Team United Arab Emirates (UAE) proved to be the strongest contending in the F1H20 Nations Cup 2011 winning both the Match race on Saturday as well as the Grand Prix on Sunday, 19 November 2011.
UAE pilot Ahmed Al Hameli, who was the fastest qualifier as well as the winner of the Match Race yesterday, claimed the championship’s title in the F1H2O Nations Cup Grand Prix held this afternoon in Marina Bay.
About his stellar performance, Al Hameli (UAE) who has been racing F1 powerboats for five years said, “I won both the title and the world championship so I am very happy. The rain was not much of a problem, although, the course was small with only 20 boats in the water and the water was rather rough. I was lucky to finish in first position.”
The spectacular performance by Team UAE earned them first place in the overall standings with 68 points, followed by the Qatar Team as second overall with 64 points, and the South African team claimed third place with 46 points making it an all Middle East podium finish.
Singapore team finished in sixth overall
The Singapore team, who raced their first ever international powerboat race, held their grounds against the strong competition from middle-eastern powerhouses.
About the team’s overall performance, team manager of the Singapore Team, Bernard Koh said, “The Singapore drivers performed well in the match race yesterday putting the nation in fourth position. Today, the drivers had to deal with the rain and choppy elements, which made racing very testing and challenging. On an overall note, the team put in a great performance finishing overall 6th with veteran powerboat pilot, Laurence Wong coming in 11th followed by team mate Larry Chua, finishing 12th in the F1H2O Nations Cup. We hope younger drivers can gain from their experience and their participation can encourage Singaporeans to pick up the sport.”
Singapore as venue for future powerboat racing
This is the first time that F1H20 Nations Cup is staged in Singapore’s waters. About Singapore as a possible future powerboat racing venue, Nicolò di San Germano, World Promoter of the F1H2O Nations Cup said, “Singapore has its roots in the waters. This is an ideal location and we look forward to hosting more events here. The event this weekend was a great success and everything was well-organised. Singapore is an efficient and organised country and I think that this system is perfect for hosting major international events. You have the perfect stage here to set up any type of water sport. You have another perfect setting over the other side of the bridge in the open waters for F1 powerboat racing.”
Overall results of F1H2O Nations Cup
1. United Arab Emirates
2. Qatar
3. South Africa
4. Malaysia
5. Finland
6. Singapore
6. Hungary
8. Brunei
9. Brazil
10. Saudi Arabia