2009 UIM F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of Sharjah, UAE – December 10th-11th, rounds 15 and 16
For immediate release
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
QATAR TEAM SET FOR THRILLING FINALE TO
UIM F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN SHARJAH
· Qatar Team’s Jay Price holds third in enthralling title race
· Malcolm Goodman joins Price in crucial Sharjah races
SHARJAH (UAE): The Qatar Team will be right at the heart of the action when the 2009 UIM F1 World Championship reaches a potentially thrilling conclusion in Khalid Lagoon, Sharjah, on Thursday and Friday afternoon.
Thirty-five points from a possible 40 in last weekend’s race meeting at the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club in Abu Dhabi have catapulted the Qatar Team back into contention for a second successive UIM F1 Drivers’ Championship title. Jay Price will be going for maximum points in the final two events of the season along the Gulf coast in Sharjah.
The DAC driver looked to be down and out after a pair of disappointing mechanical problems in the Grand Prix of Qatar two weeks ago, but second position last Friday and a sixth F1 career win on Saturday have moved Price into third in the championship hunt, 24 points behind Italian nine-time World Champion Guido Cappellini and 14 behind Team Abu Dhabi’s former championship pace-setter Thani Al-Qamzi.
The team runs under the auspices of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), under the presidency of His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani and the management of Khalid Bin Arhama Al-Kuwari, Head of Formula Racing at the QMSF.
It will be far from easy for the Qatar Team driver to beat his two main rivals and also stay ahead of his other two championship rivals, Jonas Andersson and Sami Selio, but Price is brimming with confidence after the Abu Dhabi successes.
“Obviously Abu Dhabi was a great weekend for our team,” enthused Price, who also leads the UIM F1 Fast Lap Slam Trophy heading into the final two rounds. “We are back on track now. Sheikh Hassan was in Abu Dhabi and he added a new element to the team’s strategy. We went back to basics. I know that we need to win the races in Sharjah, especially the first one and then we can make a strategy for the second one on Friday.
“Under Sheikh Hassan’s and Khalid Al-Kuwari’s direction, the team seems to work great under pressure. We should now have the time to dial in the set-up for a top qualifying position on Thursday morning, as starting from the front makes it a lot easier to control the race.”
“We showed in Abu Dhabi that we are a very strong team,” added Al-Kuwari. “We suffered from a lack of good luck for most of the season. When we have finished, we have always taken first or second positions. We tried some new technology in Qatar with the boat and this did not work out. So, in Abu Dhabi, we reverted to the set-up that had been so successful in 2008 when we took the title. The decision paid off.
“I always say to Jay that he is the best driver with the best team in F1. With a little good luck, I am confident that we can end the season on a very positive footing.”
Britain’s Malcolm Goodman will drive the second Qatar Team boat at his third successive race meeting. After leaping into the spotlight with a fine fifth place on his debut in Doha two weeks ago, a faulty earth wire and power steering-related problems have stopped the Dragon boat driver from adding to his seven championship points, but the Merseyside driver would like to end his six-race agreement with the Qatar Team on a high note.
The high-pressure weekend gets underway with scrutineering and team registration on Wednesday (December 9th), before teams take to the waters of Khalid Lagoon for the first time on Thursday morning for the free one-hour practice session from 09.30hrs (UAE time).
Thursday’s timed trials – where Price will be hoping to overthrow Sami Selio’s seven-point lead in the UIM F1 Pole Position Championship race – start at 11.30hrs (local time) and Thursday’s 15th round of the championship will start at 15.50hrs (14.50hrs Doha time).
The timetable will be repeated on Friday afternoon, when the Qatar Team hopes to crown Jay Price as the UIM F1 World Champion for a second successive year after the 16th and final round of the series on Khalid Lagoon.
2009 UIM F1 World Championship – positions after 14 of 16 races:
|
1. |
Guido Cappellini (I) Zepter Team |
129 pts |
|
2. |
Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi |
119 pts |
|
3. |
Jay Price (QA) F1 Team Qatar |
105 pts |
|
4. |
Jonas Andersson (S) Team Azerbaijan |
104 pts |
|
5. |
Sami Selio (FIN) Mad Croc F1 Team Woodstock |
100 pts |
|
6. |
Francesco Cantando (I) Singha F1 Racing Team |
86 pts |
|
7. |
Phillipe Chiappe (F) F1 Atlantic Team |
82 pts |
|
8. |
Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi |
77 pts |
|
9. |
Fabio Comparato (I) 800 Doctor Team |
71 pts |
2009 UIM F1 Pole Position Championship – positions after 14 of 16 rounds:
|
1. |
Sami Selio (FIN) Mad Croc F1 Team Woodstock |
193 pts |
|
2. |
Jay Price (QA) F1 Team Qatar |
186 pts |
|
3. |
Guido Cappellini (I) Zepter Team |
163 pts |
|
4. |
Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi |
135 pts |
|
5. |
Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi |
71 pts |
|
5. |
Jonas Andersson (S) Team Azerbaijan |
71 pts |
|
7. |
Francesco Cantando (I) Singha F1 Racing Team |
46 pts |
|
8. |
Pierre Lundin (S) Team CTIC China-Charente |
26 pts |
|
9. |
Phillipe Chiappe (F) F1 Atlantic Team |
22 pts |
|
10. |
Massimo Roggiero (I) Mad Croc F1 Team Woodstock |
20 pts |
|
11. |
Fabio Comparato (I) 800 Doctor Team |
14 pts |
|
12. |
Duarte Benavente (P) F1 Atlantic Team |
5 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).