2007 UIM F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, round 2
Grand Prix of France, Charente-Maritime/La Rochelle, May 19th/20th, 2007
For immediate release
Tuesday, May 15th, 2007
QATAR F1 TEAM HEADS TO LA ROCHELLE IN FRANCE
FOR ROUND TWO OF UIM F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Qatar F1 team hopes to have new race engines for Portugal;
Qatar Team set to start French race with boats for Price and Bonelli
LA ROCHELLE (France): The Qatar F1 Team resumes its bid for UIM F1 World Championship supremacy at the stunning location of La Rochelle in western France this weekend with the second race meeting in the nine-round Formula One series – the Grand Prix of France Charente-Maritime/La Rochelle. The race takes place on Sunday, May 20th.
The Qatar F1 Team travelled directly from Portimao in Portugal to La Rochelle today (Tuesday) to begin preparations for what promises to be another thrilling weekend’s F1 racing. American Jay Price leads the Qatar Team challenge in his Mercury-engined BaBa hull, fresh from taking third place in Portugal and a similar position in the overall championship standings.
Young team mate Leo Bonelli had originally been awarded eighth position on his debut with the Qatar Team, but the Italian was docked two laps for destroying a pair of course buoys and slipped to 10th overall in Portugal. He had the consolation of earning a single championship point. Italian Massimo Roggiero was forced to miss the race after damaging his BaBa testing in Italy recently and will not take part in France either.
The Qatar team runs from the auspices of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) and the presidency of His Excellency Sheikh Hassan Bin Jabor Al-Thani.
La Rochelle is a picturesque coastal city and commune and a seaport on the Atlantic Ocean and is the capital of the Charente-Maritime region. The city is connected to the ?le de R? island by a bridge and the harbour opens into a protected strait called the Pertuis d’Anticoche. This weekend’s race will take place on a course at the Port Autonome de La Rochelle. It will mark the first time a race has been staged in France since 2000. French F1 racer Philippe Dessertenne resides in La Rochelle and was fifth overall last weekend in Portugal.
~We will again enter two boats in La Rochelle, but we may have more power for this race,~ said Sweden’s Pelle Larsson, F1 Team Manager at the Qatar Marine Sports Federation. ~We had some customs delays trying to get two new engines into Portugal for the first race, but these engines should be available for France at the weekend and this should give us a better chance.
~I understand that the course in France will be similar to Portugal, but it may be on more open water and that may mean we have some waves to contend with. I hope it is just small waves and not rollers, because the boats are heavy at the front this year with the new crash boxes. We had a good set-up for Jay and Leo in Portugal. I hope we can have the same again at the weekend.~
UIM F1 World Championship – positions after round 1 of 9
1. Scott Gillman (USA) Emirates F1 Team 20 pts
2. Guido Cappellini (I) Tamoil F1 15 pts
3. Jay Price (USA) Qatar Team 12 pts
4. Sami Selio (FIN) F1 Team Energy 9 pts
5. Philippe Dessertenne (F) CTIC China Charente 7 pts
6. Pierre Lundin (S) Comparato Racing 5 pts
7. David Trask (AUS) XPV Racing 4 pts
8. Philippe Chiappe (F) Atlantic Team 3 pts
9. Fabrizio Bocca (i) Rainbow Team 2 pts
10. Leo Bonelli (I) Qatar Team 1 pt
UIM F1 World Championship Pole Position – points after round 1 of 9
1. Scott Gillman (USA) 20 pts
2. Thani Al-Qamzi (UAE) 15 pts
3. Sami Selio (FIN) 12 pts
4. Jonas Andersson (S) 9 pts
Ends
For further information:
Neil Perkins, NDP Publicity Services, Mobile: + 44 7831 123153, E-mail: ndppublicity@compuserve.com. www.ndp-publicity.com (press releases).
www.f1boat.com
www.qmsf.org