Emirati takes second place despite crash in qualification

Team Abu Dhabi’s Ahmed Al Hameli extended his lead in the 2012 UIM F1 H2O World Powerboat Championship to nine points after snatching second place in the delayed Grand Prix of Ukraine, stretching his uninterrupted sequence of podium finishes to seven in the process.

Al Hameli’s performance was even more impressive following a potentially disastrous crash in qualifying. The Emirati was running for pole when he flipped spectacularly in the final turn of the course thanks to strong northerly winds. Going into the corner the boat launched out of the water at over 160kmh and barrel-rolled to a stop ending his hopes of a second pole for the year and forcing him to start from tenth place in the grid.

“It was never going to be easy starting from lower down the field after the crash,” said Al Hameli. “I really earned this position because I had to fight and scratch my way up the ladder all 37 laps today. It is still too early to start thinking about the title, however, I just want to keep my podium streak alive. Then we’ll see.”

Team Abu Dhabi’s second driver Thani Al Qamzi started in seventh after qualifying and battled fiercely to finish in sixth place.

The weekend’s results mean that Team Abu Dhabi has cemented their prime position at the top of the Team Table. They have 60 points, 11 ahead of Team Qatar in second place.

The UIM F1 H2O World Championship now takes a well-deserved break before heading to China on 1st October where the series returns to Liuzhou for the fourth round of the 2012 campaign.

For more information, visit www.f1h2o.com