2005 UIM CLASS 1 WORLD POWER BOAT CHAMPIONSHIP
HONDA BRITISH GRAND PRIX, JULY 17th, 2005 – round 1 of 7
For immediate release
Sunday, July 17th, 2005
QATAR TEAM TAKES SECOND AND FIFTH
PLACES IN HONDA BRITISH GRAND PRIX
Outright victory for Spirit of Norway in Class One season opener;
Qatar 96 takes second place in Pole Position Championship race
PLYMOUTH (England): His Excellency Sheikh Hassan Bin Jabor Al-Thani and Qatar team mate Matteo Nicolini followed up their second position in Saturday’s Pole Position Championship qualifier by finishing runners-up in a thrilling Honda British Grand Prix, today (Sunday).
The race was won by Norwegian Class One debutant Bard Eker and the multiple World Champion Steve Curtis. They led from Pole Position in last year’s championship-winning boat Spirit of Norway, despite an early spin and trailing the Qatar 96 team until a decisive long lap strategy eventually worked in the Anglo-Norwegian crew’s favour.
Al-Thani’s Qatar team mates Abdullah Al-Sulaiti and Lino de Biase began the 18-lap, 97.75 Nm race in an excellent fifth position on the grid in their Qatar 95 hull and went on to take a similar finishing position in the Grand Prix, held behind and in front of the breakwater in the English Channel waters off the coast of Plymouth Hoe.
~This was a great start to the season for both our teams,~ said a delighted Sheikh Hassan. ~Last year we had a disappointing beginning to the racing year, but second place here in England gets Matteo and myself off to a flying start in 2005. Spirit made a rare mistake early on and we were ahead until the 11th lap, but they made a good calculation when to take the compulsory long lap and moved into the lead. We were on their pace all the way through the race and that is very encouraging.
~We can build upon this result over the next two races in Norway in August,~ added Hassan. ~I am also delighted for Abdullah and Lino to take such a good result on their racing debut in Class One. They knew to race their own race. We can do some more work on the Qatar 95 boat, because I feel there are still improvements to be made. But it was a solid start for them.~
Dubai-based Victory 77 team mates Mohammed Al-Marri and French throttleman Jean-Marc Sanchez finished third overall to complete the podium places, while Britain’s Chris Parsonage and American veteran Randy Scism were fourth in the Negotiator boat run by Chris Parsonage Racing.
In Saturday’s Pole Position competition Sheikh Hassan Bin Jabor Al-Thani benefitted from running third on the water to take the provisional fastest pole time in his twin-Lamborghini-engined Qatar 96 hull. But Spirit of Norway rivals Eker and Curtis set a faster time in the closing stages to take Pole Position into today’s race with a flying time of 2m 58.93s.
Qatar 96’s time of 3m 05.06s was sufficient to maintain second place, while Qatar 95 team mates Al-Sulaiti and Biase were fifth on their Class One Pole Position debut, behind Victory 77 team mates Al-Marri and Sanchez and the fourth-placed Negotiator boat.
?The set-up we chose was good for Pole qualifying, because we matched the time we posted in the morning practice when the conditions were calmer,~ said Sheikh Hassan, who is also the President of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF). ~On our qualifying runs there was a bit of wind creating a swell, but we could still do the same time and we planned to use the same set-up for the race today.
?I was pleased with our performance and also for Abdullah and Lino on their Class One debut. We needed a bit of rough water as we have only tested in calm weather. We were very pleased that the boat handled well and we could maintain full speed throughout the course.?
The Honda British Grand Prix consisted of a start lap of 5.33 Nm, 16, 5.25 Nm laps and one long lap of 8.42 Nm. Round two of the 2005 UIM Class One World Power Boat Championship will now take place in Norway on Sunday, August 7th.
Ends
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