Holds Off Jay Price In Final Two Laps To Take First Pole!
LINYI, China – Saturday, October 2, 2010 – Italian rookie Alex Carella of the Mad Croc Team held off two ex-World Champions to take his first career pole position in only his third start and will lead the field of 20 drivers from 13 different countries at the 14th Grand Prix of China for the third round of the 2010 UIM F1 H2O World Championship for powerboating in Linyi, China.
The 24 year-old driver from Piacenza, Italy saved his best performance for the final five minutes of the one-hour knockout qualifying session with the 10 fastest drivers going for pole position in the final 10 minutes sending 2008 World Champion Jay Price of the Qatar Team who had been quickest with a 163.7 Kph lap and his teammate and 2007 title holder Sami Selio into third with his 164.49 Kph lap on the 2.25 kilometer seven turn course.
“The strategy worked perfectly and with the help of boat builder and my mentor Massimo Roggiero on the radio I was able to find the spot to pick the best water for the fastest time,” said Alex. “It's hard to believe that in only my third race I've got pole but tomorrow will be a long struggle to maintain my position with two ex-World Champions in my wake.”
For Price, he got out of a sickbed to qualify and became the first driver all weekend to run a sub 50 second lap when he did his 49.92 time finishing just .24 of a second behind Carella. “I did the best I could considering the way I feel right now,” said the driver from New Orleans, Louisiana. “Alex got a little wide those final two laps when I tried to push and I couldn't go faster. Tomorrow however will be another day and look forward to it.”
Sami Selio had his six race pole position streak stopped with his 50.24 time starting third and being right beside Price for tomorrow's Grand Prix. “I'm happy with the result even though I didn't get pole,” said the Helsinki driver. “All streaks come to an end and now I'll see if I can win again tomorrow and start a new winning streak after taking first in St. Petersburg, Russia at the last race last July.”
Ahmed Al Hameli of Team Abu Dhabi was the first of the teams three drivers to reach the top ten taking fourth with a 162.01 Kph lap, while Italian veteran Francesco Cantando of Singha F1 Racing had a fine fifth with a 50.76 second lap. Co-points leader Thani Al Qamzi was sixth with a 50.94 second lap while another Italian Fabio Comparato of the 800 Doctor Team was seventh and a 50.97 time looking for his first points of the 2010 tomorrow.
Rounding out the top-10 was Sweden's Jonas Andersson with a 51.65 second lap in his Team Azerbaijan DAC, with first race rookie Tim Seebold of Osage Beach, Missouri in the third Team Abu Dhabi boat driving a DAC Italian design for the first time came home a fine ninth with a 51.92 a half second ahead of French driver Philippe Chiappe in the CTIC China Team Moore hull and his 52.46 second lap.
The twenty drivers from 13 different nations will attack the Lihe River course beginning at 15:00 local and 07:00 GMT for the 14th Grand Prix of China and the third round of the 2010 UIM F1 H2O World Championship for powerboating in the inaugural Grand Prix in Linyi.
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