U.I.M. F1H2O Grand Prix of China, Oct 5 and 6, 2014

[Serious News]

F-4S Szymura Cruises To Victory In Race 1

*Impressive debut by 16-year-old Briney Rigby


Sunday, 5 October, LIUZHOU (China): Mike Szymura moved to the top of the F-4s Trophy points table with an easy flag-to-finish victory in race 1, which was yellow flagged on lap 8 when Team Mad Croc debutant Ronny Mathys crashed out.

Of the three rookie drivers lining up in Liuzhou for round 2, 16-year-old Briney Rigby from Lower Portland, Australia was by far the most impressive and produced the drive of the race to take a well-deserved second place for Team Sweden ahead of Norway's Jan Andre Landsnes.

Pole-sitter Szymura led from the start and was cruising and well clear when the yellow flag was raised. Behind him a great battle was played between two of the newcomers, with Rigby eventually finding a way past Team Nautica's Joakim Halvorsen on lap 6.

From the restart Szymura again raced off into the distance to win the 22-lap race comfortably and a lap clear of the field, with Rigby unchallenged and taking the chequered flag in second to cap a great debut.

Halvorsen was unable to maintain the pace he showed earlier in the race and was overhauled on lap 13 by Landsnes, with Team Abu Dhabi's Mohamed Al Mehairbi and Qatar's Mohammed Al Obaidly enjoying a great scrap for fifth and sixth spots, Al Mehairbi claiming the Middle East bragging rights passing his rival in the closing stages.

Despite crashing out, Ronny Mathys' had produced a great drive from the back of the field in the early stages after failing to start in qualifying and was up to fifth and about to pass Halvorsen when he hooked losing time and then half a lap later went over trying to make it up.

It was a disappointing race for Team CTIC China's Wu Bingchen, hooking at the start of lap 2 then retiring before the end of it, Qatar's Khalid Al Kuwari joining him on the retirees list.

[Serious News]

Carella Storms To Third Straight Win In China!

LIUZHOU, China - 6 October, 2014 - Three-time World Champion Alex Carella proved once again why he is currently the world's best driver by leading from start to finish winning by 31.66 seconds to capture the 20th Anniversary Grand Prix of China in front of tens of thousands of race fans along the Liu River.

The second round of the 2014 UIM F1 H2O World Championship saw 18 drivers from 10 different nations fighting for championship points around the 2.13 kilometer (1.3 mile) six-turn race circuit and from the start the Qatar Team driver charged away from the field.

One lap completed and the driver from Italy was already 12 boat lengths ahead of soon to be penalized second place driver Youssef Al Rubayan of the F1 GC Atlantic Team who was later penalized for and early start and would eventually finish sixth with a one lap penalty.

"I was really happy with the way the new boat was handling and my crew set it up perfectly to my liking so I took advantage and pushed hard right from the start," said Alex. "Now with the victory we have put ourselves in a strong position to hopefully take another title, but there is still a long way to go before I can start celebrating. So we'll see where we go at the next race in Doha."

Taking up the chase to Carella was two-time World Champion Sami Selio of the Mad Croc Baba Team who moved up into second place but couldn't keep up the pace with Carella in his own brand new Baba boat while at the same time held his second place spot until his fuel pump started acting up dropping him to eighth by races end.

The drive of day came from rookie Erik Stark of Team Nautica completing his first race starting in seventh position and finishing runner-up to Carella in only his fourth race start.

"I'm truly excited to be on my first podium," said Erik. "We've had so much frustration leading up to this event over the past few years and to finish like this is a great jumpstart to my F1 career. I can't wait to get to Doha and prove that I can do it again."

Returning to racing was Team Abu Dhabi and their elder statesman Thani Al Qamzi would come home third in a solid run less than four seconds back of Stark after starting down in ninth position for this 2009 Chinese Grand Prix winner.

"It was a great position for the team," said Thani. "The boat was nicely set-up and I really felt comfortable pushing towards the front. I had a great fight for position and with Jonas Andersson dropping out of the race it gave us our first podium and my 27th of my career."

