Team Abu Dhabi look to end season on high note

Team Abu Dhabi will go head-to-head with the Qatar Team to try and win the UIM F1 H20 Teams’ World Championship title in this weekend’s Grand Prix of Sharjah, the final round of the UIM F1 H20 World Championship.
 
After five rounds of the series, Team Abu Dhabi holds a three-point advantage over the defending champions and drivers Thani Al Qamzi and Majed Al Mansoori know that if they beat their Qatar rivals on the Khalid Lagoon course on Friday afternoon, then Team Abu Dhabi will win the Teams’ series.
 
The Qatar Team arrives in Sharjah fresh from winning both the Drivers’ Championship and the Pole Position Championship with driver Alex Carella, but Al Qamzi pushed the Italian to the limit in last weekend’s Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi and could well have snatched outright victory had the race not ended eight laps early under a yellow flag.
 
Both team drivers score points towards the Teams’ Championship and Al Mansoori will need to put last weekend’s disappointing retirement to the back of his mind if he is to score as many points as possible in Sharjah. Team manager Scott Gillman is expected to drive a third Baba boat with the livery of Etihad Airways.
 
While the battle between the Team Abu Dhabi and Qatar drivers takes centre stage, Frenchman Phillipe Chiappe and Finland’s Sami Selio will be trying to confirm the runner-up spot in the Drivers’ Championship. Chiappe holds a four-point cushion over the former World Champion and needs to stay in front of the Team Mad Croc driver to take second position behind Carella.
Victory for Al Qamzi and non-finishes for both Chiappe and Selio could mathematically give Al Qamzi the runner-up spot for Team Abu Dhabi as well.
 
Twenty-three drivers from 15 countries are expected to take the start of the final race of the season, while Rashed Al Qamzi and Mohammed Al Mehairbi are lined up to represent Team Abu Dhabi in the final two UIM F-4S races for the Eurofin Trophy.
 
Both have been gaining experience this season, but the F-4S focus in Sharjah will be on the battle between Sweden’s Jesper Forss and Britain’s Matthew Palfreyman for the championship title. Forss won both of the Abu Dhabi races last weekend and has a 15-point cushion with a potential 40 at stake in Sharjah.
 
Team Abu Dhabi runs under the auspices of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC) with support from the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA).
 
Team registration and scrutineering take place on Wednesday and the first of the F1 practice sessions gets underway on Thursday morning. The F-4S boats take to the water from 10.30 for practice, time trials and the first of their two 20-minute races and F1 qualifying starts at the slightly later time of 15.50.
 
Boats return to the water for the start of practice at 09.15 on Friday morning and the F-4S crews are again centre stage from 10.30. The 2012 Grand Prix of Sharjah starts at 16.00.
 

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