FORMULA 2000 UIM CHAMPIONSHIP
Round 5 – Grand Prix of Russia – Dubna, September 4-5th
For immediate release
Wednesday, September 1st, 2004
QATAR TEAM PLANS TO EXTEND
F2000 ADVANTAGE IN GP OF RUSSIA
Qatar’s Jay Price confident of Boat GP success;
Mohamad Al-Ali raring to go in Dubna
DUBNA (Russia): The Qatar Team’s Jay Price will be hoping to extend his advantage in the Match Race and Speed Record competition, when he and team mate Mohamad Al-Ali tackle the Grand Prix of Russia, the fifth round of this year’s Formula 2000 UIM Championship, in Dubna this weekend (September 4-5th).
Price, from New Orleans, is the lead driver for the Qatar Team and his two-litre DAC boat also lies third overall in the Formula 2000 Championship, a mere 10 points behind the Italian Ivan Brigada and seven points behind Sweden’s Jonas Andersson, the winner of two Boat GP races so far this year. The Qatar Team are now also the outright leaders of the overall 2004 Boat GP series.
Price finished runner-up in the most recent round of the series in Latvia and heads for the final European round of the championship in confident mood, nine points ahead of Britain’s Owen Jelf in the overall Match Race competition and four clear of Brigada in the Speed Record competition. Both these disciplines will take place on Saturday in Dubna, with the Boat GP of Russia bringing the competitive proceedings to a close on Sunday.
~Italy was a serious disappointment to the team,~ said Sheikh Hassan Bin Jabor Al-Thani, President of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation. ~We had never experienced such engine breakdowns in a single race before. The chief mechanic’s decision not to run the rest of the engines in stock was a good one. We can afford to lose a race, but we can not break all our engines.
~The Latvia performance was the result of good planning and boat and engine set-up. We were close to the first position and it would have helped us a lot in the points’ standings, but we are not far behind now. There are three races left for Jay and we feel that he will be in a better position toward the end of the season.~
~We will maintain the same set-up for Russia,~ added Team Manager Mohamed Al-Jaidah. ~We have a plan left for the two rounds in the Middle East. Jay is confident enough with himself and the equipment to win all
three races. It may well come down to race day water conditions. Johansson and Brigada are the rivals and I am sure they are thinking of us the same way. We are friends with everyone on the pit, but on the water it’s a totally different ball game.~
~We have made marked improvements in both Class 1 and F2000 this season in terms of race strategy and results,~ added Sheikh Hassan. ~Both sports have gained more popularity in Qatar after good results obtained in the international arena and we are looking to improve even more in the coming seasons to show better results and be very serious challengers in each marine sport.~
The Qatar Team overhauled Brigada’s Pabr-Tech Racing operation in Latvia, courtesy of Price’s consistent finishes in all three disciplines and Jay is determined to complete the team’s programme of European races in style in Dubna, prior to the final two races of the season in Abu Dhabi and Qatar.
~I was pleased with the way things went in Latvia,~ said Price. ~After the fuel problems we encountered in Italy it was great to bounce back with such a good result. Now I have to knuckle down and make sure that I earn as many points as possible here before we move to the Middle East at the back end of the season.~
Doha-based Mohamad Al-Ali is also determined to play a supporting role in Russia. The 40-year-old showed an excellent turn of pace in the opening heat of the Match Race competition in Latvia in his DAC and is badly in need of more competitive experience if he is to challenge for overall honours in the two remaining Middle East races in the autumn.
FORMULA 2000 UIM CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS – AFTER ROUND 4 of 7:
Formula 2000 (unofficial)
1. Ivan Brigada (I) 52 pts
2. Jonas Andersson (S) 49 pts
3. Jay Price (QA) 42 pts
4. Owen Jelf (GB) 27 pts
5. Pelle Larsson (S) 18 pts
6. Rich Hakonsen (N) 17 pts
Match Race (unofficial)
1. Jay Price (QA) 59 pts
2. Owen Jelf (GB) 50 pts
3. Ivan Brigada (I) 39 pts, etc
Speed Record (unofficial)
1. Jay Price (QA) 50 pts
2. Ivan Brigada (I) 46 pts
3. Mattia Turati (I) 39 pts
4. Uvis Slakteris (LAT) 33 pts
5. Marc Rolls (GB) 25 pts, etc
Ends
For further media information, contact:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, (Mobile: + 44 7831 123153 and E-mail: ndppublicity@compuserve.com)
www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases)
www.formula2000boat.com
www.qmsf.org