2010 UIM F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi, UAE – December 2-4, round 7 of 8
For immediate release
Saturday, December 4th, 2010
QATAR’S PRICE REMAINS ON COURSE FOR WORLD TITLE
WITH SECOND POSITION IN GRAND PRIX OF ABU DHABI
· Flying Finn Sami Selio wins Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi
· Qatar’s Andy Elliott sidelined after 24 laps
· Al-Shamlan takes sixth in F-4S race; F-4S title for Samuelsson
ABU DHABI (UAE): Qatar’s Jay Price will take a four-point UIM F1 World Championship lead to the final race in Sharjah next weekend after finishing second overall in the 19th Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at the Breakwater in Abu Dhabi on Saturday afternoon.
He was beaten by Sami Selio, who led from start-to-finish to keep his ambitions of winning a second world title alive. Price and Selio will now go head-to-head to decide the outcome of the World Championship in Khalid Lagoon next weekend.
Team Abu Dhabi’s Thani Al-Qamzi snatched third place from team-mate Ahmed Al-Hameli, but can no longer catch Price and win the title. Andy Elliott was running as high as 13th overall before being sidelined after 24 laps.
“Jay drove a great race to take second position and we still have the destiny of the world championship in our hands,” 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.
“He has a four-point lead and we know that if he beats Sami next week it will be enough to give us the world championship again.”
Qatar’s Khalid Saleh Al-Shamlan finished sixth overall in the second of the weekend’s F-4S races and maintained a similar position in the championship points’ standings. Stefan Hagin won the 20-minute race, but third place was enough for Sweden’s Oskar Samuelsson to claim the 2010 UIM F-4S Eurofin Trophy.
The race
It was crucial that Price stayed out of trouble at the start and avoided contact with either Selio or Carella. He needed to secure a race finish at all costs. He and Elliott lined up in third and 17th places at the pontoon and Price quickly moved into second position on the first lap at the expense of Carella.
Elliott had moved up to 15th by lap four, as Price continued to hustle Selio for the top spot, despite being shadowed himself by Al-Hameli, Al-Qamzi and Andersson. Elliott climbed to 14th after six laps and Price reduced Selio’s overall lead to just 1.61s after 10 laps.
The gap was just 2.14s after 15 laps, but the Qatar driver could not find a way to overtake the flying Finn. A yellow flag incident brought proceedings to a halt on lap 20 and former championship leader Francesco Cantando was sidelined.
Action resumed on lap 23 and Selio managed to hold on to his lead from Price, Al-Hameli and Al-Qamzi, with Elliott running in 13th position. A second yellow flag was raised on lap 25 and Carella’s dream of winning the world title ended. Andersson and Elliott also slipped out of contention as the 11 remaining drivers continued at a snail’s pace under the yellow flag.
The green flag was raised on lap 30 and Selio again managed to preserve a slender lead over Price. The margin was just 2.69s through lap 33, but Selio held on to take the win and set up the prospect of a thrilling showdown with Price in Sharjah next Friday afternoon.
F-4S race two
Filip Roms was quickest in the timed trials and started the 20-minute race in front of Stefan Hagin and Oskar Samuelsson, with Al-Shamlan in an improved sixth position. A good start was imperative for the young Qatari and he maintained his position through lap one, with Roms, Hagin and Xiong Ziwei out in front.
Al-Shamlan climbed to fifth through lap four at the expense of Bimba Sjoholm, as the mid-section of the race became a procession. Sjoholm managed to repass the Qatari on lap eight and Samuelsson moved in front of Ziwei to take third. Hagin snatched the lead from Roms and Samuelsson also began to apply late pressure, but Hagin held on to take the race win, Al-Shamlan finished sixth and Samuelsson confirmed the title with two races remaining in Sharjah next weekend.
Hagin had won the morning’s free practice session with a quickest lap of 47.11s. Al-Shamlan ran for 15 laps and set the seventh fastest time of 49.57s.
Official practice
Jay Price only ran for six laps in the morning’s free practice session and recorded the second fastest lap of 52.03s behind new Pole Position champion Ahmed Al-Hameli. Elliott struggled and ran for just four laps at the rear of the field in his Dragon boat.
Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi, UAE – final results
1. Sami Selio (FIN) Team Mad Croc
2. Jay Price (QA) |Team Qatar @1.69s
3. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi @9.64s
4. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi @16.57s
5. Phillipe Chiappe (F) CTIC China Team @21.91s
6. Pierre Lundin (S) CTIC China Team @26.08s
7. Fabio Comparato (I) 800 Doctor 1 lap behind
8. Marit Stromoy (N) Team Azerbaijan 1 lap behind
9. Davide Padovan (I) Rainbow Team 1 lap behind
10. Tomas Cermak (SVK) Team Nautica 2 laps behind
11. Rinaldo Osculati (CH) Team Nautica 2 laps behind
Andy Elliott (GB) Team Qatar DNF
2010 UIM F1 World Drivers’ Championship – standings after round 7
1. Jay Price (QA) Qatar F1 Team 83 pts
2. Sami Selio (FIN) Team Mad Croc 79 pts
3. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 61 pts
4. Francesco Cantando (I) Singha F1 Racing Team 59 pts
4. Alex Carella (I) Team Mad Croc 59 pts
6. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 38 pts
6. Pierre Lundin (S) CTIC China Team 38 pts
8. Phillipe Chiappe (F) CTIC China Team 26 pts
9. Fabio Comparato (I) 800 Doctor 17 pts
10. Tim Seebold (USA) Team Skydive Dubai 16 pts
11. Davide Padovan (I) Rainbow Team 14 pts
12. Jonas Andersson (S) Team Azerbaijan 13 pts
13. Fabian Kalsow (D) F1 Atlantic Team 11 pts
14. Marit Stromoy (N) Team Azerbaijan 10 pts
14. Duarte Benavente (P) F1 Atlantic Team 10 pts
16. Andy Elliott (GB) Qatar F1 Team 7 pts
2010 UIM F-4S Championship – standings after race 7
1. Oskar Samuelsson (S) Team Rainbow 124 pts
2. Filip Roms (FIN) Team Mad Croc 74 pts
3. Bimba Sjoholm (S) Team Azerbaijan 72 pts
4. David Del Pin (I) Team 800 Doctor 64 pts
5. Stefan Hagin (D) Team Atlantic 59 pts
6. Khalid Saleh Al-Shamlan (QA) Qatar Team 38 pts
7. Xiong Ziwei (CHN) Team China 33 pts
8. Rashid Al-Tayer (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 21 pts
9. Majed Al-Mansoori (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 19 pts
10. Matthew Palfreyman (GB) Team Nautica 17 pts
11. Kristoffer Fjelde (N) Team Singha 12 pts
12. Tobias Munthe-Kaas (N) Team Singha 5 pts
Ends
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