2011 UIM F1 H2O WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of Qatar, round one
For immediate release
Sunday, February 27th, 2011
QMSF’S HEAD OF FORMULA RACING RELISHES
START OF NEW UIM F1 RACING SEASON IN DOHA
· Khalid Al-Kuwari starts bid to introduce Qatari driver to F1 racing
· New 2011 F1 races planned in Kazan, Kiev, Nanyang and Haikou
DOHA (Qatar): Khalid Bin Arhama Al-Kuwari, the Qatar Marine Sports Federation’s (QMSF) head of formula racing, is relishing the start of the new UIM F1 H20 World Championship racing season with this weekend’s Grand Prix of Qatar in Doha Bay.
Championship promoters have just confirmed that four additional race venues in Kazan (July 17), Kiev (July 31), Nanyang (October 9) and Haikou (November 6) will host rounds of the 2011 championship and the calendar will be extended to 10 Grand Prix. There will now be 20 races counting for the UIM F4-S series that runs in conjunction with each Grand Prix meeting.
The other six UIM F1 races will be staged in Qatar this Saturday (March 5), in Portugal on May 22, St. Petersburg on July 3, Liuzhou on October 2 and in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah on December 9 and 16, respectively.
As Qatar Team drivers Alex Carella and Jay Price make their own on-water preparations for this Saturday’s opening race in Qatar, Al-Kuwari and his team at the QMSF, which runs under the presidency of His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani, are preparing to host VIPs, guests and media from around the world and witness the finest power boat racers on the planet tackling the demanding five-pin Doha Bay course.
“To be honest I think we are going to host the first race of what promises to be a fantastic season,” said Al-Kuwari. “We will visit four new cities and four new race courses. I hope that the rules and regulations of the championship also evolve to keep in line with the expansion and progression of the race series.
“The Qatar Team is very excited about the start of the new season. In Alex and Jay we have a pair of very good drivers. For the future, obviously, we would like to introduce a Qatari driver to the top flight of the sport and we are working on that now. I have spoken to Jay and Alex and they will have equal status within the Qatar Team and will use the same engines and propellers this year.
“Khalid Saleh Al-Shamlan is progressing well in the F4-S Championship and we are planning to enter him and another Qatari driver in the new Nations Cup that will run this season.
“The F4-S Championship has been a real breath of fresh air. The drivers have progressed very well and, I’m sure, will be future F1 drivers in their own right. Khalid needs to gain as much experience as he can this year and learn to relax and be comfortable in the water.”
The Qatar Team’s Carella and Price completed a pre-season test session in the last few days and will now knuckle down to preparing for the weekend’s hectic schedule of events in Doha Bay.
2011 Grand Prix of Qatar – timetable of events
Thursday, March 3
10.00 – 15.00 Technical scrutineering
12.00 – 12.30 Teams’ registration
Friday, March 4
09.15 – 10.15 Free practice F1
10.30 – 10.50 Free practice F4-S
11.00 – 11.20 Timed trials F4-S
13.00 – 13.20 F4-S race 1 (20 mins)
15.00 – 16.00 F1 qualifying
Saturday, March 5
09.15 – 10.15 Free practice F1
10.30 – 10.50 Free practice F4-S
11.00 – 11.20 Timed trials F4-S
13.30 – 13.50 F4-S race 2 (20 mins)
15.15 F1 parade lap
15.30 – 16.15 F1 H20 Grand Prix of Qatar
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