2009 UIM F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of Liuzhou, China – October 7th, round 8 of 16
For immediate release
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
QATAR TEAM’S PRICE LOSES SECOND
PLACE IN LIUZHOU WITH ENGINE WOES
· Australian Craig Bailey finishes eighth for Team Qatar
· Liuzhou race victory falls to Sweden’s Jonas Andersson
LIUZHOU (China): Jay Price retired from second position with engine problems in the Grand Prix of Liuzhou on Wednesday and capped a miserable weekend’s powerboat racing for Team Qatar. Scant consolation for the Doha-based operation was eighth position and three championship points for team debutant Craig Bailey.
Price’s failure to score points in the two Liuzhou races means he retains third place in the UIM F1 Drivers’ Championship standings, but slips 24 points behind new championship leader and race winner, Jonas Andersson. The Swede finished 4.93 seconds ahead of multiple World Champion, Guido Cappellini, and holds a two-point advantage in the championship over Team Abu Dhabi’s Thani Al-Qamzi.
“I guess there is no way that you can explain bad luck,” said 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.
“Jay was running well in second position and looked set to add to his points when he had the engine problem. It capped a disappointing weekend for us in Liuzhou, but Craig scored points and reached the finish, which is a consolation for us. I guess we need to put this behind us, move on, and look forward to the next races in Shenzhen.”
Price started third and shadowed Andersson through the opening lap. He managed to stay on the Swede’s coat tails through lap five, although the Swede held a five-second lead. Sami Selio, Francesco Cantando, Cappellini and Al-Qamzi filled the minor places and Bailey had climbed to 14th place.
Cantando’s demise on lap eight moved Bailey up to 13th, but the Team Abu Dhabi pairing of Al-Qamzi and Ahmed Al-Hameli were also on a charge and moved up to fifth and sixth positions, as Price continued to shadow Andersson through 10 laps.
Selio succumbed on lap 12, but Price maintained his dogged pursuit of Andersson through the next few laps and trailed the Swede by just 2.41 seconds after lap 23. Bailey had moved up to 11th position and was just outside the points for Team Qatar. But Price’s engine let go and he lost his grip on second position, as Al-Hameli was also laid low with engine problems and Andersson held on to take the win and snatch the championship lead from Al-Qamzi. Bailey benefited from all the drama on the course to record a fine eighth place and three championship points.
Time trials and practice
Price qualified for the second Liuzhou race in third position, behind Selio and Andersson, and a mere 1.06s off Pole Position. Bailey was down in 16th, but Price was not unduly dissatisfied with his position after the accident on Tuesday. He collected 12 points for his efforts and retained a 28-point outright lead in the UIM F1 Pole Position Championship over Selio – who recorded his fourth successive Pole Position in China.
Price had set the second fastest lap in the morning’s free practice session – a tour of 43.53s during his 12-lap stint. Andersson was the man on form and made up for the mistake he made in practice on Tuesday with the best lap of the morning of 43.15s. Bailey only ran for four laps and set the 16th quickest time of the 18 runners.
Grand Prix of Liuzhou – race 2 results (Wednesday)
1. Jonas Andersson (S) Team Azerbaijan 49m 41s
2. Guido Cappellini (I) Zepter Team @ 4.93s
3. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi @ 43.12s
4. Pierre Lundin (S) Team CTIC China-Charente @ 46.17s
5. Marit Stromoy (N) Team Azerbaijan @ 1 lap behind
6. Fabian Kalsow D) Team CTIC China-Charente @ 2 laps behind
7. Duarte Benavente (P) F1 Atlantic Team @ 2 laps behind
8. Craig Bailey (AUS) F1 Team Qatar @ 3 laps behind
2009 UIM F1 World Championship – positions after 8 of 16 races:
1. Jonas Andersson (S) Team Azerbaijan 79 pts
2. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 77 pts
3. Jay Price (QA) F1 Team Qatar 55 pts
4. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad Croc F1 Team Woodstock 54 pts
5. Guido Cappellini (I) Zepter Team 49 pts
6. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 47 pts
7. Fabio Comparato (I) 800 Doctor Team 42 pts
8. Francesco Cantando (I) Singha F1 Racing Team 37 pts, etc
2009 UIM F1 Pole Position Championship – positions after 8 of 16 rounds:
1. Jay Price (QA) F1 Team Qatar 121 pts
2. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad Croc F1 Team Woodstock 93 pts
3. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 90 pts
4. Guido Cappellini (I) Zepter Team 77 pts
5. Jonas Andersson (S) Team Azerbaijan 57 pts
6. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 31 pts
7. Francesco Cantando (I) Singha F1 Racing Team 29 pts
8. Massimo Roggiero (I) Mad Croc F1 Team Woodstock 20 pts
9. Pierre Lundin (S) Team CTIC China-Charente 19 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).