2011 UIM F1 H2O WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of Sharjah – round 7, December 15-16
For immediate release
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
QATAR’S CARELLA AND PRICE FACES HEAD-TO-HEAD
BATTLE TO DECIDE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP IN SHARJAH
· Qatar’s Al-Shamlan has outside chance of snatching F-4S title
· Qatar’s Carella strong favourite to clinch Pole Position title
· Shaun Torrente set to use Qatar Team’s third DAC in Sharjah
SHARJAH (UAE): The Qatar Team’s Alex Carella will go head-to-head with team-mate and 2008 World Champion, Jay Price, to decide the outcome of the 2011 UIM F1 H20 World Championship in Friday’s Grand Prix of Sharjah.
Carella leads the seven-round championship by five points and needs to finish ahead of his colleague to claim the title in only his second season of F1 racing. The young Italian also has a superb chance to seal the UIM F1 Pole Position Championship title in Thursday afternoon’s qualifying session on Khalid Lagoon and cap a clean sweep of F1 silverware for the Qatar Team, which runs under the auspices of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF).
Price leads Carella by three points in the Fast Lap Slam Trophy with Team Abu Dhabi’s Ahmed Al-Hameli in third place, albeit 18 points adrift of the lead Qatar boat.
Shaun Torrente joined the Qatar Team for the last two races of the season in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, but was sidelined on the first lap of last weekend’s race in the UAE’s commercial capital after a collision with Poland’s Bartek Marszalek. He will use the team’s older and longer DAC in Sharjah, as the Doha-based operation aims to take a clean sweep of the podium places.
“I suppose we should not be greedy, but I would love to see a Qatar 1-2-3 on the podium on Friday afternoon,” 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.
“It will be down to Alex and Jay to fight for the title and may the best man win. Pole position will be crucial. Alex took pole on this course last season and I am sure he will be up for the challenge again on Thursday.”
Qatar’s Khaled Saleh Al-Shamlan heads into the final two F-4S races of the season on Thursday and Friday trailing England’s Matthew Palfreyman by 36 points with a maximum 40 available. While it is mathematically possible that the Qatari can snatch the title, Al-Kuwari is realistic in his goals and knows that Al-Shamlan may well finish third in the championship.
“The two non-finishes in Ukraine were the problem for Khalid,” added Al-Kuwari. “That is a possible 40 points lost. Add in two finishes there and he would have been right up amongst it with Matthew and Bimba (Sjolholm). But we must not forget that they are very good drivers and taking third in the series will still be a fine achievement for Khalid.”
On-course action begins with free practice for the F1 teams from 09.15hrs on Thursday morning. F-4S teams then have a practice session and qualifying for the first of their weekend’s two races, starting at 14.30hrs. The F1 qualifying starts at 15.50hrs.
Friday’s timetable is similar. F1 boats take to the water at the similar time of 09.15hrs and the second of the F-4S races starts at 14.30hrs after practice and time trials. The 2011 Grand Prix of Sharjah is set for the slightly later time of 16.00hrs.
2011 UIM F1 H20 World Championship – standings after round 6 of 7
1. Alex Carella (QAT) Qatar Team 84 pts
2. Jay Price (QAT) Qatar Team 79 pts
3. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 60 pts
4. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 50 pts
5. Phillipe Chiappe (FRA) CTIC China Team 35 pts
6. Francesco Cantando (ITA) Singha F1 Racing Team 33 pts
7. Sami Selio (FIN) Team Mad Croc F1 21 pts
8. Davide Padovan (ITA) Team Mad Croc F1 19 pts, etc
2011 UIM F1 H20 Pole Position Championship – standings after round 6
1. Alex Carella (QAT) Qatar Team 85 pts
2. Jay Price (QAT) Qatar Team 68 pts
3. Ahmed Al-Hameli (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 67 pts
4. Sami Selio (FIN) Team Mad Croc F1 43 pts
5. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 36 pts
6. Phillipe Chiappe (FRA) CTIC China Team 35 pts
6. Marit Stromoy (NOR) Team Nautica 35 pts
8. Shaun Torrente (USA) Team Sweden 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 12 of 14
1. Matthew Palfreyman (GBR) Team Atlantic 170 pts
2. Bimba Sjolholm (SWE) Team Sweden 161 pts
3. Khaled Saleh Al-Shamlan (QAT) Qatar Team 134 pts
4. Filip Roms (FIN) Team Mad Croc 114 pts
5. Xiong Ziwei (CHN) Team China 100 pts
6. Tobias Munthe-Kaas (NOR) Team Nautica 69 pts
7. Majed Al-Mansoori (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 33 pts
8. Christian Carlsen (NOR) Team Singha 28 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
12. Salem Al-Mansoori (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi 6 pts
Ends
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www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).
www.qmsf.org
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