ABU DHABI – Friday, November 23, 2012 – Four-time World Champion and Hall-of-Fame member Scott Gillman is returning to the cockpit as the UIM F1 H2O World Championship for power boating heads for his home race course in Abu Dhabi next weekend at the 21st Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
The Los Angeles, California driver will put his Team Manager hat aside and jump in the cockpit of a third Team Abu Dhabi boat. Despite the fact that the UIM rules state that only two of the three boats can technically score points, Scott looks at this opportunity as a good way to help inspire his duo of young drivers and his organization to win back the prestigious Team Points Championship that the club lost a year ago to the neighboring Qatar Team.
The team from Doha is led by current World Champion Alex Carella as the Italian leads the drivers table with 59 points, nine ahead of Team Abu Dhabi’s Ahmed Al Hameli who is sidelined for the remainder of the season fighting a tumor that was found late in the summer necessitating him to fly to the United States to get treated.
With Ahmed out of the line-up, teammate and veteran driver Thani Al Qamzi who sits fifth in the championship with 25 points, is searching for his first victory of the season. New teammate Majed Al Mansoori, who comes over from the Class-1 Offshore Series, will be racing in his second event of the season after finishing sixth for his first race in F1 in five years last month at the Grand Prix of China in Liuzhou.
For the veteran Gillman, the numbers don’t lie. He is the second winningest driver in UIM F1 H2O history with 23 victories in just 90 starts. He holds the all-time record of reaching the podium in 91% of the time in the races he has finished going 55 of 60 to the box.
The three-time North American champion won his first UIM F1 title his rookie season back in 1997 driving a three year old wooden Seebold built boat. He went on to win titles in 2000, 2002 and 2006 as well. He was leading the 2007 World Championship when he fell ill in Xian, China and dropped out of the tour for the remainder of the season.
Scott’s only appearance since Xian was last season when he replaced Al Hameli who was suspended by the UIM for a race, giving Gillman a chance to get his feet wet in the sport once again. He qualified eighth and went on to finish a fine fourth in Kazan, Russia with his first appearance in an F1 boat in four years time.
It will interesting how his race set-up will be and how he takes advantage of another opportunity in the sport that he seems he can’t get enough of.
You can follow Scott and the remaining members of the UIM F1 H2O World Championship tour by watching live from the series official website at www.f1h2o.com on both Thursday the 29th for qualifying at 11:00 GMT and the Grand Prix on Friday the 30th at 11:30 GMT from the official World Television feed at the fifth round of the championship at the 21st Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi.
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ABU DHABI – Thursday, November 22, 2012 – The Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) and it’s Team Manager Khalid Al Kuwari have announced that it has signed six-time North American F1 Series Champion Terry Rinker to drive for the team for the upcoming Grand Prix’s in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah the final two events of the 2012 UIM F1 H2O World Championship series for power boating.
The defending Team Champions from 2011 are awaiting a UIM decision from the protest filed by the club immediately following the verdict that the UIM race committee made at the last Grand Prix in Liuzhou, China deeming that their second driver, Shaun Torrente, was guilty of dangerous driving in his accident with two-time World Champion Sami Selio of Finland on a race re-start early in the event. The ruling would force Torrente to miss the final two races of the campaign and withdraw his provisional super license.
With the final decision on the protest expected to be handed down sometime next week the Qatar Team elected on bringing in the American veteran from Florida who has loads of talent and a great racing history.
“I’m really over joyed about getting a chance to drive with such a world known team as this one from Doha,” said the driver from Florida. “Working again with Brendan Power is like old home week, since he and I were together for most of my North American Championships. This is my first time racing on the world circuit I am looking forward to meeting new people and enjoying the competition as well. Let’s get it on!”
Terry holds the world record for consecutive F1 victories set back in 2006 on the North American Champboat Tour with seven straight wins. His continuous victory total surpassed 10-time World Champion Guido Cappellini who earned six straight back on the UIM F1 tour in 1996.
