MEDIA INFORMATION
2015 UIM F1 H2O WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of China, September 30-October 2
TEAM ABU DHABI’S CARELLA AND AL-QAMZI FACE CRUCIAL CHINESE RACE CHALLENGE
Shaun Torrente takes one-point series lead over Philippe Chiappe into Luizhou race
Rashed Al-Qemzi and Mohammed Al-Mehairbi to represent Team Abu Dhabi in F-4S races
LIUZHOU (CHINA): Monday, September 28: Team Abu Dhabi’s Alex Carella and Thani Al-Qamzi are currently in China preparing for Friday’s Grand Prix of China on the Liu River in Liuzhou.
The race is the fourth round of the 2015 UIM F1 H2O World Championship and the duo know that podium finishes are necessary for them to keep their title challenges alive with just three races to run in this year’s six-round calendar. The pair finished third and sixth at the last race in Portugal in August and now hold sixth and 11th places in the drivers’ points standings.
With 20 points available to the winner of the Chinese race, Carella knows that nothing short of a win, or at least a podium finish, will be sufficient if he is to close the gap on series leader Shaun Torrente and defending World Champion Philippe Chiappe. Carella is currently 17 points behind the leading American and 16 adrift of Chiappe, the winner in Portugal.
Al-Qamzi rejoined the team in Porto after missing the first two races of the season in Qatar and France and is tied with Sweden’s Jesper Forss on five points.
“I’ve got to go out there and focus purely on this race and achieving the win,” said Carella who won the Liuzhou race three years running while driving for the former Qatar Team. “There are only three races left and time is running out. I need the points on the board. I love this circuit. It’s just something about the surroundings that make this such a great place for me. My only mishap came in 2011, when I qualified second, was forced to start at the end of the dock because of engine problems and still finished fifth. I can’t afford any more hiccups or my dreams of another title will go straight out of the window.”
Team Abu Dhabi will also run two boats on the third and fourth races in this year’s UIM F-4S Championship. Rashed Al-Qemzi showed an impressive turn of speed in the qualifying sessions in Portugal and holds equal fourth position in the championship behind Mike Szymura, Joakim Halvorsen and Bingchen Wu. He drives the first of the two Abu Dhabi boats and will be joined by Mohammed Al-Mehairbi in Luizhou, the southern Chinese city which first hosted a round of the UIM F1 H2O World Championship in 2008.
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Team Abu Dhabi is supported by Etihad Airways as the official carrier and sponsor and runs under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Khalifa Al-Nahyan, advisor to the Head of State and chairman of the board of directors of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC).
Technical scrutineering and team registration gets the weekend’s events up and running on Wednesday (September 30), although there will be an extra free practice session from 2pm in the afternoon.
The first F-4S free practice session and time trials get underway on Thursday morning and precede free practice for the F1 boats, starting at 10.30hrs. The first of the two 20-minute F-4S races starts at 13.30hrs and is followed by F1 qualifying from 15.00hrs (11am UAE time).
F-4S teams will be permitted further free practice and time trials on Friday morning, before the second of the F-4S races starts at 11.10hrs and the Grand Prix of China takes centre stage from 14.00hrs (10am UAE time).
2015 UIM F1 H2O World Championship – after round 3:
1. Shaun Torrente (USA) Victory Team 36 pts
2. Philippe Chiappe (FRA) China CTIC Team 35 pts
3. Erik Stark (SWE) Team Nautica 27 pts
3. Youssef Al-Rubayan (KUW) F1 GC Atlantic Team 27 pts
5. Jonas Andersson (SWE) Team Sweden 24 pts
6. Filip Roms (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 19 pts
6. Alex Carella (ITA) Team Abu Dhabi 19 pts
8. Francesco Cantando (ITA) Motorglass F1 Team 9 pts
9. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 7 pts
10. Marit Stromoy (NOR) Team Nautica 6 pts
11. Jesper Forss (SWE) Team Sweden 5 pts
11. Thani Al-Qamzi (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 5 pts, etc
2015 UIM F1 H2O Pole Position Championship – after round 3:
1. Philippe Chiappe (FRA) China CTIC Team 50 pts
2. Shaun Torrente (QAT) Qatar Team 36 pts
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 34 pts
4. Youssef Al-Rubayan (KUW) F1 GC Atlantic Team 24 pts
4. Alex Carella (ITA) Team Abu Dhabi 24 pts
6. Erik Stark (SWE) Team Nautica 14 pts
7. Ahmed Al-Hameli (ARE) Emirates Team 12 pts
8. Jonas Andersson (SWE) Team Sweden 5 pts
8. Thani Al-Qamzi (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 5 pts
2015 UIM F-4S Trophy – standings after race 2:
1. Mike Szymura (DEU) F1 GC Atlantic Team 40 pts
2. Joakhim Halvorsen (NOR) Team EMIC 30 pts
3. Bingchen Wu (CHN) CTIC China Team 18 pts
4. Christian Cesati (ITA) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 16 pts
4. Rashed Al-Qemzi (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 16 pts
6. Ronny Mathys (SUI) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 14 pts
7. Ferdinand Zandbergen (NED) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 10 pts
8. Rashed Al-Remeithi (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 6 pts
9. Mansoor Al-Mansoori (ARE) Emirates Team 4 pts
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For further media information and information about Team Abu Dhabi:
Please contact: Khalid Al Saadi, Media Incharge, Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, P.O. Box 45656, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Mobile Telephone: + 971 50 768 6761, E-mail: alsaadi@adimsc.ae.
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