2011 UIM F1 H2O WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
For immediate release
Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
SHAUN TORRENTE SET TO JOIN QATAR TEAM FOR LAST
TWO ROUNDS OF UIM F1 H20 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
· Qatar Team aims to defend and retain series lead in the UAE
DOHA (Qatar): The Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) has confirmed that Shaun Torrente will join the Qatar Team for the remaining two rounds of the UIM F1 H20 World Championship in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in December.
The 33-year-old American will team up with championship leader Jay Price and rival Alex Carella in a bid to help the Doha-based team win the UIM F1 Teams’ Cup and to support both Price and Carella as they bid for Qatar’s second World Championship title in four years.
The Peters & May-backed driver will bring his own boat from the USA with Qatar Team markings on the cowling and the logo of his personal sponsor, who also work closely with the QMSF on marine sports projects, on the front.
“Shaun will join the team to give us an even better opportunity of having Qatar boats on the podium at a critical time of the season,” said 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 will ensure that the Qatar boats finish ahead of (Team) Abu Dhabi.”
As the championship reaches a critical phase, Price currently leads team-mate Carella by just three points, with rival Thani Al-Qamzi, from Team Abu Dhabi, winning recently for the first time in 27 starts and trailing Price by 12 points.
A possible 40 points are available to the winners of the remaining two races in the UAE and the Qatar Team needs to take no risks, as Price bids for a first world title since 2008 and Carella aims to win the series for the first time.
Torrente has already driven for Team Sweden this season and set some competitive lap times. He began his motor sport career in 1992 by racing a Mini GT at the age of 14 and began taking part in the SST-45 class two years later. He was national champion in 1996 and SST-120 national champion in 2001, before graduating to the SST-120 World Championship, a series he won in both 2002 and 2003.
Torrente went on to succeed in the 2005 SST-120 ChampBoat series and was the rookie of the year in 2006. He finished 29th in the UIM F1 World Championship in 2007 and has now become a regular competitor at the pinnacle of powerboat single-seater racing.
The Florida-based racer will join the Qatar Team for the Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi on December 8-9th and the Grand Prix of Sharjah on Khalid Lagoon on December 15-16th.
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