UIM FORMULA 2000 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Round 7 – Boat GP of Qatar, December 4th
For immediate release
Saturday, December 4th, 2004
QATAR’S PRICE WINS SPEED RECORD TITLE
AND TAKES RUNNERS-UP SPOT IN MATCH RACE
Italy’s Brigada takes provisional F2000 world crown in Qatar; UAE’s
Al-Qamzy in second place today;
Final Boat GP delayed by bad weather; Speed Record and Match Race events
cancelled
DOHA (Qatar): The final round of the UIM F2000 World Championship was held in Doha on Saturday and witnessed Italy’s Ivan Brigada crowned as the 2004 World Champion, although Sweden’s Jonas Andersson was threatening to protest the decision as we closed for press.
The Qatar Team’s Jay Price finished eighth in today’s Boat GP of Qatar to confirm third place in the overall Boat GP championship, but he had the consolation of taking first place in the Speed Record competition and the runner-up spot in the Match Race.
Italy’s Ivan Brigada clinched victory on the revised course today, with the UAE’s Thani Al-Qamzy from the Emirates Team in an excellent second position and Britain’s Owen Jelf taking third position from Jonas Andersson. Brigada duly did enough to clinch the world title, with Andersson provisionally in second position and Britain’s Owen Jelf finishing third.
Price’s Qatar team mate Mohamed Al-Ali was 13th today, but Abdullah
Al-Sulaiti struggled with problems in 15th position. ~It has been a good
season for the Qatar Team,~ enthused Jay Price. ~It was a pity we could not finish the year off with a better showing today on our home event, but we have finished fourth in the championship and have taken a first and second in two of the other disciplines, which is a great result for the whole team.~
Adverse weather conditions on Friday meant that the course for Saturday’s Boat GP of Qatar was moved on safety grounds from in front of the Sheikh’s Marina in Doha to an alternative sheltered venue at Palm Tree Island Jetty, close to the Sheraton Hotel, in Doha Bay.
The host Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) had entered a trio of
2.0-litre DACs in the event for New Orleans-based Jay Price, Mohamed Al-Ali and Abdullah Al-Sulaiti. Price was chasing outright victory in both the Speed Record and Boat GP disciplines, although he faced competition for the Speed award from the Italian Ivan Brigada.
Unfortunately, the organisers took the inevitable decision to cancel both the Match Race and Speed Record competitions because of the delayed start and Saturday’s action centred around time speed trials and the main Boat GP for the international 27-boat entry, which included championship front-runners, such as Italy’s Ivan Brigada, England’s Owen and Colin Jelf, Sweden’s Jonas Andersson and Frenchman Bruno Corsin.
~Strong winds and the direction of the gusts meant that we were forced to postpone Friday’s racing schedule,~ admitted Qatar Team Manager Mohammed Al-Jaidah. ~UIM officials met and decided that sea conditions had made the course unsafe to carry out timed speed trials and both the Speed Record and Match Race competitions.~
UIM officials deemed the revised course and the improved weather conditions suitable for racing on Saturday and the QMMF worked around the clock to amend the shortened one-day time schedule. All three Qatar boats performed well in the timed speed trials, with Price qualifying 14th and both Al-Ali and Al-Sulaiti enjoying useful runs in their timed heats to determine the final six qualifiers for the main race.
After one of the busiest months in its history – where it organised two
rounds of the UIM Class One World Power Boat Championship in the space of three days in late November and today’s Boat GP of Qatar – the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) will now prepare for several Middle East races in early 2005.
Ends
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