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The Qatar Team’s Shaun Torrente and defending UIM F1 H20 World Champion Alex Carella head to Liuzhou this week to prepare for Wednesday’s 19th Grand Prix of China, round three of the 2013 UIM F1 H20 World Championship. |
The pair finished second and third at the last round in Ukraine and now hold first and fourth in the points’ standings, although the Qatar Team does have a 25-point lead over the Mad Croc Baba Racing Team in the UIM Teams’ Championship.
The course on the Liu River in south eastern China has been a happy hunting ground for the Qatar Team, which runs under the auspices of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), in the past and team manager Khalid bin Arhama al-Kuwari is confident that Torrente can extend his single point series lead over Finland’s Sami Selio and Carella can climb above both the Finn and Ukraine race winner Phillipe Chiappe on this 250th event in the history of the series since its inception in 1981.
“We have not tested as a team since Kiev,” admitted al-Kuwari, who runs the team under the umbrella of the QMSF and the presidency of His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor al-Thani. “But Brendan (Power) has been working very hard on the engines in his workshop and I am confident that Shaun and Alex can continue our success and take a one-two finish on the podium in China. I really think that we can dominate here.
“It’s very important that we finish the race as well because there are only six rounds in the championship this year and we only have three races left after China. It’s a crucial race. It’s our lucky venue and one of the best courses in the calendar.”
Al-Kuwari also confirmed that Khalid Abdullah al-Kuwari would represent the Qatar Team in the competitive F-4S category for the Eurofin Trophy and the two races that are normally staged at each race venue. “We will use Khalid in China and then we hope to have two drivers out on the course in F-4S in Doha for our home race in November.”
Al-Kuwari currently holds third position in the F-4S standings after three races (one Ukraine race was cancelled) and is a mere nine points behind second-placed Niklas Friberg of Sweden. Germany’s Mike Szymura of the Atlantic Team has made the early season running and has a five-point championship advantage.
Technical scrutineering and team registration gets the Liuzhou timetable underway tomorrow and teams will be permitted a first free practice session the same afternoon from 9.30am Doha time.
Free practice continues on Tuesday (October 1) morning and the first of the F-4S time trials begins at 5pm Doha time. This is followed by further practice, the first of the two F-4S races and F1 qualifying. Wednesday’s (October 2) action gets underway with further free practice and time trials.
