After encouraging results in England, two Emirati jet skiers have turned their attentions to the October world finals of their sport, in the US state of Arizona.
Khalifa Belselah and Al Mur Mohammed bin Huraiz placed second and third, respectively, in their divisions for the SkyDive Dubai Jet Ski Team in competition this past weekend at Doncaster, England.
Belselah's second-place finish in the third and final round of the European Jet Ski Championships gave him a third-place standing, overall, in the Pro Runabout Class.
"Both riders were keen on not making the same mistakes," said Huraiz bin Huraiz, the manger of the SkyDive Dubai team. "They were focused and they have well-primed themselves for the challenges first in Sweden and then in the United Kingdom.
"The Nordic Sea competition was a stepping stone towards Doncaster, and I am glad that we were able to make the presence of Dubai felt here."
Both riders had competed in the Nordic Sea Championships a week earlier, but the younger Bin Huraiz, riding in the Pro Ski GP class, missed an event in Belgium due to mechanical problems and was not a contender for overall honours. He did, however, finish third in the final round at Doncaster Lakeside.
Both riders are 20 and live in Dubai.
"This has been a fantastic first-hand experience for the two youngsters and I am glad they will be better-equipped for the challenges that lie ahead of them," said Bin Huraiz, the manager.
"Our objective of participating in these competitions was to give both our riders a hands-on experience of international racing against some of the best names in Europe.
"And now that they have done their best and got themselves familiar with how to handle themselves in an international event, they can safely turn their attention to the World Championships in Arizona. "
The younger Bin Huraiz will continue to participate in the Pro Ski GP, while Khalifa will be one of the competitors in the Pro Runabout when the finals are held, October 5 through 13 in Lake Havasu City.
"They have more than a month to really fine-tune their preparations leading up to the World Finals," their manager said. "There's going to be a lot of really hard training. Our riders should be leaving for the US by the end of September."
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