race 2 is scheduled for today, Monday, May 1. A livestream can be found on the UIM XCAT YouTube channel.

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