2009 UIM F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of Russia – August 8th-9th, round 5 of 16
For immediate release
Sunday, August 9th, 2009
SENSATIONAL PRICE WINS GRAND
PRIX OF RUSSIA FOR F1 TEAM QATAR
· Qatar’s Andy Elliott hospitalised with rib injuries after practice flip
· F1 Team Qatar’s Price claims Pole Position for first Russian race
SAINT PETERSBURG (Russia): Defending UIM F1 World Champion, Jay Price, was in sensational form in the first of two Grand Prix of Russia on the Neva River in Saint Petersburg. He led from start to finish to move into the outright lead in the UIM F1 World Championship.
The F1 Team Qatar driver qualified for the fifth round of the series in Pole Position and went on to clinch an emphatic victory for the Qatar Team. He also set the fastest lap and moved into a two-point lead in the prestigious series.
A flawless display by the Qatar star was marred by a crash in free practice that hospitalised team-mate Andy Elliott with rib injuries in his 137th Grand Prix outing. Team Abu Dhabi’s Ahmed Al-Hameli leapt from fifth to third in the UIM F1 Drivers’ Championship standings with a fine second position on the six-pin, 2.01km course, while F1 Atlantic Team’s Phillipe Chiappe was third.
Italian multiple World Champion Guido Cappellini destroyed his gear casing and lost second position in the race and Team Abu Dhabi’s Thani Al-Qamzi also failed to add to his points’ tally and slipped to second in the championship after a non-finish.
“Jay did what he had to do and got the maximum points for the Qatar Team,” enthused a delighted Khalid Bin Arhama Al-Kuwari, Head of Formula Racing at the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), which is run under the presidency of His Excellency Sheikh Hassan Bin Jabor Al-Thani. “Obviously the weekend was marred by the flip that Andy had in practice, but Jay was right on the pulse and achieved everything he set out to do.”
Price eventually secured victory by the winning margin of 17.46s for the jubilant Qatar Team. “”It was a great day for us and more than made up for last year’s disappointment in Russia” said Price. “The boat was perfect and my crew put together a great package. Brendan (Power) was spot on with the engine selection and the boat I had used earlier in the year suited me for the rough conditions.”
Time trials and free practice
Price ran for 12 laps in the time trials and posted the Pole Position-winning lap of 48.81s to extend his outright lead in the UIM F1 Pole Position Championship to 15 points from Team Abu Dhabi’s Ahmed Al-Hameli. Cappellini was Price’s closest challenger with a lap of 48.92s and Selio claimed third position on the grid with a tour of 49.21s. Elliott was unable to take to the water and was registered in 19th position and forced to start the race from the rear of the grid.
The Englishman had been able to tackle seven laps in the morning’s free practice session and set the 15th quickest lap of 54.05s. Al-Hameli ran for 16 tours and posted the quickest time of the stint – a tour of 49.19s – with Price and Comparato filling second and third positions.
Sunday’s action starts with free practice on the course from 10.30 hrs. The time trials follow at 12.30 hrs and the second of the weekend’s races gets underway at 18.00 hrs and runs for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Grand Prix of Russia – race 1 results (Saturday)
1. Jay Price (QA) F1 Team Qatar 49m 78s
2. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi @ 17.46s
3. Phillipe Chiappe (F) F1 Atlantic Team @ 22.34s
4. Fabio Comparato (I) 800 Doctor Team @ 25.87s
5. Pierre Lundin (S) Team CTIC China-Charente @ 42.54s, etc
Time Trials (Saturday)
1. Jay Price (QA) F1 Team Qatar 48.81s
2. Guido Cappellini (I) Zepter Team 48.92s
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad Croc F1 Team Woodstock 49.21s
4. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 49.56s
5. Phillipe Chiappe (F) F1 Atlantic Team 49.97s
6. Jonas Andersson (S) Team Azerbaijan 50.11s
7. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 50.51s
8. Pierre Lundin (S) Team CTIC China-Charente 50.53s
2009 UIM F1 World Championship – positions after 5 of 16 races:
1. Jay Price (QA) F1 Team Qatar 55 pts
2. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 53 pts
3. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 40 pts
4. Jonas Andersson (S) Team Azerbaijan 32 pts
5. Guido Cappellini (I) Zepter Team 30 pts
6. Fabio Comparato (I) 800 Doctor Team 28 pts
7. Duarte Benavente (P) F1 Atlantic Team 19 pts
7. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad Croc F1 Team Woodstock 19 pts
7. Francesco Cantando (I) Singha F1 Racing Team 19 pts
7. Phillipe Chiappe (F) F1 Atlantic Team 19 pts, etc
2009 UIM F1 Pole Position Championship – positions after 5 of 16 rounds:
1. Jay Price (QA) F1 Team Qatar 79 pts
2. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 64 pts
3. Guido Cappellini (I) Zepter Team 43 pts
4. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad Croc F1 Team Woodstock 41 pts
4. Jonas Andersson (S) Team Azerbaijan 33 pts
6. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 28 pts
7. Massimo Roggiero (I) Mad Croc F1 Team Woodstock 20 pts
8. Francesco Cantando (I) Singha F1 Racing Team 15 pts
9. Pierre Lundin (S) Team CTIC China-Charente 12 pts
10. Phillipe Chiappe (F) F1 Atlantic Team 7 pts
Ends
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: ndppublicity@googlemail.com. www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).