2010 UIM F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of Sharjah, UAE – December 9-10, round 8
For immediate release
Tuesday, December 7th, 2010
QATAR’S PRICE SET FOR SHARJAH SHOWDOWN WITH
FINLAND’S SELIO FOR UIM F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
· Qatar Team’s Price starts with four-point championship lead
· Qatar’s Andy Elliott aims to finish season with top 10 finish
· Khalid Saleh Al-Shamlan targets podium F-4S race finishes
SHARJAH (UAE): Qatar’s Jay Price will start this weekend’s Grand Prix of Sharjah with a four-point lead over Finland’s Sami Selio in the UIM F1 World Championship points’ standings.
The 2008 World Champion knows that if he finishes ahead of the 2007 World Champion in the main race on Khalid Lagoon on Friday afternoon, he will clinch Qatar’s second world title in three years.
If Selio wins the race and Price comes second, then Selio will secure the title by a single point. If Selio finishes second and Price reaches the chequered flag in third position, Price will win the title by a single point.
If neither driver manages to finish the race, then Price will win by four points and the Qatar Team driver only needs to finish one position behind Selio provided that the Finn does not win the race outright.
“It is fantastic that the outcome of the World Championship has come down to the final race of the year,” 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.
“Jay has the all-important four-point lead and we are quietly confident that we can win the championship again. It is between the two of them now. Qualifying on Thursday will be crucial. It is important that Jay tries to get pole position to give himself a good chance of leading from the start of the race.”
Price could also win the Fast Lap Slam Trophy in Sharjah. He set the fastest lap last weekend in Abu Dhabi and now trails Team Abu Dhabi’s Ahmed Al-Hameli by just 11 points heading into the final race of the year.
While Price and Selio will decide the outcome of the Drivers’ Championship, a non-finish for Selio could also give Team Abu Dhabi’s Thani Al-Qamzi a chance to seal the runner-up position in the championship. Thani trials Selio by 18 points and outright race victory could catapult the Emirati into second position.
Qatar’s Andy Elliott has suffered more than his fair share of engine-related problems in the last few races and was sidelined after 24 laps of last weekend’s Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi. After starting the season so well in his Dragon boat, Elliott has failed to add to his points’ tally since Russia and has endured five successive non-finishes. He will be hoping to finish the year with a top-10 in Sharjah.
Qatar’s Khalid Saleh Al-Shamlan holds sixth position in the new UIM F-4S Championship and is improving at every race meeting he tackles. The young Qatari would dearly like to round off his season with a podium finish in the two F-4S races on Thursday and Friday afternoon. Sweden’s Oskar Samuelsson has already won the 2010 UIM F-4S Eurofin Trophy with two rounds remaining.
The weekend’s timetable gets underway with technical scrutineering and team registration tomorrow (Wednesday) and action on the six-pin course starts with free practice for the F1 boats from 08.15hrs (Qatar time) on Thursday morning. The F-4S runners will then take part in their first practice session and time trials before the first of the two F-4S races starts at 13.30hrs (Qatar time). Price’s crucial qualification session fires into life at 14.50hrs (Qatar time).
Racing on Friday, December 10th will decide the outcome of the 2010 UIM F1 World Championship. After a second free practice session for the F1 boats, the F-4S runners conclude their season with practice, timed trials and the second 20-minute race from 13.30hrs (Qatar time). The F1 Grand Prix of Sharjah starts at 15.00hrs (Qatar time).
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 F1 Pole Position Championship – standings after round 7
1. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) F1 Team Abu Dhabi 103 pts
2. Sami Selio (FIN) Team Mad Croc 82 pts
3. Jay Price (QA) Qatar Team 74 pts
4. Alex Carella (I) Team Mad Croc 60 pts
5. Francesco Cantando (I) Singha F1 Racing Team 56 pts
6. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 22 pts
7. Phillipe Chiappe (F) CTIC China Team 20 pts
8. Fabio Comparato (I) 88 Doctor 14 pts
9. Jonas Andersson (S) Team Azerbaijan 12 pts
9. Duarte Benavente (P) F1 Atlantic Team 12 pts
11. Pierre Lundin (S) CTIC China Team 9 pts
12. Davide Padovan (I) Rainbow Team 7 pts
13. Marit Stromoy (N) Team Ajzerbaijan 5 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
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: ndppublicity@googlemail.com,
www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).
www.qmsf.org
www.f1boat.com