XCATS showcase Gold Coast

The Gold Coast has cemented it's place in powerboat racing history once again and looks set to see a return of the XCAT racing next year, as organisers of the XCAT Powerboat World Series enjoyed unprecedented levels of growth in all areas of the inaugural event.

Not only did the XCAT Gold Coast TV coverage reach an unparalleled 727 million households – up more than 81 per cent on the previous event — but the fourth round of the GP attracted record crowds of more than 22,500 spectators to the Gold Coast shores.

Showcasing the race cats and the Gold Coast, the GP saw the live TV feed being picked up by eight broadcasters including ESPN, Swedish Channel and TV4, reaching 103 million households, while the 26-minute highlights show will now be accessible to 624 million households. Those numbers are growing higher all the time as more broadcasters come on board, organisers said.

A massive breakthrough was said to be the Gillette World Sport covering the Gold Coast GP during the first week of September, broadcasting to an additional 1.5 billion households and providing a media value of Euro 700,000.

Coverage of the Gold Coast GP in traditional media outlets also witnessed massive growth – not only in Australia but across the globe – with exposure in markets as diverse as the USA, Brazil, UK, Italy, Sweden, Japan and Mexico.

Likewise, social media numbers went through the roof, the XCAT YouTube channel being just one example of this. YouTube views increased by 213 per cent, minutes watched by 188 per cent, likes by 300 per cent, shares by 414 per cent and subscribers by 136 per cent.

And it wasn’t just the Australian public, international media and social media followers that showed their enthusiasm for the speedy spectacle. The 14 participating teams also hailed what many described as the greatest XCAT event to date.

There were flips, two by the same team, plenty of air launching off the swells, and hot racing out to sea and around the cans with the signature Gold Coast high-rise backdrop. Tourism Australia couldn't be happier.

"It was the best event I have ever seen in powerboat racing history," enthused the manager of current Series leaders XDubai, Ragesh Elayadeth. "The whole event was administrated and executed with clinical accuracy."

Swecat Racing Team Manager and CEO Niklas Sjöö added: "We were all extremely impressed both by media coverage, local arrangements and the commitment from the local organisers’ committee."

Local hero Tom Barry-Cotter, who powered his way to second spot in the race alongside teammate Ross Willaton in their Gold Coast Australia boat, added: "I would like to congratulate you all on what I thought was the best powerboat racing event I have ever seen. Everyone should be proud of their efforts."

CEO of the WPPA, organisers and promoters of the XCAT World Series, Ronan Morgan said: "We are thrilled with the numbers and the feedback coming from the Gold Coast GP. We really could not have asked for a better response.

"The growth has simply been exponential as new audiences are exposed to the exhilaration of XCAT Racing for the first time. Our growing TV audience is also encouraging new venues to contact us regarding hosting XCAT events in the future.

"As a result we have absolutely no doubt that we will see even further development as the Series is continuously evolving and we continue to visit new venues around the globe.

The fifth round of the UIM XCAT World Series will take place in Dubai, UAE from November 19-21, with the final round of the season scheduled for Abu Dhabi from November 25-27. For more information log on to XCAT Racing.