2008 UIM F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of Shenzhen – October 24th-26th, round 6 of 8
For immediate release
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
QATAR TEAM’S JAY PRICE FACES MOST
IMPORTANT RACE OF CAREER IN SHENZHEN
· Qatar’s Price takes 30-point UIM F1 championship lead back to China
· Qatari rookie Yousef Al-Khulaifi aiming for third points finish of season
SHENZHEN (China): The Qatar Team’s Jay Price faces the most important race of his career at Shenzhen in China on Sunday (October 26th). Price leads the prestigious UIM F1 World Championship by 30 points heading into the final three rounds of the series and a podium finish for the Qatar Team driver this weekend would make him the massive favourite to become F1 World Champion for the first time and give the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) a maiden world title.
Price has been the model of consistency this season, ever since recovering from a spectacular flip during the pole shoot-out in Doha to take second overall the following day in front of home race fans. He clinched Qatar’s first ever GP win in Portugal after a sensational drive and repeated the feat on the Li River in Liuzhou two weeks ago to make the potent Qatar DAC boat a firm favourite to race to the world title. The Qatar Team also has a 29-point advantage over F1 Team Sweden in the UIM F1 Teams’ Championship, as the Doha-based concern looks forward to a potentially-thrilling weekend.
He will be joined in the southern Chinese city by the young Doha-based rookie Yousef Al-Khulaifi, who has been a revelation in his first season of F1 racing. Al-Khulaifi has scored points in two races and continues to improve at every race meeting in his BaBa boat.
None of the QMSF staff remained in China after the recent race win in Liuzhou and there has been no opportunity to test either the DAC or the BaBa race boats since that emphatic win on the Li River. But Price and the rest of the team are confident nonetheless.
“You know the most important thing for us in Shenzhen will be to finish,” admitted a focused Price, who is making his 20th F1 GP start on Lake Shenzhen. “I need to take as many points as possible. Thirty points is a good lead with only three races to go, but I must make sure we do not get involved in an accident. This round could decide the championship, but I will probably need one more race (Abu Dhabi) to seal the title. It would be nice for the Qatar Team to win the world title there!”
Price’s task will be made a little easier by the fact that nine-time world champion Guido Cappellini was red-carded for a dangerous race manoeuvre at Liuzhou and will miss the Shenzhen race. “I would have preferred to race him and beat him,” admitted Price. “But there are still several world class drivers to beat at the weekend. Shenzhen is a real challenging course. It is small and tight and I like it.”
“Since we are leading the championship, it is important that every member of the team focuses on his job and we aim for the podium,” added Khalid Bin Arhama Al-Kuwari, head of formula racing at the Qatar Marine Sports Federation, which is run under the presidency of His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani.
“It would be great if Jay was in the top three positions. We all know that anything can happen and we may have mechanical problems or an accident, but the outcome of the world title is in our hands now and we are all looking forward to winning the championship.
“Guido is out of this race, but we can never discount Sami Selio, Thani (Al-Qamzi), Ahmed (Al-Hameli) and Jonas (Andersson). They know what they have to do to make it difficult for Jay, but we hope to see an exciting race without any accidents.”
Race weekend gets underway on Friday (October 24th) with technical scrutineering and team registration, before drivers are permitted to take to the water for the first time for a one-hour free practice session at 10am (Shenzhen time) on Saturday morning. The first time trials to determine the starting order for Sunday’s race begin at 1pm and are followed by the second time trials at 2.45pm and the all-important six-boat shoot-out from 4.45pm.
Sunday’s Grand Prix of Shenzhen starts at 3pm, although teams will be permitted to take part in a final 45-minute free practice session from 10am on Sunday morning.
2008 UIM F1 World Championship – Drivers (positions after round 5 of 8):
1. Jay Price (QA) Qatar Team 70 pts
2. Jonas Andersson (S) F1 Team Sweden 40 pts
3. David Trask (AUS) Trask Brothers Racing 32 pts
4. Fabio Comparato (I) 800 Doctor Team 31 pts
5. Ahmad Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 28 pts
6. Guido Cappellini (I) Tamoil F1 Team 27 pts
7. Sami Selio (FIN) Woodstock Red Devil Racing 27 pts
8. Pierre Lundin (S) China CTIC Team 24 pts
9. Phillipe Chiappe (F) F1 Atlantic Team 24 pts
16. Yousef Al-Khulaifi (QA) Qatar Team 8 pts
2008 UIM F1 World Championship – Pole Position (positions after round 5 of 8):
1. Guido Cappellini (I) Tamoil F1 73 pts
2. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 63 pts
3. Ahmad Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 62 pts
4. Jonas Andersson (S) F1 Team Sweden 41 pts
5. Sami Selio (FIN) Woodstock Red Devil Racing 39 pts
6. Jay Price (QA) Qatar Team 24 pts
7. David Trask (AUS) Trask Brothers Racing 21 pts
8. Francesco Cantando (I) Singha Team 7 pts
9=. Massimo Roggiero (I) Woodstock Red Devil Racing 5 pts
9=. Phillipe Chiappe (F) Atlantic Team 5 pts
2008 UIM F1 World Championship – Teams (positions after round 5 of 8):
1. Qatar Team 75 pts
2. F1 Team Sweden 46 pts
3. Tamoil F1 43 pts
4. Trask Brothers Racing 41 pts
5. China CTIC Team 37 pts
6. F1 Atlantic Team 33 pts
7. Doctor 800 31 pts
8. F1 Team Abu Dhabi 28 pts
8. Woodstock Red Devil Racing 28 pts
10. Singha Team 14 pts
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: ndppublicity@compuserve.com. www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).