Another great performance came from American Shaun Torrente of the Qatar Team as the Florida driver charged from his 15th starting position to finish just outside the top-three in fourth 1.6 seconds behind Al Qamzi for his first points of the year and his best performance in China in his career.

"We did what we could and I have to thank my crew for getting the boat ready after I made a mistake in qualifying yesterday and put myself in a position to push hard to catch up from far in the back," said the Miami driver. "We are now back on track and hopefully Alex and I will fight for a victory at the next race on our home waters in Doha Bay. We've won the last two and it would be great if we can keep the streak alive."

Finishing fifth was an elated Bartek Marszalek of the Motorglass F1 Team as the young Polish driver had a career best day finishing fifth. Bartek started 12th and slowly worked his way forward running strongly at the end as he finished ahead of Al Rubayan for his first top-five performance in his 11th career start.

Young Filip Roms finished just ahead of his team leading driver Sami Selio in the seventh position while Ahmed Al Hameli had to settle for ninth for Team Abu Dhabi with equipment problems after running as high as fifth.

Chinese driver "Leo" Xiong brought the CTIC China Team their only point with a 10th place position after leading driver Philippe Chiappe lasted just two laps after electrical problems set in ending his three year streak on the podium here in China in a less than fruitful weekend that the Frenchman would soon like to forget.

A first corner incident with Italian Francesco Cantando ended the hopes of Portuguese driver Duarte Benavente as the F1 GC Atlantic driver the day before had qualified his career best fourth place in China on the dock in his 16 previous attempts only to get caught up the Motorglass F1 Team driver in the first corner and ending his race before completing a lap.

The win for Alex Carella moves the Italian into a solid first place position in search of his fourth straight World Title with 40 points on two straight wins on the season with three races to go in the season.

Up next the UIM F1 H2O World Championship series heads to Doha Bay for the second time this season for the Grand Prix of Qatar the 13-15 of November followed a week later in Abu Dhabi on the 19th to 21st of November.

You can follow all the news of the UIM F1 H2O World Championship tour by going to their official website at www.f1h2o.com.

[Serious News]

LIUZHOU (CHINA): Qatar’s defending UIM F1 H20 World Champion Alex Carella led from pole position to the chequered flag and crushed the opposition in Monday’s 39-lap UIM F1 H20 Grand Prix of China on Liuzhou’s Liu River.

The Italian led from a disjointed start and edged away from all his rivals, lapping all but three boats to reach the chequered flag 31.66sec in front of the impressive Swedish rookie Erik Stark and record his third successive win in Liuzhou. He now takes a 25-point championship lead to the next round in Qatar in mid-November.

Qatar team-mate Shaun Torrente started the race in 15th place after an engine change and fought back through the field to finish fourth overall behind Team Abu Dhabi’s Thani Al-Qamzi. But Stark was deemed to have hit a turn buoy and received a penalty, which demoted the dejected Swede to fifth and lifted Al-Qamzi to second and Torrente into the final podium place.

“Today was a big challenge for me,” said Carella. “This was the first time racing in this boat for me. I started from pole and I just wanted to have a good race for the team and keep up our momentum. Everything was perfect.”

“I am really happy with this result,” said Khalid bin Arhama Al-Kuwari, head of formula racing at the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), which runs under the presidency of His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani.

“Alex did another fantastic job and made it look easy. I suppose it is the secret of qualifying on pole and managing your own race from the front. Shaun did well to come back to third after starting the race in 15th. I am sure he would have been up there fighting with Alex if he had not had a problem on Sunday. Now we take a good lead to Doha for the next race.”

“My plan was to charge hard from the start, from 15th, to try and get through the middle of the field and try and make up as much time as possible and get through the first corner clean,” said Torrente. “I was confident that I could make up the rest of the time towards the end of the race.”

The Qatar Team’s Khalid Abdullah Al-Kuwari and Mohamed Al-Obaidly finished sixth and eighth overall in the second of the F-4S Trophy races. Germany’s Mike Szymura claimed pole position for the second day and went on to record his second win, with Australian youngster Rigby Briney in second place

Carella and Torrente lined up in pole and 15th position amongst the 18 boats at the start of the race on the 2.13km course on the Liu River after Torrente was forced to change the engine before the start.

