UIM F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi, round 5 of 6
December 7th-8th, 2006
For immediate release
Monday, December 4th, 2006
QATAR F1 RACING TEAM AIMS FOR PODIUM FINISH IN ABU DHABI
Price and Roggiero in strong Qatar Team line-up;
Gillman and Cappellini continue duel in the desert
ABU DHABI (UAE): The Qatar F1 World Powerboat Team will start this weekend?s Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi in confident mood, after team driver Jay Price?s superb second place in China recently.
Despite his relative lack of F1 racing experience, the New Orleans-based racer has a proven track record in international F2000 racing and will line-up this weekend tied in fifth place in the UIM F1 Drivers? Championship.
Price?s Qatar Team BaBa boat has earned 20 points in recent F1 outings and those performances have catapulted the American into a tie with Italian rookie F1 racer Ivan Brigada, the winner of the opening round of the series. Jay looks set to go head-to-head over the final two races with Brigada and Sweden’s Jonas Andersson for the coveted title of ‘Rookie of the Year’.
Whilst it is not possible for Price to win the outright World Championship this time, he has already pushed himself into contention to win individual races and is more than capable of upsetting what looks set to become a two-way race for the title between championship leader Scott Gillman and Italian rival and defending champion Guido Cappellini. Californian Gillman takes a five-point lead over Cappellini into Friday?s Abu Dhabi race.
Price?s Qatar Team colleague Massimo Roggiero is one of the fastest five or six racers in the F1 series this year. The Italian?s 10th position in the Drivers? Championship defies his natural ability and Roggiero is sure to be in the mood to lift the Qatar Team above XPV Racing and into third position in the overall F1 Teams? Championship.
?Confidence in the team is running high,? said Mohammed Al-Jaidah, Head of Formula racing at the Doha-based Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF). ?Jay and Massimo are more than capable of winning and reaching the podium at the very least. We will use the last two races of the season to continue our improvements ready to challenge for the world title in 2007.?
The weekend?s action kicks off with technical scrutineering and team registration on Wednesday (December 6th), followed by the first free practice session on Thursday morning. The first time trials begin at 12.30 hrs (Dubai time), with the second timed heats and the F1 Powerboat Shoot-out for Pole Position taking place later on Thursday afternoon.
The build up to Friday?s Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi gets underway with a free practice session between 10.15 hrs and 11.00 hrs, before the main race fires into life at 15.30 hrs (Dubai time).
UIM F1 Drivers Championship (positions after round 4 of 6)
1. Scott Gillman 50 pts
2. Guido Cappellini 45 pts
3. Thani Al-Qamzi 31 pts
4. David Trask 21 pts
5. Ivan Brigada 20 pts
6. Jay Price 20 pts
7. Bob Trask 19 pts
8. Phillippe Dessetenne 14 pts
9. Fabio Comparato 13 pts
10. Massimo Roggiero 12 pts, etc
UIM F1 Teams?Championship (positions after round 4 of 6)
1. Emirates F1 81 pts
2. Tamoil F1 68 pts
3. XPV Racing 40 pts
4. Qatar Team 32 pts
5. Team Charente Maritime 24 pts, etc
Ends
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Qatar Mobile: + 974 5435185, UK Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: ndppublicity@compuserve.com. www.ndp-publicitycom (press releases).
www.f1boat.com
www.qmsf.org