MEDIA INFORMATION
2015 UIM CLASS ONE WORLD POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP
Grand Prix of Salerno, July 7-9, 2015
STUNNING BACK-TO-BACK SALERNO RACE WINS
FOR TEAM ABU DHABI’S BALLOUGH AND TOMLINSON
Dubai’s Victory Team finishes second race in second place; T-Bone Station in third
Team Abu Dhabi’s two race boats qualify first and third for second Salerno race
SALERNO (ITALY): Thursday, July 9: Team Abu Dhabi continued their superb start to the new UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship season with first and fourth positions in the second of the two Salerno races, held in conjunction with the seventh leg of the Venice-Monte Carlo endurance race, on Thursday. It means that the team that runs out of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC) leads the prestigious offshore series after the first round.
The triumphant race pairing of Gary Ballough and throttleman John Tomlinson had won the opening race on Wednesday afternoon in their American-built MTi catamaran and claimed pole position for the second race. They were not to be denied in race two either and passed the chequered flag in first place to cap a perfect weekend for the UAE team.
The Emirati pairing of Majid Al-Mansoori and Rashid Al-Tayer had finished second in the first 13-lap encounter and qualified third for the second of the Italian races behind Italian driver Giovanni Carpitella and England’s Miles Jennings in Fendi Racing’s T-Bone Station. An engine issue had cost Carpitella and Jennings a potential second place on Wednesday and they competed race two in third. Al-Mansoori and Al-Tayer reached the finish in fourth in the second Team Abu Dhabi boat.
“This has been a fantastic weekend for Team Abu Dhabi and a perfect way to start the season with two race wins,” said Team Abu Dhabi spokesman Salem Al-Remeithi. “The whole team is focused and we really feel that we can win the Class 1 World Championship this year. There may well be more races to go into the calendar, even at this late stage, but we will take this as a perfect start and look forward to the rest of the championship.”
Arif Saif Al-Zafeen and Nadir bin Hendi had leased a boat in Italy in which to tackle the first race meeting of the season and the Victory Team crew followed up Wednesday’s eventual fifth-placed finish by qualifying fourth for the second race. They showed a noticeable improvement in race two to claim the runner-up spot.
Swedish rookie Niclas Johansson and Norwegian colleague Christian Zaborowski completed the line-up and started the race from fifth place and finished in a similar position.
Team Abu Dhabi is supported by Etihad Airways as the official carrier and sponsor and runs under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Khalifa Al-Nahyan, advisor to the Head of State and chairman of the board of directors of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC).
Confirmed Class One racing continues at Terracina in Italy in October, although Team Abu Dhabi’s mono-hull boats will be back in action at the third round of the UIM F1 H20 World Championship in Porto at the start of August.
2015 Salerno Grand Prix – Race 2 result (Thursday – unofficial)
1. Gary Ballough (USA)/John Tomlinson (USA) Team Abu Dhabi 6
2. Arif Saif Al-Zafeen (ARE)/Nadir bin Hendi (ARE) Victory Team 3
3. Giovanni Carpitella (ITA)/ Miles Jennings (GBR) Fendi Racing T-Bone Station 10
4. Majid Al-Mansoori (ARE)/Rashid Al-Tayer (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 5
5. Christian Zaborowski (NOR)/Niclas Johansson (SWE) Energima Zabo Racing 91
2015 Salerno Grand Prix – Pole Position 2 (Thursday – unofficial)
1. Gary Ballough (USA)/John Tomlinson (USA) Team Abu Dhabi 6
2. Giovanni Carpitella (ITA)/ Miles Jennings (GBR) Fendi Racing T-Bone Station 10
3. Majid Al-Mansoori (ARE)/Rashid Al-Tayer (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 5
4. Arif Saif Al-Zafeen (ARE)/Nadir bin Hendi (ARE) Victory Team 3
5. Christian Zaborowski (NOR)/Niclas Johansson Energima Zabo Racing 91
– Ends –
For further media information and information about Team Abu Dhabi:
Please contact: Khalid Al Saadi, Media Incharge, Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, P.O. Box 45656, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Mobile Telephone: + 971 50 768 6761, E-mail: alsaadi@adimsc.ae.
www.class-1.com
www.adimsc.ae