ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - It’s a circuit that has crept into the psyche of drivers from all over the world. Over the years the race course has morphed itself into the planets biggest challenges and has become a complex puzzle to get right.
So, as drivers from four different continents head to Doha and the Sixth Grand Prix of Qatar for the 11th and 12th rounds of the 2009 U.I.M. F1 H2O World Championship, they know this five turn 1.99 kilometer (1.23 mile) race course will be one of the biggest hurtles they’ll have to conquer in order to win a world title at seasons end.
The Grand Prix circuit’s identity started out calmly enough originally being located in the quiet waters near the fishing docks along the cornice in downtown Doha back in 2005. Then this “kitty cat” of a race course became a “tiger” when it was moved farther outside the hidden harbor for reasons of lengthening the circuit and now exposes it to the open waters of the Gulf. This unique twist to the course forces drivers to continually monitor any large “rouge” waves that may roll inside the harbor. Drivers now are running their boats on top of the wave crests in these rough conditions until the checkered flag.
“It’s a real physical course,” said defending World Champion Jay Price of the home standing Qatar Team. “I’ve run this race three different times in the last two years and I’ll say its one of the most taxing we run on all season. Not only are you worn out after racing but your concentration level has to be keen or you will easily make a mistake and end your day in tears if you’re not careful.”
Jay is sitting fourth in the driver’s championship with 70 points including a pair of wins this season in Finland and Russia. His best finish at his home Grand Prix is a second that he placed a year ago.
Defending race winner and World Championship point’s leader Jonas Andersson hopes to expand on his 92 points and his slim four point lead overall with back to back victories. He won here from pole a year ago and this season has won two of the last five events in St. Petersburg, Russia and in Liuzhou, China.
Italian Guido Cappellini in his Zepter sponsored DAC boat has won this race twice. His best effort came in 2007 when he won from the pole. Two years earlier in 2005 he won this race after starting sixth while benefiting from other drivers misfortunes on an important day leading up to his last title. The driver from Como is currently fifth in the championship with 69 points.
Thani Al Qamzi of Team Abu Dhabi is second in the championship with 88 points and also owns a win in Doha with a victory at the first of two events at the 2007 Grand Prix weekend. He won from pole position while taking second in the second race that year while dropping out last season with mechanical problems. He’ll be looking for his second victory of the season after a win at the Grand Prix of Portugal back in April.
The hottest driver on the tour currently is Sami Selio driving his Mad Croc sponsored BABA hull holding down four straight pole positions and wins in two of his last four starts. His hot streak has moved him into third place in the championship with 83 points and a shot at his second title in the last three seasons. The native of Finland has finished all five of his events in Doha reaching the podium once at the first race in Qatar back in 2005.
Italian Francesco Cantando who is sixth in the championship with 55 points has had bad luck in Doha having finished just one of his previous five starts with a sixth back in 2007. He crashed out in 2006 and has had four other mechanical issues that saw the driver from Milan pull out of the race before its conclusion.
Ahmad Al Hameli in his Team Abu Dhabi BABA boat is seventh in the championship with 52 points and has a victory at the opening race of the season at the Grand Prix of Portugal back in April but has four mechanicals and one accident that has seen him finish just one-half of his events so far this season. The 30 year-old driver failed to finish last season while a fourth in 2007’s second race being his best finish thus far in Doha.
Italian Fabio Comparato in the 800 Doctor boat has raced in all five previous races in Doha with a fourth place finish in 2005 being his best result. He is eighth in the championship with 46 points and a podium third place position at the Grand Prix of Finland his best performance of the season thus far.
Ninth in the drivers championship is France’s Philippe Chiappe with 45 points in his Moore boat. The driver from Rouen has a pair of third place finishes while a fourth in 2007 being his best in Doha in four previous starts.
Sweden’s Pierre Lundin of the China CTIC Team is getting into a groove with three top five performance in a row in China before crashing out at the start of the last event in Shenzhen. Lundin has done well in Doha having just two starts both in 2007 and finishing both races on the podium in third position. He’ll be looking to improve on his 10th place in the championship and add to his 42 points.
The 11th and 12th races of the 2009 U.I.M. F1 H2O World Championship for power boating will take place at the Sixth Grand Prix of Qatar on Friday and Saturday the 27th and 28th of November at 15:00 local Doha (UTC +3). Which drivers will be hero’s at the World’s most notoriously rough circuit? We are less than three weeks from finding out.
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