2014 UIM F1 H2O WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of China – round 2, October 4-6
For immediate release
Monday, October 6th, 2014
QATAR TEAM’S ALEX CARELLA CLAIMS HAT-TRICK OF
VICTORIES IN LIUZHOU TO EXTEND F1 H20 SERIES LEAD
· Qatar’s Shaun Torrente fights back from 15th to finish third
· Sixth and eighth for Qatar’s Al-Kuwari and Al-Obaidly in F-4S race
LIUZHOU (CHINA): Qatar’s defending UIM F1 H20 World Champion Alex Carella led from pole position to the chequered flag and crushed the opposition in Monday’s 39-lap UIM F1 H20 Grand Prix of China on Liuzhou’s Liu River.
The Italian led from a disjointed start and edged away from all his rivals, lapping all but three boats to reach the chequered flag 31.66sec in front of the impressive Swedish rookie Erik Stark and record his third successive win in Liuzhou. He now takes a 25-point championship lead to the next round in Qatar in mid-November.
Qatar team-mate Shaun Torrente started the race in 15th place after an engine change and fought back through the field to finish fourth overall behind Team Abu Dhabi’s Thani Al-Qamzi. But Stark was deemed to have hit a turn buoy and received a penalty, which demoted the dejected Swede to fifth and lifted Al-Qamzi to second and Torrente into the final podium place.
“Today was a big challenge for me,” said Carella. “This was the first time racing in this boat for me. I started from pole and I just wanted to have a good race for the team and keep up our momentum. Everything was perfect.”
“I am really happy with this result,” said Khalid bin Arhama Al-Kuwari, head of formula racing at the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), which runs under the presidency of His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani.
“Alex did another fantastic job and made it look easy. I suppose it is the secret of qualifying on pole and managing your own race from the front. Shaun did well to come back to third after starting the race in 15th. I am sure he would have been up there fighting with Alex if he had not had a problem on Sunday. Now we take a good lead to Doha for the next race.”
“My plan was to charge hard from the start, from 15th, to try and get through the middle of the field and try and make up as much time as possible and get through the first corner clean,” said Torrente. “I was confident that I could make up the rest of the time towards the end of the race.”
The Qatar Team’s Khalid Abdullah Al-Kuwari and Mohamed Al-Obaidly finished sixth and eighth overall in the second of the F-4S Trophy races. Germany’s Mike Szymura claimed pole position for the second day and went on to record his second win, with Australian youngster Briney Rigby in second place
UIM F1 H20 Grand Prix of China
Carella and Torrente lined up in pole and 15th position amongst the 18 boats at the start of the race on the 2.13km course on the Liu River after Torrente was forced to change the engine before the start.
Carella held his lead after a disjointed start and maintained his advantage through lap one, with Yousef Al-Rubayan moving ahead of Sami Selio to take second place. Duarte Benavente retired and Torrente climbed from 15th to eighth through lap two. Philippe Chiappe also withdrew after two laps.
Carella had extended his lead over Al-Rubayan to 8.25sec after five of the 39 laps and Torrente maintained eighth place. The Italian was in superb form and he began lap eight with a 16.09sec advantage, although officials claimed that Al-Rubayan had jumped the start and would be awarded a penalty lap, lifting Selio back to second and Stark into third.
Carella’s lead was a massive 17.81sec through 13 laps and Torrente climbed to sixth once Francesco Cantando hit trouble and Al-Rubayan dropped back. At the halfway point, after 19 laps, Carella led Selio by 23.94sec.
Carella had lapped all but his six closest rivals by lap 25 and led the race by 27.20sec, but Torrente was not able to pass Al-Qamzi and snatch fifth place. Andersson was forced out with technical problems on lap 28 and this handed fourth place to Al-Qamzi and moved Torrente up to fifth.
Selio also hit mechanical trouble on lap 32 and the Finn slipped down the order. His problems moved Stark into second, Al-Qamzi into third and Torrente into fourth place with seven laps remaining.
The Qatar Team duo held station through the remaining laps and Carella reached the chequered flag 31.66 seconds in front of the impressive young Swede Erik Stark. Al-Qamzi finished third and Torrente reached the finish in fourth. Stark’s collision with a turn buoy duly moved Al-Qamzi and Torrente up to second and third.
Torrente bounced back to form following his mistake in qualifying on Sunday and set the fastest lap during Monday morning’s second practice session. The Qatar Team driver ran for 19 laps in his repaired boat and carded a quickest lap of 45.30sec. This was a mere 0.03sec faster than the time set by Ahmed A-Hameli of Team Abu Dhabi. Carella ran for just eight laps with a best of 45.64sec.
F-4S – race 2
Mike Szymura continued where he left off on Sunday with victory in race one to qualify on pole position for the second of the two F-4S races. A quickest lap of 46.76sec during a 23-lap stint was sufficient to claim pole from Aussie rookie Briney Rigby. Qatar’s Mohammed Al-Obaidly qualified in sixth, but ongoing work on Khalid Abdullah Al-Kuwari’s boat meant that the second Qatari missed the session.