Over his career in F1 that dates back to the mid-1990’s, Terry has totaled 18 victories racing in Canada and the United States while with his Blackhawk/Rinker Racing Amsoil sponsored Team.
Terry, who began racing for the first time 30 years ago in 1972 in the small J-Stock Hydro class, learned from his father Jan and now has his son Rob racing as well. He is the Owner/President of Rinker Machinery Inc in the Tampa, Florida area.
This year Terry broke five different speed records in the American Powerboat Association (APBA) setting a mark of 126.084 MPH (202.912 KPH) in a ¼ mile straightaway run in the F1 Class.
The Indiana native went even faster in the higher horse powered MOD U class with a 144.346 MPH mark and (232.302 KPH). He also set all-time speed records in the Formula 150, SST-200 and SST-120 classes earning him his fourth APBA Hall-of-Champions induction.
Terry, the Qatar Team and drivers from over 14 different nations, will be on hand for the start of free practice on the 28th of November. Official Qualifying and the battle for pole position is set for 15:00 local time on the 29th. The 21st Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi will take place at 15:30 local, 11:30 (GMT) and 06:30 EST on the East Coast of North America.
All the live action of Qualifying and the Grand Prix can be followed live via the Worldwide Television feed on the tours official website at www.f1h2o.com.
ABU DHABI – Thursday, November 22, 2012 – The Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) and it’s Team Manager Khalid Al Kuwari have announced that it has signed six-time North American F1 Series Champion Terry Rinker to drive for the team for the upcoming Grand Prix’s in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah the final two events of the 2012 UIM F1 H2O World Championship series for power boating.
The defending Team Champions from 2011 are awaiting a UIM decision from the protest filed by the club immediately following the verdict that the UIM race committee made at the last Grand Prix in Liuzhou, China deeming that their second driver, Shaun Torrente, was guilty of dangerous driving in his accident with two-time World Champion Sami Selio of Finland on a race re-start early in the event. The ruling would force Torrente to miss the final two races of the campaign and withdraw his provisional super license.
With the final decision on the protest expected to be handed down sometime next week the Qatar Team elected on bringing in the American veteran from Florida who has loads of talent and a great racing history.
“I’m really over joyed about getting a chance to drive with such a world known team as this one from Doha,” said the driver from Florida. “Working again with Brendan Power is like old home week, since he and I were together for most of my North American Championships. This is my first time racing on the world circuit I am looking forward to meeting new people and enjoying the competition as well. Let’s get it on!”
Terry holds the world record for consecutive F1 victories set back in 2006 on the North American Champboat Tour with seven straight wins. His continuous victory total surpassed 10-time World Champion Guido Cappellini who earned six straight back on the UIM F1 tour in 1996.
Over his career in F1 that dates back to the mid-1990’s, Terry has totaled 18 victories racing in Canada and the United States while with his Blackhawk/Rinker Racing Amsoil sponsored Team.
Terry, who began racing for the first time 30 years ago in 1972 in the small J-Stock Hydro class, learned from his father Jan and now has his son Rob racing as well. He is the Owner/President of Rinker Machinery Inc in the Tampa, Florida area.
This year Terry broke five different speed records in the American Powerboat Association (APBA) setting a mark of 126.084 MPH (202.912 KPH) in a ¼ mile straightaway run in the F1 Class.
The Indiana native went even faster in the higher horse powered MOD U class with a 144.346 MPH mark and (232.302 KPH). He also set all-time speed records in the Formula 150, SST-200 and SST-120 classes earning him his fourth APBA Hall-of-Champions induction.
Terry, the Qatar Team and drivers from over 14 different nations, will be on hand for the start of free practice on the 28th of November. Official Qualifying and the battle for pole position is set for 15:00 local time on the 29th. The 21st Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi will take place at 15:30 local, 11:30 (GMT) and 06:30 EST on the East Coast of North America.
All the live action of Qualifying and the Grand Prix can be followed live via the Worldwide Television feed on the tours official website at www.f1h2o.com.
