Saturday 17 December 2022 – 5.36pm
SHARJAH, December 17 / WAM / Tomorrow at Lake Khalid in the Emirate of Sharjah the curtain will fall on the “Formula 1” Powerboat World Championship, in the second round hosted by the smiling emirate (The Road to Sharjah – Middle East Prize for Powerboats “Formula 1 “) held under the auspices of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Executive Council. It has been organized by the Sharjah Trade and Tourism Development Authority since last Tuesday, with the participation of the best pilots in the world.
The closing day of the championship starts at 8:30 in the morning with free practice, followed by the second free practice at 9:45, then the fastest time race (breaking the kilometre) at 12, and the order of the is determined the starting grid for the main and final race (the road to Sharjah – the Middle East Grand Prix for F1 boats), which starts at 15:00 in the afternoon, and through which the identity of the champion of the world for 2022 The season is determined by a three-way fight to decide the title of champion of the year, which brings together the pilots of the American team Abu Dhabi, Sean Torrente, captain of boat no. 1 in Abu Dhabi.
World champion Anderson set the competition ablaze at the end of the season after the Swedish rider managed to snatch his first win of the year yesterday by winning the first two rounds of Sharjah (Sharjah Grand Prix) and rekindling his hopes of preserving the his world title after scoring 20 precious points which allowed him to reduce the gap to the current championship leader to three points, the American Sean Torrente, captain of the boat Abu Dhabi 6, who paid dearly in the first Sharjah regatta due to electrical faults and poor engine performance which pushed him in the last lap of the race, to drop from second position and finish the race in sixth place.
The outcome of Friday’s racing in the first two rounds in Sharjah was also tough for the Abu Dhabi team, especially with their driver, Thani Al Qamzi, captaining boat no. from ninth place to finish the race in seventh place, which moved him to third place with 59 points in the overall standings, leaving second place to the Swede Anderson, who scored 66 points, so that Al-Qamzi 10 points behind his fellow and American league leader, Torrenty, who scored 69 points.
The three poles vying for the world title on the closing day are eager to get the best time (exceeding the kilometre) and to conquer advanced positions at the start of the main race for the end-of-season Mesk Prize (the way to Sharjah – the Middle East Grand Prix for F1 boats), with 20 points available for the winner of his title, allows you to change the general map of the standings and decide the title of world champion for the 2022 season.
Swede Anderson, who rode the 100th race of his career last Friday, is armed with his experiences racing on Lake Khalid, especially as his victory yesterday was his first in championship racing since his victory in Sharjah in 2019.
American Sean Torrente, on the other hand, is looking forward to winning the championship title for the third time in his career from Misk’s Khalid Lake gate at the end of the 2022 season after winning the title in 2018 and 2019, while his colleague Thani Al Qamzi is armed with determination to fulfill his long-awaited dream of snatching the title of World Champion for the first time in his career. Since his first participation in 2002, Khaled Lake had already smiled at Al Qamzi when he was crowned in his race in 2006, 2008 and 2012.
Today, the International Federation announced that the Abu Dhabi Powerboat Team has won the Constructors’ World Championship title for the seventh time in its history, after the team’s drivers, Sean Torrente and Thani Al Qamzi, finished sixth and seventh place in Friday’s race (the first two rounds held the conclusion of the championship) in Sharjah.
The ‘Abu Dhabi’ powerboat team added the constructors’ title to their coffers after winning the title in 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Guido Capelli, Abu Dhabi Powerboat Team Director, said: We reaffirmed the ability to win the Constructors’ World Championship title in an important event for all team members.
The seventh title of the “Abu Dhabi” powerboat team came after the success of the team’s drivers in the 2022 season, the Americans John Torrente and Thani Al Qamzi, in collecting precious points, totaling 128 points, enough for the team to win the constructors’ title , regardless of the outcome of the final competition for the prize (Road to Sharjah – East Prize). Great Middle).
Mustafa Badr Al-Din / Batoul Kashwani
