2011 UIM F1 H2O WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
12th Grand Prix of Russia, Kazan – round 3
For immediate release
Tuesday, July 12th, 2011
QATAR’S PRICE AND CARELLA AIM TO CONTINUE
PERFECT START TO RACING SEASON IN KAZAN
· Qatar’s Khalid Al-Shamlan aims to build upon Portugal win
KAZAN (Russia): The Qatar Team’s Jay Price and Alex Carella will be hoping to continue their sensational start to the 2011 UIM F1 H20 World Championship season when they tackle this weekend’s 12th Grand Prix of Russia in Kazan.
The duo has made the perfect start to the season, clinching first and second positions at the opening two races in Qatar and Portugal. Price has amassed a maximum 40 points from his two race wins and heads Carella by 10 points heading to the new course at the junction of the Volga and Kazanka rivers in the capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan this weekend.
“I don’t really know what to expect and have heard nothing about the race course for the weekend,” admitted Price, the 2008 UIM F1 World Champion, who won the first Grand Prix of Russia in Saint Petersburg in 2009.
“We have another race in two weeks, but racing back-to-back events does not change our strategy. We both have back-up boats available. We will try to continue to dominate the races, but it not only takes skill, you also need good equipment, crew and management, which we have at the Qatar Team.
“I always want to win. When I don’t feel that I can win I will step down and let another driver take over at each race. But at the moment I am feeling great about the season.”
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 – is also relishing the Kazan race weekend.
“I understand that Kazan has a great heritage and some unique historical buildings,” said Al-Kuwari. “The actual race course will be new to us all. Our strategy at the beginning of the season focused on 1-2 finishes at each of the races and it has worked so far. That has to be the goal, but we must continue to keep putting points on the board regardless.”
The weekend may also see Qatar’s Khalid Saleh Al-Shamlan continue his stunning surge through the UIM F4-S ranks. The rookie clinched a stunning first victory in Portugal in May and holds an outright lead in the 2011 UIM F4-S Championship after four races. He has a slender four-point advantage over Sweden’s Bimba Sjoholm and has everything to play for in the Republic of Tatarstan.
Kazan is the eighth largest city in Russia and has a population of 1.1 million. It is the third Russian city to host a round of the UIM F1 H20 World Championship and was voted as the 2009 Sports City of Russia. The Kremlin in Kazan is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The weekend’s timetable begins with technical scrutineering and team registration on Friday before the race action gets underway with free practice for the F1 and F4-S boats on Saturday morning. Al-Shamlan will take part in his first timed trials from 11.50hrs on Saturday and the first of the 20-minute F4-S races starting at 15.00hrs. Price and Carella will qualify for the 12th Grand Prix of Russia from 16.00hrs (15.00hrs Doha time) on Saturday afternoon.
Free practice resumes on Sunday morning and the second of the F4-S timed trials starts at 11.50hrs. Al-Shamlan’s second F4-S race begins at 14.10hrs and Price and Carella take centre stage for the 12th Grand Prix of Russia in Tatarstan from 16.00hrs (15.00hrs Doha time).
2011 UIM F1 H20 World Championship – standings after round 2
1. Jay Price (QA) Qatar Team 40 pts
2. Alex Carella (QA) Qatar Team 30 pts
3. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 16 pts
4. Phillipe Chiappe (F) CTIC China Team 14 pts
5. Davide Padovan (I) Team Mad Croc F1 10 pts
6. Shaun Torrente (USA) Team Sweden 9 pts
6. Francesco Cantando (I) Singha F1 Racing Team 9 pts
6. Sami Selio (FIN) Team Mad Croc F1 9 pts
9. Jonas Andersson (S) Team Sweden 7 pts
10. Duarte Benavente (P) F1 Atlantic Team 4 pts
11. Marit Stromoy (N) Team Nautica 3 pts
11. Phillipe Tourre (FRA) F1 Atlantic Team 3 pts
13. Ivan Brigada (ITA) Singha F1 Racing Team 1 pt
2011 UIM F1 H20 Pole Position Championship – standings after round 2
1. Jay Price (QAT) Qatar Team 27 pts
2. Sami Selio (FIN) Team Mad Croc F1 20 pts
2. Marit Stromoy (NOR) Team Nautica 20 pts
4. Alex Carella (QAT) Qatar Team 18 pts
5. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 15 pts
6. Phillipe Chiappe (FRA) CTIC China Team 14 pts
7. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 12 pts
8. Shaun Torrente (USA) Team Sweden 5 pts
8. Davide Padovan (ITA) Team Mad Croc F1 5 pts
2011 UIM F-4S Championship – standings after race 4
1. Khaled Saleh Al-Shamlan (QAT) Qatar Team 59 pts
2. Bimba Sjolholm (SWE) Team Sweden 55 pts
3. Filip Roms (FIN) Team Mad Croc 44 pts
4. Majed Al-Mansoori (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 33 pts
5. Tobias Munthe-Kaas (NOR) Team Nautica 32 pts
6. Matthew Palfreyman (GBR) Team Atlantic 28 pts
7. Xiong Ziwei (CHN) Team China 23 pts
8. Christian Carlsen (NOR) Team Singha 8 pts
9. Kristoffer Fjelde (NOR) 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