H20 Racing series promoter Nicolo di San Germano (front left), QMSF president Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor al-Thani (centre) and QMSF general secretary Sami Abu Shaikha with podium finishers Phillipe Chiappe, race winner Alex Carella, Duarte Benavente and the QMSF’s head of formula racing Khalid bin Arhama al-Kuwari of the QMSF.
By Sports Reporter/Doha
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The Qatar Team’s Alex Carella and Shaun Torrente produced a pair of top class performances to crush the opposition in yesterday’s Grand Prix of Qatar, round one of the 2014 UIM F1 H20 World Championship, on Doha Bay.
But Torrente’s run of cruel luck continued when he was forced to remove his DAC’s canopy within sight of the finish after a wire to the power steering caught fire. His abrupt demise handed the race win to his teammate.
Torrente, a winner of his first ever F1 H20 Grand Prix in Qatar last November, hit the front on the opening lap and managed to fend off Carella, the eventual winning three-time World Champion, for 31 laps.
Frenchman Phillipe Chiappe finished second in his CTIC China Team Moore, Portugal’s Duarte Benavente was third, Italian veteran Francesco Cantando took fourth and Finland’s Filip Roms completed the top five.
There was a high rate of attrition in the difficult racing conditions. Pole sitter Sami Selio was sidelined on lap two, pole winner Jonas Andersson joined him a lap later with engine issues and Yousef al-Rubayan and Erik Stark also retired early on.
“Obviously it would have been fantastic to get the one-two here and we showed that this could so easily have happened,” 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. “I feel for Shaun. His luck must change soon. We wanted to get maximum points with both drivers. But it was not to be.
“We had to be careful all weekend and not take any risks because we did not have a spare boat available. The third boat has been shipped to the US for testing purposes.”
“It was not so easy to catch Shaun at all,” said a triumphant Carella. “He had a very good pace. I did not know that I was ahead until the next lap because we were both in traffic passing other boats. This is a great result for me. A perfect way to start the year with a win in Qatar.”
Torrente was obviously disappointed: “We put a ridiculously amount of effort into this weekend and then we had a fire from the power steering wiring, there was smoke and I had to take the canopy off.”
Khalid Abdullah al-Kuwari and Mohammed al-Obaidly were scheduled to start the second of the UIM F-4S races from fourth and sixth places, but race officials deemed that gusting westerly and north-westerly winds blowing across Doha Bay were too dangerous and the race for the rookies was cancelled after the drivers had waiting at the start pontoon for 15 minutes while the unfortunate decision was made.
Torrente and Carella began the race from second and third places after pole winner Jonas Andersson, winner of the Grand Prix of Qatar in 2008, was forced to change an engine after the morning’s practice session and slipped down to 11th. Sami Selio duly moved up to pole position. “It’s a shame for Jonas, You work so hard to get the pole and then you break an engine. We have all been there,” said Torrente.
RESULTS
1. Alex Carella (QAT) Qatar Team 40 laps
2. Phillipe Chiappe (FRA) China CTIC Team @ 34.61sec
3. Duarte Benavente (PRT) F1 GC Atlantic Team L1
4. Francesco Cantando (ITA) Motorglass F1 Team L2
5. Filip Roms (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team L2