Uim f1 introduces back to back gp events each race!

[H2O Full Throttle]

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – 20th of March, 2009 – The 11th Annual Grand Prix of Portugal on the fourth and fifth of April marks an historic “first” on the U.I.M. F1 World Championship for power boating Tour as over 20 drivers from 14 different countries take to the opening round of the 2009 campaign on the Arade River along the lovely Algarve South coast. The weekend will introduce for the first time in the history of the sport two races featuring a Grand Prix on both Saturday as well as Sunday with 20 points up for the taking for the winner of each race.

“We are really excited about this opportunity to run two Grand Prix events in one weekend,” said series Promoter Nicolo di San Germano. “The race fans at each event this season will get ‘double the excitement’ more than a year ago and the drivers will get two chances to prove how talented they are in front of an international television audience and the tens of thousands of race fans that attend each of our events throughout the season.”

The Qatar Team lead by the new World Champion Jay Price of New Orleans, Louisiana is also the defending race winner in Portugal marking last May the first time in his career he had won a Grand Prix. Jay went on two win two other events in 2008 and reach the podium six times to cruise to the title.

Over the winter months however the other competitors haven’t stood still and the competition for the number one plate on the defending champion’s boat will once again be very heated especially in the setting of the new pressure packed two race weekend format.

“We are coming back with our same boat that we won the title with last season and I am happy with that since it did a great job for me a year ago,” stated Jay. “It’s almost like an old shoe, it fits well and I like it. However, I also know that everyone is gunning for me this year and I won’t be able to sneak up on everyone this time around, but my crew will be ready as we defend our title and hopefully grab another win in Portimao, or maybe two.”

The race format will work this way: Saturday morning there will be a Free Practice session giving drivers a chance to sort out their catamaran boats for a one hour time limit. Next, the drivers will come out for the all important 45 minute Qualifying Session to determine the official starting grid for the opening race of the 2009 season.

The first event of the 2009 schedule will take place Saturday afternoon, April 4th with the drivers lining up at the start pontoon and at the beginning of the event will then race for 30 minutes, plus two hot laps of green flag racing to determine the first Grand Prix winner of the campaign. On Sunday, April 5th the same format will take place on the Arade River marking the start of the “European Racing Season” on the 2009 schedule.

As the second decade of racing begins in Portimao may questions will once again be addressed and at the top of the list is whether multiple time winner at the Grand Prix of Portugal Guido Cappellini of Como, Italy and the lead driver of the Zepter Team can return to his magical ways having won seven of the 10 previous races along the Algarve but not doing so since 2006. The 49 year-old driver has a new DAC boat in his possession and seemed more determined than ever to go for his dreamed 10th World Championship bid having failed to do so in the last three years as he begins his 20th season as an U.I.M. F1 World Championship pilot.

[H2O Full Throttle]

Runner-up in the championship and 2007 World title holder Sami Selio of Finland leads his Mad Croc F1 Racing Team into Portugal hoping to steer his BABA built boat of Italy to its first winners circle in Portimao recording his pair of best results in 2001 and 2002 in the runner-up position along with three total podiums in the previous 10 starts.

Swedish driver Jonas Andersson of Team Azerbaijan arrives with a new DAC boat and new confidence hoping to do better than what he did a year ago in Portimao starting a fine third but dropping out of the event on the first lap and being classified 18th on the day. He’s finished just once in his previous three starts in Portugal and will be looking for more consistency to take him to his first title after finishing third in the championship last season.

Fourth in the title hunt a year ago was last season’s pole sitting driver in Portugal in young Ahmed Al Hameli of Team Abu Dhabi who lead for three quarters of the event before being passed by eventual winner Jay Price. The one-time Rookie-of-the-Year will be hoping to take his BABA boat to the winners circle for the first time in his career after having recorded four total podiums in just 10 career starts.

Italian Fabio Comparato of the 800 Doctor Team has one of the best records of all the drivers who have raced in Portimao with four podiums and eight top-five finishes in his 10 previous starts. His 2007 failure to finish has been the only one since 1999 in Portugal as he works his way towards his second career victory.

Local driver Durate Benavente of the Atlantic Team had a fine fourth place finish a year ago marking the second time in his career he has come to within one spot from making the podium at his home Grand Prix. He has a solid shot to do that this season as he starts the campaign with a new DRAGON boat built in Wales by ex-World Champion Jonathan Jones.

The 29th year since the start of the first U.I.M. F1 World Championship event took place back in 1981 begins anew on the Arade River just inside the lovely and historic harbor setting of the city of Portimao on the Southern Portuguese Algarve coast with back to back race events that trigger a new format of excitement with TWO Grand Prix’s in one race weekend signaling a change in philosophy and upping the excitement level to a new pitch as the opening event of the 2009 campaign begins on Saturday, April 4th for the 11th Grand Prix of Portugal.

[T2x]

Tunnel boats rule!