Dubai: Victory Team’s Shaun Torrente is among some of the drivers in with a realistic chance of winning the UIM F1H2O World Championship as it heads into the final three rounds in Liuzhou, China this weekend.
Even though defending world champion Philippe Chiappe, of the CTIC China Team, is back at the top of the standings with 52 points after four races, the French driver is liked to face a big test from Torrente as the season builds to a close.
Chiappe put behind a dismal start to the season by earning 32 points in the last two races, including a win in Portimao and a third place in Harbin, China where he started at 15th place but secured a second podium of the season by finishing third.
The effort catapulted him into the fifth round of the championship giving him a seven-point cushion over second-placed Torrente.
Like Chiappe, Torrente had his problems in the last race in Harbin where he had to ultimately change his malfunctioning engine after starting in 16th place. That ploy worked as the American eventually finished in fourth behind Chiappe while missing out on a podium for the first time in five races.
The good news for the Victory Team driver is that he has been steady in the last two races while earning 21 points and jumping one spot in the overall standings. The Florida driver now wants to mount a serious challenge in the last three races.
“All of us are aware of the significance of the final three races. There is no secret here as all of us will be going all out for wins,” Torrente said.
“Our confidence is high due to the solid support that we get from the Victory Team outfit. I think we are in the best position to go for the world title,” he added.
Breathing down their necks is former three-time world champion Alex Carella who also ran into hard times following a crash with young Finnish driver Filip Roms in Harbin. In the last two races, the Italian driver has earned only seven points surrendering his top position and staying ten points behind Chiappe.
Also in the fray is former two-time world champion Sami Selio after earning two straight pole positions so far. Selio finished second in Portimao and followed this up with an outright win in Harbin to sit in fourth overall with 35 points.
Sweden’s Jonas Andersson is a 48-race veteran, but he is yet to win a race. But he has been showing huge promise this season after fourth and second place finishes in his last two events to remain 19 points away from current leader Chiappe.
After the fifth round in Liuzhou from October 1 to 3, the drivers will take a two-month break before the UAE swing of the world championships in Abu Dhabi (December 7-9) and the season finale in Sharjah (December 14-16).