Carella held his lead after a disjointed start and maintained his advantage through lap one, with Yousef Al-Rubayan moving ahead of Sami Selio to take second place. Duarte Benavente retired and Torrente climbed from 15th to eighth through lap two. Philippe Chiappe also withdrew after two laps.

Carella had extended his lead over Al-Rubayan to 8.25sec after five of the 39 laps and Torrente maintained eighth place. The Italian was in superb form and he began lap eight with a 16.09sec advantage, although officials claimed that Al-Rubayan had jumped the start and would be awarded a penalty lap, lifting Selio back to second and Stark into third.

Carella’s lead was a massive 17.81sec through 13 laps and Torrente climbed to sixth once Francesco Cantando hit trouble and Al-Rubayan dropped back. At the halfway point, after 19 laps, Carella led Selio by 23.94sec.

Carella had lapped all but his six closest rivals by lap 25 and led the race by 27.20sec, but Torrente was not able to pass Al-Qamzi and snatch fifth place. Andersson was forced out with technical problems on lap 28 and this handed fourth place to Al-Qamzi and moved Torrente up to fifth.

Selio also hit mechanical trouble on lap 32 and the Finn slipped down the order. His problems moved Stark into second, Al-Qamzi into third and Torrente into fourth place with seven laps remaining.

The Qatar Team duo held station through the remaining laps and Carella reached the chequered flag 31.66 seconds in front of the impressive young Swede Erik Stark. Al-Qamzi finished third and Torrente reached the finish in fourth. Stark’s collision with a turn buoy duly moved Al-Qamzi and Torrente up to second and third.

Torrente bounced back to form following his mistake in qualifying on Sunday and set the fastest lap during Monday morning’s second practice session. The Qatar Team driver ran for 19 laps in his repaired boat and carded a quickest lap of 45.30sec. This was a mere 0.03sec faster than the time set by Ahmed A-Hameli of Team Abu Dhabi. Carella ran for just eight laps with a best of 45.64sec.

F-4S – race 2

Mike Szymura continued where he left off on Sunday with victory in race one to qualify on pole position for the second of the two F-4S races. A quickest lap of 46.76sec during a 23-lap stint was sufficient to claim pole from Aussie rookie Rigby Briney. Qatar’s Mohammed Al-Obaidly qualified in sixth, but ongoing work on Khalid Abdullah Al-Kuwari’s boat meant that the second Qatari missed the session.

Szymura completed the clean sweep of two F-4S wins in the 22-lap race and reached the chequered flag 10.72 seconds in front of Briney, with Norway’s Joachim Halvorsen in third. Al-Kuwari started from the rear of the field and managed to climb to sixth place, with Al-Obaidly reaching the end two laps down in eighth.

The next round of the UIM F1 H20 World Championship will be the Middle East Grand Prix in Doha Bay, Qatar, on November 15th.

