ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – 23rd of September, 2009 – The clock is ticking and there’s less than two weeks to go before the start of the back to back Grand Prix’s in China as the U.I.M. F1 H2O World Championship for power boating heads to Southern China beginning with the race in the lovely city of Liuzhou on the sixth and seventh of October.
Every driver on the world tour has their own individual way of preparing physically and mentally for the upcoming Grand Prix, some more exciting than others, while for ex-World Champion and Finnish star Sami Selio he is using his home country as a launching ramp for staying in racing shape while having fun at the same time.
“A few of my friends have built copies of the OC Hydro a class that has a 50 year tradition here in Finland and we have been racing them for fun while at the same time keeping the history of the sport and this class of boat alive at the same time,” said Sami.
“All the boats have the same engine and race set-up so it’s a blast to rance and everyone is on equal terms,” stated the Helsinki driver. “I was invited to race last weekend in Turku after entering the opening event in Kaarina which was held a week before our Grand Prix in Lahti back in June. Having won the opening round and taking second last weekend I am the official “2009 Champion” and now am ready to see if I can win in China in a few weeks like I did in Shenzhen a year ago.”
The 2007 world title holder and lead driver for the Mad Croc F1 Team Woodstock organization is currently sitting in sixth place in the Drivers World Championship point’s race coming off his best performance of the season with a second at the last meeting at the second event at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Russia. The 34 year-old driver is just three points behind Italian Fabio Comparto who’s fifth overall and 31 back of points leader Thani Al Qamzi of Team Abu Dhabi who leads the World Championship with 65 as the pair of Grand Prix events in Liuzhou will mark the halfway point of the current 2009 campaign.
A year ago, Sami was on the pole at both Liuzhou and Shenzhen failing to finish while in the lead on the Liu River while taking the second event two weeks later with a win in Shenzhen for his fourth career victory and his last time he has been on the top step on the podium. The all-time most successful Finnish driver in the tours history has six career starts in China with four finishes with three of those being on the podium.
As drivers from throughout the world gather in a short time to the second annual event in Liuzhou Selio will be just one piece of the puzzle of determining a world champion. Everyone has their favorite way of planning for their own secret way of getting that special “winners edge” on the competition, for Sami he does it with a smile on his face and hanging out with friends riding on the edge in a sport he just can’t get enough of while trying to stay dry at the same time.
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