Szymura completed the clean sweep of two F-4S wins in the 22-lap race and reached the chequered flag 10.72 seconds in front of Briney, with Norway’s Joachim Halvorsen in third. Al-Kuwari started from the rear of the field and managed to climb to sixth place, with Al-Obaidly reaching the end two laps down in eighth.
The next round of the UIM F1 H20 World Championship will be the Middle East Grand Prix in Doha Bay, Qatar, on November 15th.
Grand Prix of China – results
1. Alex Carella (QAT) Qatar Team 39 laps
2. Thani Al-Qamzi (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi @ 35.35sec
3. Shaun Torrente (QAT) Qatar Team @ 36.92sec
4. Bartek Marszalek (POL) Motorglass F1 Team 1 lap behind
5. Erik Stark (SWE) Team Nautica 1 lap behind
6. Yousef Al-Rubayan (KWT) F1 GC Atlantic Team 2 laps behind
7. Filip Roms (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 2 laps behind
8. Sami Selio (FIN) Md-Croc Baba Racing Team 2 laps behind
9. Ahmed Al-Hameli (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi RET
10. Xiong Ziwei (CHN) China CTIC Team 4 laps behind
2014 UIM F1 H20 World Championship – positions after round 2:
1. Alex Carella (QAT) Qatar Team 40 pts
2. Philippe Chiappe (FRA) China CTIC Team 15 pts
2. Thani Al-Qamzi (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 15 pts
4. Shaun Torrente (QAT) Qatar Team 12 pts
4. Duarte Benavente (PRT) F1 GC Atlantic Team 12 pts
4. Bartek Marszalek (POL) Motorglass F1 Team 12 pts
7. Filip Roms (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 11 pts
8. Francesco Cantando (ITA) Motorglass F1 Team 9 pts
9. Erik Stark (SWE) Team Nautica 7 pts
10. Marit Stromoy (NOR) Team Nautica 5 pts
10. Yousef Al-Rubayan (KWT) F1 GC Atlantic Team 5 pts
10. Xiong Ziwei (CHN) China CTIC Team 5 pts
13. Sami Selio (FIN) Md-Croc Baba Racing Team 3 pts
14. Ahmed Al-Hameli (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 2 pts
2014 F-4S Trophy – latest positions:
1. Mike Szymura (DEU) F1 GC Atlantic Team 55 pts
2. Briney Rigby (AUS) Team Sweden 30 pts
3. Joakim Halvorsen (NOR) Team Nautica 21 pts
3. Jan Andre Landsnes (NOR) Motorglass F1 Team 21 pts
5. Jesper Forss (SWE) Team Sweden 20 pts
6. Khalid Abdullah Al-Kuwari (QAT) Qatar Team 14 pts
7. Mohamad Al-Obaidly (QAT) Qatar Team 13 pts
8. Nikita Lijcs (LVA) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 12 pts
9. Bincheng Wu (CHN) China CTIC Team 7 pts
9. Morgan Jernfast (SWE) Team Nautica 7 pts
9. Mohamed Al-Mehairbi (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 7 pts
12. Rashed Al-Remeithi (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 4 pts
13. Ronny Mathys (SUI) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 0 pt
Ends
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: ndppublicity@googlemail.com,
www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases). Twitter: @LordPerkins
www.qmsf.org
www.f1h20.com
2014 UIM F1 H2O WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of China – round 2, October 4-6
For immediate release, UPDATE
Monday, October 6th, 2014
TORRENTE BACK TO FOURTH AFTER STARK IS RE-INSTATED IN SECOND
LIUZHOU (CHINA): Race officials at the UIM F1 H20 Grand Prix of China in Liuzhou have reversed their earlier decision and re-instated Erik Stark in second position in the official results for Monday afternoon’s race on the Liu River.
The Swede had been pushed down from second to fifth overall after reportedly striking a turn buoy. This had promoted Team Abu Dhabi’s Thani Al-Qamzi to second and the Qatar Team’s Shaun Torrente to third.
But replays of the incident and a meeting overthrew that decision and rookie Stark was handed back his second position, the outcome pushing Al-Qamzi into third and Torrente back to fourth place.
Alex Carella led from start-to-finish to claim a third successive outright win in Liuzhou.
2014 UIM F1 H20 World Championship – positions after round 2 (updated):
1. Alex Carella (QAT) Qatar Team 40 pts
2. Erik Stark (SWE) Team Nautica 15 pts
2. Philippe Chiappe (FRA) China CTIC Team 15 pts
4. Thani Al-Qamzi (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 15 pts
4. Duarte Benavente (PRT) F1 GC Atlantic Team 12 pts
6. Filip Roms (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 11 pts
7. Bartek Marszalek (POL) Motorglass F1 Team 10 pts
8. Shaun Torrente (QAT) Qatar Team 9 pts
8. Francesco Cantando (ITA) Motorglass F1 Team 9 pts
10. Marit Stromoy (NOR) Team Nautica 5 pts
10. Yousef Al-Rubayan (KWT) F1 GC Atlantic Team 5 pts
10. Xiong Ziwei (CHN) China CTIC Team 5 pts
13. Sami Selio (FIN) Md-Croc Baba Racing Team 3 pts
14. Ahmed Al-Hameli (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 2 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). Twitter: @LordPerkins
www.qmsf.org
www.f1h20.com