2008 UIM F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of Sharjah – December 11th-12th, round 8 of 8
For immediate release
Monday, December 8th, 2008
QATAR’S WORLD CHAMPION JAY PRICE AIMS
FOR FOURTH F1 WIN OF SEASON IN SHARJAH
·Qatar’s Yousef Al-Khulaifi aims for points’ finish
·Al-Hameli, Selio, Andersson and Trask fight for second
SHARJAH (UAE): The Qatar Team’s newly-crowned UIM F1 World Champion Jay Price will be aiming to end his triumphant season with a fourth race victory, when he and team mate Yousef Al-Khulaifi line up in Friday’s Grand Prix of Sharjah.
Price’s sensational victory in Abu Dhabi last Friday not only clinched the world title with a race to spare, but also gave the F1 Qatar Team an unassailable lead in the UIM F1 Teams’ Championship. This means that with the pressure of needing a finish now firmly at the back of his mind, Price will be aiming to win the race outright and claim a second successive Pole Position.
"I will always be indebted to the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) for the faith they put in me and the opportunity I was given to go out there and win the world title," said Price. "Now I can relax and go and try and win in Sharjah. It was not as easy to win as it may have looked, but the whole team can be very proud of what we have achieved and I am grateful to His Excellency Sheikh Hassan for making it possible for me to be a part of this success."
Yousef Al-Khulaifi only started racing in F1 in Doha this season and has shown excellent maturity and consistency in his first races. The Qatari has scored points on two of his five races and would dearly love to add to his points’ tally on the race course in Khalid Lagoon in Sharjah.
"It has been a fantastic season for the Qatar Team and it would cap it superbly if Jay could win the race in Sharjah on Friday and Yousef could achieve a top finish," admitted Khalid Bin Arhama Al-Kuwari, head of formula racing at the Qatar Marine Sports Federation, which is run under the presidency of His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani.
While Price attempts to win the race, Team Abu Dhabi’s Ahmed Al-Hameli will be embroiled in a fascinating tussle with outgoing World Champion Sami Selio and Sweden’s Jonas Andersson to determine who finishes as runner-up in the championship. Al-Hameli arrives at Khalid Lagoon with a single point lead over Selio, with Andersson a further four points adrift. It is also mathematically possible for Australian David Trask to claim second place, but this depends upon the trio in front hitting trouble. Thani Al-Qamzi scored his first points of the season in Abu Dhabi and could also feature among the leading pack on Friday.
Race weekend gets underway on Wednesday (December 10th) with technical scrutineering and team registration, before drivers are permitted to take to the water for the first time for a one-hour free practice session at 10am on Thursday morning. The first time trials to determine the starting order for Friday’s race begin at 13.00pm and are followed by the second time trials at 15.00pm and the all-important six-boat shoot-out from 4.30pm.
Friday’s Grand Prix of Sharjah starts at 3.30pm, although teams will be permitted to take part in a final 45-minute free practice session from 10.15am on Friday morning.
2008 UIM F1 World Championship – Drivers (positions after round 7 of 8):
1. Jay Price (QA) Qatar Team 105 pts
2. Ahmad Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 55 pts
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Woodstock Red Devil Racing 54 pts
4. Jonas Andersson (S) F1 Team Sweden 50 pts
5. David Trask (AUS) Trask Brothers Racing 41 pts
6. Fabio Comparato (I) 800 Doctor Team 34 pts
7. Phillipe Chiappe (F) F1 Atlantic Team 33 pts
8. Pierre Lundin (S) China CTIC Team 31 pts
9. Guido Cappellini (I) Tamoil F1 Team 27 pts, etc
17. Yousef Al-Khulaifi (QA) Qatar Team 8 pts
2008 UIM F1 World Championship – Teams (positions after round 7 of 8):
1. Qatar Team 110 pts
2. F1 Team Abu Dhabi 67 pts
3. F1 Team Sweden 59 pts
4. Woodstock Red Devil Racing 55 pts
5. Trask Brothers Racing 52 pts
6. China CTIC Team 48 pts
7. Tamoil F1 43 pts
8. F1 Atlantic Team 43 pts
9. Doctor 800 34 pts
10. Singha Team 19 pts
11. Rainbow Team 2 pts
2008 UIM F1 World Championship – Pole Position (positions after round 7 of 8):
1. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 87 pts
2. Guido Cappellini (I) Tamoil F1 78 pts
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Woodstock Red Devil Racing 74 pts
4. Ahmad Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 67 pts
5. Jonas Andersson (S) F1 Team Sweden 62 pts
6. Jay Price (QA) Qatar Team 56 pts
7. David Trask (AUS) Trask Brothers Racing 28 pts
8. Francesco Cantando (I) Singha Team 14 pts
9=. Massimo Roggiero (I) Woodstock Red Devil Racing 5 pts
9=. Phillipe Chiappe (F) Atlantic Team 5 pts
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: ndppublicity@compuserve.com. www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).