2007 UIM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – POWERBOATS
Grand Prix of Shenzhen, China – October 20th-21st, round 4 of 8
For immediate release
Saturday, October 20th, 2007
QATAR F1 TEAM’S PRICE SET TO START
SHENZHEN GP RACE IN SIXTH PLACE
Qatar’s Leo Bonelli qualifies in 19th place
Italian Guido Cappellini takes Pole Position
SHENZHEN (China): The Qatar F1 Team benefited from better luck and delivered a much improved performance in the Pole Position competition for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Shenzhen, round four of the UIM World Championship, in China on Saturday.
Team drivers Jay Price and Leo Bonelli will start the race in sixth and 19th places after a hard-fought qualifying session in excellent weather conditions on a short course on Houhai Lake in Shenzhen. Pole Position for Sunday’s race fell to the multiple World Champion Guido Cappellini after the Italian set the fastest lap in the six-boat shoot out. Lining up on the grid near to the Italian will be second-placed Emirati Thani Al-Qamzi and championship leader Sami Selio. Australian David Trask, Italy’s Ivan Brigada and Qatar’s Price round off the top six.
“It was a short course, a little too short really,” admitted Mohammed Al-Jaidah, head of formula racing at the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF). “But everything was well organised. Jay drove very well and is in a good position for the race on Sunday. I am convinced that without any gearbox problems he is more than capable of taking a podium finish in the race.
“Leo did not benefit from a short propeller in the qualifying session and will start near the back of the field, but after his illness it is good to see him back in the boat and I am sure he will improve on that position in the Grand Prix.”
Twenty-two boats were entered in this weekend’s race with the UAE’s Ahmed Al-Hamli replacing Scott Gillman in the Emirates F1 Team for the meeting on the short, five-turn course on the Pearl River Delta.
Price and Bonelli were seventh and 18th quickest in the first of the two timed qualifying sessions. Price set a fastest lap of 38.06s on the rapid-fire course, but it was 1.3 seconds slower than the pace-setting Finn Sami Selio. Al-Hamli proved that standing in for Gillman was a beneficial exercise for the Emirates F1 Team and set the second fastest lap of 37.51s, with team mate Al-Qamzi in third and Cappellini and Jonas Andersson completing the top five.
The second qualifying session was the Qatar Team’s last chance to make the six-boat shoot out and Price responded superbly with the sixth fastest time of 37.28s in the dying seconds, but it was still some way behind the flying Selio’s fastest time of the day of 36.66s. Cappellini, Trask, Al-Qamzi and Brigada were also on the pace, but Bonelli was down in 19th position.
When the two times were combined, Price had managed to sneak into the six-boat shoot-out with an excellent sixth position and an average speed of 154km/h, with pace man Selio, Cappellini, Trask, Al-Qamzi and Brigada joining him in the championship points’ decider.
Price currently lies fourth in the overall World Championship points’ table after a non-finish in Xi’an two weeks ago, but the New Orleans-based Qatar Team racer is confident that he can make the podium on Sunday.
He was classified eighth in the Pole Position championship before this weekend and now holds seventh place in that championship. Ill health forced Pole points’ leader Scott Gillman to miss the action in Shenzhen and Cappellini took advantage of the American’s misfortune to move into the lead in the Pole championship standings.
In Saturday morning’s crucial first free practice session, Price and Bonelli set the sixth and 14th fastest times in their BaBa boats, although the honour of fastest time fell to Cappellini with a lap of 36.70s, which was actually faster than any time set in the first qualifying session. Trask and Selio were second and third.
Teams will be permitted a second practice session on Sunday morning, before the Grand Prix of Shenzhen fires into life at 15.00hrs on Sunday afternoon.
2007 Grand Prix of Shenzhen – Pole Position shoot-out results:
1. Guido Cappellini (I) Tamoil F1 35.20s
2. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) Emirates F1 Team 35.93s
3. Sami Selio (FIN) F1 Team Energy 36.10s
4. David Trask (AUS) XPV Racing 36.25s
5. Ivan Brigada (I) Tamoil F1 36.50s
6. Jay Price (USA) Qatar Team 37.48s
2007 UIM F1 Pole Position Championship – positions after round 4 of 8 (unofficial):
1. Guido Cappellini (I) Tamoil F1 54 pts
2. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) Emirates F1 Team 48 pts
3. Sami Selio (FIN) F1 Team Energy 43 pts
4. Scott Gillman (USA) Emirates F1 Team 40 pts
5. David Trask (AUS) XPV Racing 29 pts
6. Jonas Andersson (S) F1 Team Sweden 21 pts
7. Jay Price (USA) Qatar Team 15 pts
7. Phillipe Dessertenne (F) CTIC Charente Maritime 15 pts
9. Ivan Brigada (I) Tamoil F1 7 pts
Ends
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