Is He Going For A Win Or Just Consistancy?
SHENZHEN, China – October 24, 2008 – Relaxed, ready and full of confidence Qatar Team driver Jay Price is set to begin another journey as he takes another step towards his dream of winning his first U.I.M. F1 World Championship on Lake Shenzhen this Sunday afternoon before a sold out audience of over 50,000 race fans in this Southern Chinese city.
The driver from New Orleans, Louisiana and who with his truly international crew made up of Italians, Americans and Qatari personnel are putting the finishing touches of a DAC boat that has been battle tested through the rigors of his aggressive driving since the first race of this year’s campaign. The 2008 craft has been cut-up, sewn together and re-rigged at least 3 times and finally shipped back to Italy for extensive repairs over the summer months in order for it to be refreshed for the rigors of the final three months of the season.
The driver, who has over 30 years of racing experience behind him, isn’t frazzled easily to the pressures of either the extreme heat on or off the water that will be prevalent here on the edge of the South China Sea this weekend.
“The intense heat will play a factor in the race.” said Jay. “However, I am from Slidell, Louisiana where it is hot and humid for most of the year, so this will be a normal weekend for me as conditions play out. We don’t need to win, we need to be consistent and then if that plays out we will be a good position to wrap up our dream season in the Emirates in December. Podiums now give you championships later.”
The Qatar Team driver knows that if he can just keep out of harms way like he did in Liuzhou, China two weeks ago, he’ll be in a good position to gather his fifth straight podium when finishing that dates back to the Sharjah meeting last December when he took second place.
Other drivers aren’t in such a privileged position.
Swedish pilot Jonas Andersson of F1 Team Sweden needs to give it his all not only this weekend, but also in the Emirates if he has any chance at winning a title in 2008. The 33 year-old is currently second and 30 points back of Price in the driver’s championship. He is the only competitor this season who is perfect, he’s won every race he’s finished. The problem is, he’s only finished twice in the first five events and now must get his crew to make his package more reliable and stay out of trouble at the same time. He was running with Price in Liuzhou until he crashed out past the halfway mark of the event. Every win awards the driver who captures first 20 points. Jonas will need some good luck and Jay some bad luck to move up for an Emirates challenge.
David Trask of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia had jumped up into the third spot in the championship thanks to his second podium of the season in Liuzhou where he had his career best 2nd position. He’ll be hoping to take it another step up to the “top of the box” and do it again in the Emirates in December to have any chance at a title as he sits 38 points behind.
In other pit news, Ivan Brigada will be sitting in for suspended Italian driver Guido Cappellini who watched his dreams of a 10th World Championship disappear for a third straight season by crashing and then dropping out of last race and ending his afternoon being red carded for cutting off Ahmad Al Hameli of Team Abu Dhabi and forcing him to crash out at the first pin of the 65 lap event. Brigada has a win on the tour in Qatar back in 2006 and is a reliable replacement for a driver who has a record breaking number of victories but who has also had a checkered past of aggressive driving that has seen him with a history of suspensions.
Jay Price knows all he as to do is finish consistently in the top 5 to take a title, but racing is a funny game and sometimes just when you think you have found the secret, the keys for success fall away. Let’s see if this weekend’s door opens or closes a championship for the likeable driver from Louisiana and the very talented Qatar based multi-national effort.
