2009 UIM F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of Shenzhen, China – October 18th, round 10 of 16
For immediate release
Sunday, October 18th, 2009
TEAM QATAR’S PRICE REKINDLES WORLD TITLE
CHALLENGE WITH SECOND PLACE IN SHENZHEN
· Australian Craig Bailey finishes ninth on Houhai Lake in Shenzhen
· Qatar’s Price maintains Pole Position Championship lead after Shenzhen
SHENZHEN (China): Team Qatar’s Jay Price moved back into contention to retain his UIM F1 World Championship crown by finishing second overall in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Shenzhen, round 10 of the 16-race series.
The Qatar driver was locked in a fascinating tussle with 2007 World Champion and eventual race winner, Sami Selio, throughout the 52-lap race and charged hard through the final laps to try and snatch the lead. He eventually missed out on the race victory by a margin of just 1.03s, but earned 15 vital championship points, which reduced Jonas Andersson’s overall series lead to just 22 points.
Qatar team-mate Craig Bailey again drove a steady and consistent race to record ninth position and add to his points’ tally before the series heads to Doha in November.
“It was an exciting race and Jay came very close to snatching the win at the end,” 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.
“The important thing for us is that Jay scored points and stayed in touch with the championship leaders. The last three Chinese races have been disappointing. We had no luck at all. Now we can go to Doha with renewed impetus and a great chance of retaining the championship.”
Price and Bailey started the second race from fourth and 15th positions, but Price managed to steal a yard on Selio from the start and finished the first lap behind Cappellini in second place. A yellow flag was raised almost immediately after a collision involving Pierre Lundin and Ahmed Al-Hameli and the boats were restarted in their qualifying positions, with Selio regaining the overall advantage from Cappellini and Price. Bailey slotted into 12th place.
Selio extended his overall advantage to over six seconds through seven laps, but Cappellini and Price began to close the gap slightly when Selio was delayed overtaking some of the back-markers. Cappelini was forced out with engine problems and the yellow flag was raised while Saturday’s race winner was removed from the course. Price climbed into second position and began to challenge Selio once the race restarted and championship leader, Andersson, moved up to third.
Price maintained his menacing challenge on Selio and the gap was down to 3.62s through 29 laps. The pair were a long way ahead of Andersson, while Bailey held 11th. Qatar’s World Champion increased the pressure on Selio heading into the final 10 minutes of the race and the gap was down to less than three seconds. Andersson stopped with mechanical problems and his demise threw the world title race wide open once again.
Selio and Price continued to be the class of the field heading into the final minutes and were nearly one lap ahead of third-placed Francesco Cantando. Bailey moved up to ninth position, but Price maintained a fantastic pursuit of Selio over the closing four laps. Al-Qamzi slowed with a mechanical problem and Cantando was forced out of the running within sight of the finish, as Selio managed to fend off Price’s determined challenge to seal the race win.
Time trials and free practice
Price slotted into fourth place on the grid for the second Shenzhen race. He recorded a best lap of 35.62s and the nine points he earned were enough to maintain a two-point lead in the UIM F1 Pole Position Championship, despite the fact that Selio won Pole again. Cappellini’s return to form continued with second position and Craig Bailey lapped in 39.32s to slot into 16th position.
The Qatar Team drivers had been fourth and 15th in the morning’s free practice session, with Price running for 22 laps to record a best time of 35.89s. Andersson was the fastest man in the morning’s one-hour session, although his time of 35.31s was easily eclipsed in the time trials.
Grand Prix of Shenzhen – race 2 results (Sunday)
1. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad Croc F1 Team Woodstock
2. Jay Price (QA) F1 Team Qatar @ 1.03s
3. Phillipe Chiappe (F) F1 Atlantic Team @ 41.55s
4. Fabian Kalsow (D) CTIC China-Charente one lap behind
5. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi one lap behind
6. Duarte Bevenente (P) F1 Atlantic Team two laps behind
9. Craig Bailey (QA) F1 Team Qatar four laps behind
2009 UIM F1 World Championship – positions after 10 of 16 races:
1. Jonas Andersson (S) Team Azerbaijan 92 pts
2. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 88 pts
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad Croc F1 Team Woodstock 83 pts
4. Jay Price (QA) F1 Team Qatar 70 pts
5. Guido Cappellini (I) Zepter Team 69 pts
6. Francesco Cantando (I) Singha F1 Racing Team 55 pts
7. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 52 pts, etc
2009 UIM F1 Pole Position Championship – positions after 10 of 16 rounds:
1. Jay Price (QA) F1 Team Qatar 135 pts
2. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad Croc F1 Team Woodstock 133 pts
3. Guido Cappellini (I) Zepter Team 107 pts
4. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 102 pts
5. Jonas Andersson (S) Team Azerbaijan 71 pts
6. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 43 pts
7. Francesco Cantando (I) Singha F1 Racing Team 36 pts
8. Pierre Lundin (S) Team CTIC China-Charente 26 pts
9. Massimo Roggiero (I) Mad Croc F1 Team Woodstock 20 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).