ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Monday, November 2, 2009 – Defending World Champion Jay Price gets ready to return to his “adopted” home country of Qatar for the Qatar Team sitting fourth in the drivers championship with 70 points, coming off a second place finish at the 10th round of the U.I.M. F1 H2O World Championship for power boating in Shenzhen, China two week ago.
The thirty year racing veteran, wearing the number one plate on his Italian DAC racing boat after winning last years world title, has had an up and down season thus far with two victories (Finland and Russia) and four podiums being the high point of 2009. However, crashes, first, in qualifying at St. Petersburg, Russia and in the race in Liuzhou, China, being the low points of the campaign along with three mechanical failures have turned this season into a “wait and see” pattern for success.
“It’s great going back to my home team’s Grand Prix,” said Jay. “It’s always been like a big family and everyone at the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) has been truly professional for the past four years and I’ve met some wonderful people along the way. I can’t say enough how much our Head of Formula Racing at the club Khalid Bin Arhama Al-Kuwari has been in helping steer this effort to a World Championship while the support of His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani who is a true sportsman himself has made it all possible.”
The faith in Jay by the club goes back to their initial involvement in the F2 program where Jay was immediately competitive and later took the title for the Presidents Cup in 2007. He probably has more time in a tunnel catamaran boat than anyone in the series including nine times World Champion Guido Cappellini of Italy when it comes to the number of races dating back to the early 1980’s starting with SST-140 and SST-120 events (F2) in North America.
His breakthrough came while racing in the odd outback events in Mexico and Cuba taking numerous titles throughout Central America and the Caribbean in the 1990’s before heading to Europe and racing on the F2 tour and winning the “Rookie of the Year” trophy in 2002.
“Those were great times and fun events and I won a lot of titles, but the help that the QMSF gave me when it was time to get my international “super license” to go F2 and F1 racing made all the difference in my career,” stated Jay. “I maybe an American from the South and love Dixie and Louisiana my home state, but I also have a big piece of my heart for my new adopted home in Qatar and I can’t wait to get to Doha and try to win a race for all the people that have believed in me so much these past few years.”
The 6th Grand Prix of Qatar will once again be run in the dazzling city of Doha, one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the world on the semi-open facing circuit around the cornice of the downtown area. The first of two back to back Grand Prix events will be run on the 27th of November and Jay will be looking to win for the first time in his fourth start at his home Grand Prix. His previous best was a runner-up position on the podium a season ago on his way to his World Title. In 2007 he qualified fifth and finished in that position after having failing to finish the 2006 event.
The Qatar Team is a truly international “United Nations” of employees with personnel from Italy, America, Australia, Great Britain as well as native Qatari’s working together for victory. Brendan Power a native “Aussie” who now makes his home in America is the man behind the engine management program that has been so successful for the team as he works his magic on both sides of the Atlantic out of his shop in Tampa, Florida.
Now, it’s either up to Jay or fellow teammate Craig Bailey of New South Wales, Australia who has done such a wonderful job subbing for injured British driver Andy Elliott to bring the flag home in front of what is expected to be large partisan crowds along the water front. It all happens between the 26th and 28th of November for the 6th Grand Prix of Qatar and the U.I.M. F1 H2O World Championship for power boating.
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