2011 UIM F1 H2O WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
20th Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi – round 6, December 8-9
For immediate release
Tuesday, December 6th, 2011
QATAR’S PRICE AND CARELLA FACE CRUCIAL
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN IN ABU DHABI
· Price takes reduced three-point lead over Carella to Abu Dhabi
· Qatar’s Al-Shamlan holds third position in UIM F-4S series
· Shaun Torrente set for Qatar Team debut in weekend’s race
ABU DHABI (UAE): The Qatar Team’s Jay Price and Alex Carella face the most important racing weekend of their season when they tackle the 20th Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi, the penultimate round of the UIM F1 H20 World Championship, on Friday.
After seeing their overall lead in the Drivers’ Championship pegged back by Team Abu Dhabi in Liuzhou back in October, Price arrives at the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club with a three-point lead over team-mate Carella, with Emirati Thani Al-Qamzi still in contention to challenge for the title with two races remaining. Al-Qamzi trails Price by 12 points, with a possible 40 available this weekend and the following weekend in Sharjah.
To boost the Qatar Team’s chances of clinching the UIM F1 H20 Teams’ Cup in Abu Dhabi and to bolster Price’s and Carella’s challenge for individual honours, Shaun Torrente will join the team for the first time in a third boat.
“Before Liuzhou we were in a very strong position to seal the championship here, but the outcome in Liuzhou has changed our hand and mixed the cards,” 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.
“There will be no team orders between Jay and Alex. As the team manager, my goal is for the Qatar Team to win the title and whoever of our two drivers makes it to the top of the points will be the winner.”
Al-Kuwari admits that the Qatar Team has not done any testing since the last race in China and is mindful that Team Abu Dhabi may have superior knowledge of their home course. “We still have a good lead in the championship and Shaun will be joining us in his boat. He will be gaining extra exposure for the Qatar Team on the television and in the media and, I’m sure, he will want to do his very best.”
The Qatar Team will also be aiming to all but secure the UIM F1 H20 Pole Position Championship. Carella currently leads Price by four points and Ahmed Al-Hameli of Team Abu Dhabi is 10 points adrift. Finland’s Sami Selio lies fourth but will miss the Abu Dhabi race meeting after being injured in China in October.
Fresh from taking a superb second overall at the inaugural F1 H20 Nations Cup in Singapore, Qatar’s Khaled Saleh Al-Shamlan returns to the helm of his F-4S boat this weekend for a pair of races on Thursday and Friday afternoon.
The third-placed Qatari trails series leader Bimba Sjoholm by 26 points with four races remaining and realises the importance of a top finish in this weekend’s two races off the Abu Dhabi breakwater.
Scrutineering and administration will take place tomorrow (Wednesday) and the first of the official practice sessions and time trials for the F-4S runners will start at 09.20 hrs (UAE time) on Thursday, with the F1 boats taking to the water at 10.30hrs. The first of the two F-4S races starts at 13.30hrs and the F1 qualifications begin at 15.00hrs.
Friday’s action begins with F-4S practice at 09.15hrs. The second F-4S race is pencilled in for 13.30hrs and the 20th Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi is set for lift off at 15.30hrs (14.30hrs Qatar time).
2011 UIM F1 H20 World Championship – standings after round 5
1. Jay Price (QAT) Qatar Team 67 pts
2. Alex Carella (QAT) Qatar Team 64 pts
3. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 55 pts
4. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 35 pts
4. Phillipe Chiappe (FRA) CTIC China Team 35 pts
6. Francesco Cantando (ITA) Singha F1 Racing Team 26 pts
7. Sami Selio (FIN) Team Mad Croc F1 21 pts, etc
2011 UIM F1 H20 Pole Position Championship – standings after round 5
1. Alex Carella (QAT) Qatar Team 65 pts
2. Jay Price (QAT) Qatar Team 61 pts
3. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 55 pts
4. Sami Selio (FIN) Team Mad Croc F1 43 pts
5. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 31 pts
6. Phillipe Chiappe (FRA) CTIC China Team 26 pts
7. Shaun Torrente (USA) Team Sweden 20 pts
7. Marit Stromoy (NOR) Team Nautica 20 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 10
1. Bimba Sjolholm (SWE) Team Sweden 139 pts
2. Matthew Palfreyman (GBR) Team Atlantic 130 pts
3. Khaled Saleh Al-Shamlan (QAT) Qatar Team 113 pts
4. Filip Roms (FIN) Team Mad Croc 90 pts
5. Xiong Ziwei (CHN) Team China 81 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. Kristoffer Fjelde (NOR) Team Singha 14 pts
10. Carl-Hampus Lundberg (SWE) Team Nautica 12 pts
11. Valts Silis (LAT) Team Singha 12 pts
Ends
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Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: ndppublicity@googlemail.com,
www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).
www.qmsf.org
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