Thani chases world title dreams as stage set for thrilling clash at Khalid Lagoon
- 14 Dec 2022
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
The season-ending UIM F1H2O World Championship will kick off at Khalid Lagoon in Sharjah on Thursday. The Sharjah World Championship Week, comprising a double header, will also bring the season to a close and determine the Drivers’ Championship title.
This season finale, organised by Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), takes place under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and Chairman of the Sharjah Executive Council.
Registration and technical scrutineering took place on Wednesday in preparation for a busy day on the water on Thursday.
The timetable gets underway with two hours of extra free practice beginning at 9am (UAE time) and a further hour of official practice beginning at 1pm.
The all-important qualifying sessions then take centre stage on Khalid Lagoon from 4pm.
During the qualifications, racers will also be gunning to break the Kilo World Record, which measures the fastest times over one kilometer, making the pre-race event even more exciting for entrants and visitors alike.
Gaining pole position gives a significant advantage to the successful driver, with Team Abu Dhabi’s Shaun Torrente hoping to fend off a title challenge from team-mate Thani Al Qemzi, defending champion Jonas Andersson, and the fourth and fifth-placed Ferdinand Zandbergen and Alec Weckstrom over the course of the last two races of the season to be held over the coming days.
Team Abu Dhabi is currently leading the UIM F1H2O standings, with Torrente (Boat 6) topping the charts with 64 points, followed by Qemzi (Boat 5), who has 55 points, which gives the team a great advantage to clinch the title.
Chasing a maiden F1H2O drivers’ crown, the Emirati heads into the Grand Prix of Sharjah double header needing to wipe out a nine-point lead held by team-mate Torrente and hold off a big challenge from Sweden’s reigning champion, Andersson, another nine points away in third.
Qemzi, a three-time winner on Khalid Lagoon, is relishing the opportunity to end his 20-year wait to be crowned world champion on home waters in the UAE, and to give Team Abu Dhabi a fifth consecutive team title.
"I hope this is the season where I achieve my goal of becoming a world champion," said the veteran driver. "It will be difficult, but I’ll give everything I've got to achieve the dream.
"Khalid Lagoon is one of the most beautiful places where we race and one of the best circuits for me. It gives you options, and racing is always very fast. Of course, I want to win for myself, but I also want to work with Shaun to secure the team title again."
Qemzi gave himself a fighting chance with a superb victory in the penultimate round of the championship in Italy in October.
His first target is to clinch a record-breaking fourth Grand Prix victory in Sharjah on Friday to set up a dramatic climax in Sunday’s final race of the season.
Torrente, who claimed his 2018 and 2019 world titles in dramatic style in Sharjah without winning the final Grand Prix, followed up victories in France and Italy with two more podiums to top this season’s standings.
"I’ve had a really amazing season," said the 2016 winner in Sharjah. "I’ve been on the podium in every race, and if I continue like that, I have an excellent chance of a third world championship.
"I love racing in Sharjah. But at the same time, Thani and Jonas have both had success there.
We’ve all won races there, so it’s very interesting. Obviously, I would like to win the first race and really lock it down, and maybe even clinch the championship, but we’ll just see how it goes.
In the build-up to Sharjah, Torrente and Al Qemzi have undergone intensive training together in Abu Dhabi under the guidance of team manager Guido Cappellini.
"Thani is my closest rival, but we’re going to maintain our friendship and rivalry within the team and push each other," said Torrente.
"If anybody else is going to win the title, I want it to be Thani. But I want my third title really badly, and I’ll push hard to get it.
"Jonas will always be a threat until he is mathematically eliminated. We’ll just take it one race at a time and hopefully come out on top and win the championship."
Aside from the championship, the competitors will compete for the F1H2O Pole Position Trophy, which Qemzi currently leads with 54 points, followed by Torrente with 47 points, and Sami Selio in third place with 47 points.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President of the Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club, checked up on preparations and the readiness of the Abu Dhabi team prior to the race.
