2011 UIM F1 H2O WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of China, Liuzhou – round 5, October 1-2
For immediate release
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011
QATAR’S JAY PRICE AND ALEX CARELLA HEAD TO
LIUZHOU FOR CRUCIAL UIM F1 H20 GRAND PRIX
· Qatar Team takes 60-point lead in Teams’ Championship to China
· Qatar’s Khalid Al-Shamlan set for F-4S return on Liu River
LIUZHOU (China): The Qatar Team’s Jay Price and Alex Carella will not let complacency get in their way as they make their final preparations for this weekend’s crucial Grand Prix of China on the Liu River in Liuzhou.
The Qatar Team duo hold first and second places in the prestigious 2011 UIM F1 H20 World Championship and know that podium finishes at the fifth round of the series on Saturday and Sunday will give them a superb opportunity to move ever closer to the world title. Price secured that award for the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF)-backed team in 2008, while Carella has been a sensation since joining the Doha-based team at the start of this season.
“The goal is simple and that is to go for first and second places,” admitted Khalid Bin Arhama Al-Kuwari, head of formula racing at the (QMSF), which runs under the presidency of His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani.
“We must also play smart and take no risks, because the next round of the series in Shenzhen is not confirmed yet. In some ways it would help the Qatar Team if it was cancelled, but we must still retain out focus and put more points on the board.”
Price currently tops the championship standings with 67 points from four race starts and is 10 points in front of Carella, with Team Abu Dhabi’s Thani Al-Qamzi Price’s next nearest rival in third place with 35 points. Twenty points are awarded for a win, with 15 for second, 12 for third and down to a single point for 10th overall.
Price has already won two races and Carella has one success under his belt, such has been the domination of the Qatar Team this season. The Doha team has a massive 60-point lead in the UIM Teams points’ standings as well and Price leads Carella by four points in the UIM F1 Pole Position Championship.
Al-Kuwari has confirmed that there have been no changes to the boat set-up since the last round of the series in Kiev in July, but he remains confident nonetheless. “We won here in 2008 and 2010 and it would be great to make it a hat-trick of wins this time out.”
Meanwhile, Khaled Saleh Al-Shamlan returns to UIM F-4S action after damaging his boat at the last race meeting in Ukraine. The Qatari has slipped to third in the points’ standings after eight rounds of the new rookie series behind England’s Matthew Palfreyman and Sweden’s Bimba Sjoholm and will be hoping to bounce back to form on the Liu River course in China.
The weekend’s timetable begins with technical scrutineering and team registration on Friday (September 30th), before the first of the free practice sessions for the F1 and F-4S runners take place on Saturday morning (October 1st).
The first of two UIM F-4S races gets underway at 13.30hrs (08.30hrs Doha time) and is followed by the crucial F1 qualification heats at 15.00hrs (10.00hrs Doha time) to determine the starting order for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Further practice for the F1 and F-4S entrants is permitted on Sunday morning and the second of the F-4S races starts at 13.30hrs (08.30hrs Doha time). The all-important 2011 Grand Prix of China fires into life at 16.00hrs (11.00hrs Doha time) on Sunday afternoon.
2011 UIM F1 H20 World Championship – standings after round 4
1. Jay Price (QAT) Qatar Team 67 pts
2. Alex Carella (QAT) Qatar Team 57 pts
3. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 35 pts
4. Phillipe Chiappe (FRA) CTIC China Team 23 pts
5. Francesco Cantando (ITA) Singha F1 Racing Team 21 pts
5. Sami Selio (FIN) Team Mad Croc F1 21 pts
7. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 20 pts
8. Jonas Andersson (SWE) Team Sweden 12 pts
9. Davide Padovan (ITA) Team Mad Croc F1 10 pts
10. Shaun Torrente (USA) Team Sweden 9 pts
10. Scott Gillman (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 9 pts, etc
2011 UIM F1 H20 Pole Position Championship – standings after round 4
1. Jay Price (QAT) Qatar Team 54 pts
2. Alex Carella (QAT) Qatar Team 50 pts
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Team Mad Croc F1 38 pts
4. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 35 pts
5. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 22 pts
6. Shaun Torrente (USA) Team Sweden 20 pts
6. Marit Stromoy (NOR) Team Nautica 20 pts
8. Phillipe Chiappe (FRA) CTIC China Team 14 pts
9. Davide Padovan (ITA) Team Mad Croc F1 12 pts
10. Jonas Andersson (SWE) Team Sweden 7 pts
2011 UIM F-4S Championship – standings after race 8
1. Matthew Palfreyman (GBR) Team Atlantic 103 pts
2. Bimba Sjolholm (SWE) Team Sweden 99 pts
3. Khaled Saleh Al-Shamlan (QAT) Qatar Team 86 pts
4. Filip Roms (FIN) Team Mad Croc 81 pts
5. Xiong Ziwei (CHN) Team China 65 pts
6. Tobias Munthe-Kaas (NOR) Team Nautica 60 pts
7. Majed Al-Mansoori (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 33 pts
8. Christian Carlsen (NOR) Team Singha 19 pts
9. Valts Silis (LAT) Team Singha 12 pts
10. 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