Grand Prix of China – results

1. Alex Carella (QAT) Qatar Team 39 laps

2. Thani Al-Qamzi (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi @ 35.35sec

3. Shaun Torrente (QAT) Qatar Team @ 36.92sec

4. Bartek Marszalek (POL) Motorglass F1 Team 1 lap behind

5. Erik Stark (SWE) Team Nautica 1 lap behind

6. Yousef Al-Rubayan (KWT) F1 GC Atlantic Team 2 laps behind

7. Filip Roms (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 2 laps behind

8. Sami Selio (FIN) Md-Croc Baba Racing Team 2 laps behind

9. Ahmed Al-Hameli (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi RET

10. Xiong Ziwei (CHN) China CTIC Team 4 laps behind


2014 UIM F1 H20 World Championship – positions after round 2:

1. Alex Carella (QAT) Qatar Team 40 pts

2. Philippe Chiappe (FRA) China CTIC Team 15 pts

2. Thani Al-Qamzi (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 15 pts

4. Shaun Torrente (QAT) Qatar Team 12 pts

4. Duarte Benavente (PRT) F1 GC Atlantic Team 12 pts

4. Bartek Marszalek (POL) Motorglass F1 Team 12 pts

7. Filip Roms (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 11 pts

8. Francesco Cantando (ITA) Motorglass F1 Team 9 pts

9. Erik Stark (SWE) Team Nautica 7 pts

10. Marit Stromoy (NOR) Team Nautica 5 pts

10. Yousef Al-Rubayan (KWT) F1 GC Atlantic Team 5 pts

10. Xiong Ziwei (CHN) China CTIC Team 5 pts

13. Sami Selio (FIN) Md-Croc Baba Racing Team 3 pts

14. Ahmed Al-Hameli (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 2 pts


2014 F-4S Trophy – latest positions:

1. Mike Szymura (DEU) F1 GC Atlantic Team 55 pts

2. Rigby Briney (AUS) Team Sweden 30 pts

3. Joakim Halvorsen (NOR) Team Nautica 21 pts

3. Jan Andre Landsnes (NOR) Motorglass F1 Team 21 pts

5. Jesper Forss (SWE) Team Sweden 20 pts

6. Khalid Abdullah Al-Kuwari (QAT) Qatar Team 14 pts

7. Mohamad Al-Obaidly (QAT) Qatar Team 13 pts

8. Nikita Lijcs (LVA) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 12 pts

9. Bincheng Wu (CHN) China CTIC Team 7 pts

9. Morgan Jernfast (SWE) Team Nautica 7 pts

9. Mohamed Al-Mehairbi (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 7 pts

12. Rashed Al-Remeithi (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 4 pts

13. Ronny Mathys (SUI) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 0 pt

http://qmsf.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=828%3Aqatar-teams-alex-carella-claims-hat-trick-of-victories-in-liuzhou-to-extend-f1-h20-series-lead&catid=13%3Aflashnews&Itemid=1

[Serious News]

Team Abu Dhabi's Thani Al-Qamzi finishes second in China GP
06.10.2014: ... behind Alex Carella 2014 UIM F1 H2O WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Grand Prix of China, October 4-6

Team Abu Dhabi’s Thani Al-Qamzi enjoyed a stunning return to UIM F1 H20 racing action by taking second place behind defending World Champion Alex Carella in Monday’s 20th Grand Prix of China on Liuzhou’s Liu River.

Carella led the 39-lap race from the start to claim a hat-trick of wins at the popular Chinese venue, but both Al-Qamzi and Team Abu Dhabi colleague Ahmed Al-Hameli were forced to battle their way through the field from ninth and 10th positions.

Al-Qamzi looked to have finished the race in third place and in front of the hard-charging American Shaun Torrente until Sweden’s Erik Stark - who had crossed the finish line in second place - was awarded a penalty for striking a course turn buoy. He slipped to fifth and promoted a delighted Al-Qamzi to second and equal second in the UIM F1 H20 Drivers’ Championship points’ standings.

“This was a challenging race and we had to battle hard for our position from the start,” said Al-Qamzi. “We missed the first race in Qatar in March and it’s great to come back with a podium finish in China and to stay in contention for the title after two rounds.”

Al-Hameli moved up from 10th during the race and was running in a solid fifth place before hitting technical trouble within sight of the finish. He had completed sufficient laps, however, to earn two points for a ninth-placed finish.

Germany’s Mike Szymura won both of the F-4S Trophy races from the impressive Australian youngster Rigby Briney. Mohamed Al-Mehairbi and Rashed Al-Remeithi shared driving responsibilities for Team Abu Dhabi and reached the chequered flag in fifth and seventh positions in their respective races.

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).

Team Abu Dhabi’s Al-Qamzi and Al-Hameli set the fifth and 13th quickest times in Sunday morning’s practice session and went on to qualify in 10th and 11th for the Grand Prix after Al-Hameli had topped the times in Q1 with a lap of 46.42sec and then retired in Q2 with engine issues. Pole position fell to Carella, with Sami Selio in second and Yousef Al-Rubayan slotting into third place.

