Dubai: Emirates Team driver Ahmad Al Hameli threw down the gauntlet before two-time defending world champion Philippe Chiappe by snatching Pole Position at the Liuzhou Grand Prix, the fifth round of the 2016 UIM F1 H2O Championships, on Sunday.
Run on the calm waters of the Liu River, both Al Hameli and Chiappe were timed at an identical 46.05 seconds in the third and final shoot-out qualifying session involving the top six drivers. But Al Hameli’s time was trimmed down to 46.04 seconds by the race jury as he had a better second lap compared to the CTIC Shenzhen China Team driver from France.
Team Abu Dhabi driver Alex Carella, also a two-time world champion, who has enjoyed the best success of four wins in ten starts in China so far, took third position with a time of 46.06 seconds, while another two-time world champion Sami Selio of the Mad Croc Baba Racing Team will start in fourth following a time of 46.17 seconds.
The third row of the starting line for Monday’s Liuzhou Grand Prix will be occupied by former world champion Scott Gillman’s Emirates Team member Erik Stark after the 28-year-old from Stockholm had a best lap of 46.34 seconds, while Victory Team’s American driver Shaun Torrente, who is one of four breathing down Chiappe for the overall honours, finished in sixth with 46.81 seconds.
“For me this is a home race and the pressure was to finish in the top grid and make our fans happy,” Chiappe said after the three-stage Pole Position run.
“The conditions are superb and I am enjoying racing against such a tough field of drivers. The focus is to stick to the set-up for tomorrow’s race so that people can really enjoy a great spectacle,” the French driver added.
Selio, who is also in the fray for a third world title, was pleased his run had put him in the mix for a crack at an outright win at the Liuzhou Grand Prix — the same venue where he suffered a horrific crash two seasons back. “There have been ups and downs, but one shouldn’t be paying too much attention to these. I never think of what has happened in the past. For me, the present is more important so that people can come out and enjoy a good, safe race that will decide who among us is the fastest,” the driver from Helsinki said.
Going into the fifth round, Chiappe is at the top with 52 points followed by Torrente (45 points), Alex Carella (42), Selio (35) and Jonas Andersson (33). As many as 18 drivers from eleven nations will line up for the Liuzhou Grand Prix from 3pm (11am UAE) on Monday. The final two rounds of the UIM F1H2O Championships will be held in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in December.
Pole Positions for the Liuzhou Grand Prix — Round 5 of the 2016 UIM F1H2O Championships held on the Liu River on Sunday: 1. Ahmad Al Hameli (Emirates Racing Team — 46.05); 2. Philippe Chiappe (CTIC Shenzen China Team — 46.05 seconds); 3. Alex Carella (Team Abu Dhabi — 46.06); 4. Sami Selio (Mad Croc Baba Racing Team — 46.17); 5. Erik Stark (Emirates Racing Team — 46.34); 6. Shaun Torrente (Victory Team — 46.81).
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