“I started slowly with a new boat and a new set-up,” said Al-Hameli. “The weather was not easy with the wind on one side of the course. But the boat did not want to continue. I don’t think she liked me! Sometimes old parts are better than new ones.”

Al-Qamzi and Al-Hameli began Monday’s race from ninth and 10th positions, with defending World Champion Alex Carella on pole position and former champion Sami Selio in second place on the pontoon.

A good start was crucial for the Team Abu Dhabi duo in warm, humid conditions. Carella held the lead from Yousef Al-Rubayan through lap one, as Al-Qamzi and Al-Hameli settled into seventh and ninth positions and maintained their places through five of the 39 laps.

The Team Abu Dhabi duo moved up to fifth and seventh after Francesco Cantando hit trouble on lap 12 and stayed in position as the race reached half-way, although both were involved in a fascinating tussle with Jonas Andersson and Torrente.

There were no changes amongst the top eight through lap 27, although Carella had extended his overall lead to 31.70sec and had lapped all but six of the field. Andersson retired on lap 28 and his demise moved Al-Qamzi into fourth and Al-Hameli into sixth.

Selio was also in the wars three laps later and the Team Abu Dhabi pair climbed to third and fifth, but Al-Hameli pulled up on the course two laps from the end, as Al-Qamzi reached the finish in third place behind Carella and Stark.

Stark was deemed to have struck a course buoy, however, and the subsequent penalty lifted Al-Qamzi into second and Torrente into third.

Rashid Al-Remeithi and Mohamed Al-Mehairbi represented Team Abu Dhabi in the two Liuzhou F-4S races. Al-Mehairbi raced on Sunday and reached the chequered flag in fifth position. Germany’s Mike Szymura claimed pole and went on to win the first of the two races and eke out a 20-point championship lead.

The German was again in top form for Monday’s second qualifying session and 22-lap race and claimed his second win of the weekend from pole position. Australian rookie Rigby Briney was second and Al-Remeithi reached the chequered flag in seventh.

F1 H20 and F-4S teams return to action when they visit the State of Qatar for the second time this season on November 13-15.

http://www.automobilsport.com/race-categories--24/race-categories--24,128545,Team-Abu-Dhabis-Thani-Al-Qamzi-finishes-second-in-China-GP,news.htm

[Serious News]

LIUZHOU (CHINA): Race officials at the UIM F1 H20 Grand Prix of China in Liuzhou have reversed their earlier decision and re-instated Erik Stark in second position in the official results for Monday afternoon’s race on the Liu River.

The Swede had been pushed down from second to fifth overall after reportedly striking a turn buoy. This had promoted Team Abu Dhabi’s Thani Al-Qamzi to second and the Qatar Team’s Shaun Torrente to third.

But replays of the incident and a meeting overthrew that decision and rookie Stark was handed back his second position, the outcome pushing Al-Qamzi into third and Torrente back to fourth place.

Alex Carella led from start-to-finish to claim a third successive outright win in Liuzhou.

2014 UIM F1 H20 World Championship – positions after round 2 (updated):

1. Alex Carella (QAT) Qatar Team 40 pts

2. Erik Stark (SWE) Team Nautica 15 pts

2. Philippe Chiappe (FRA) China CTIC Team 15 pts

4. Thani Al-Qamzi (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 15 pts

4. Duarte Benavente (PRT) F1 GC Atlantic Team 12 pts

6. Filip Roms (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team 11 pts

7. Bartek Marszalek (POL) Motorglass F1 Team 10 pts

8. Shaun Torrente (QAT) Qatar Team 9 pts

8. Francesco Cantando (ITA) Motorglass F1 Team 9 pts

10. Marit Stromoy (NOR) Team Nautica 5 pts

10. Yousef Al-Rubayan (KWT) F1 GC Atlantic Team 5 pts

10. Xiong Ziwei (CHN) China CTIC Team 5 pts

13. Sami Selio (FIN) Md-Croc Baba Racing Team 3 pts

14. Ahmed Al-Hameli (ARE) Team Abu Dhabi 2 pts

http://www.qmsf.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=831:torrente-back-to-fourth-after-stark-is-re-instated-in-second&catid=13:flashnews