NAMES, FACES AND PLACES LIGHTING UP THE SEASON NEW N 2 JUNE 2015 CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD UP FOR GRABS TITLE RACES TOO CLOSE TO CALL TEAM RUSSIA

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1 N 2 JUNE 2015 NEW NAMES, FACES AND PLACES LIGHTING UP THE SEASON F1H2O CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD UP FOR GRABS AS F1H2O RETURNS TO FRANCE AND PORTUGAL AQUABIKE TITLE RACES TOO CLOSE TO CALL AT SEASON MIDTERM NATIONS CUP TEAM RUSSIA WIN NATIONS CUP t h e o f f i c i a l c h a m p i o n s h i p s m a g a z i n e

2 Follow the powerboating excellence Follow us Class 1 World H2O @F1H2O World -

3 Index 04 News 08 Introduction from 10 Aquabike European 12 F1H2O 22 Aquabike 32 Nations Cup 38 Calendar 39 Standings 02JUNE 2015 Info 2015 H2O RACING All rights reserved Published by H2O RACING H2O RACING Headquarters llioupoleos 7 Agios Andreas, 1101 Nìcosìa, Cyprus Organisations Produced by H2O RACING Editor: Nigel Quilter Art director: Alessandra Balzan@ Comcentrica Photographers: Raffaello Bastiani, Simon Palfrader, Vittorio Ubertone, Arek Rejs, Marzia Benincasa Editorial: Stephen J Michael, Q H2O Racing is a sport s marketing company set up by Nicolò di San Germano to promote World Championship events in powerboating. The company was launched in January 2011 and brings together a group of professionals with over 30 years of experience in sport s and event management to collectively manage all commercial and marketing activities across four Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) sanctioned properties; the F1H2O and Class 1 World Powerboat Championships, the Aquabike World Championships and Nations Cup. President: Nicolò di San Germano Commercial partners h2oracing.net UNION INTERNATIONALE MOTONAUTIQUE - UIM Contact For information, contact: Marco Sala tel: mob: marco@h2oracing.net info@h2oracing.net For marketing information, contact marketing@h2oracing.net For media information, contact: Nigel Quilter tel: mob: media@h2oracing.net The Union Internationale Motonautique (U.I.M.) was formed in 1922, and is the world governing body for powerboating. It is fully recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and is also a member of the Sportaccord, the former General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and of ARISF, the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations. President: Raffaele Chiulli uimpowerboating.com Web F1H2O f1h2o.com NC cuph2o.com AQUABIKE aquabike.net CLASS 1 class-1.com 3

4 n 2 June 2015 RELAUNCH OF EUROPEAN CONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIPS H2O Racing and Aquabike Promotion in cooperation with the UIM National Authorities of Croatia, Spain, Portugal and France have confirmed a strong calendar for the re-launch of the UIM- ABP Aquabike European Continental Championship. The multi-category Championship will include Runabout, Ski and Freestyle with the first of four Grand Prix taking place in Porec, Croatia on May. We have been working closely with the National Authorities as part of our on-going strategy to develop the European Continental Championship from one event to a multievent series and will be looking to mirror the growth in interest and participation that we have seen with the World Championship over recent years, said Aquabike Promotion Director, Raimondo di San Germano. CHIAPPE WINS AGAIN IN ROUEN 24HR F1H2O World Champion Philippe Chiappe added yet another Rouen 24hr win to his glittering CV, leading Team Nollet to victory earlier this month. Chiappe and his team narrowly grabbed the honours completing a total of 784 laps, with F1H2O rival Alex Carella and Russian outfit New Star 1 a lap down, taking the runners-up slot and Class 2 win. Chiappe and Carella next go head-to-head in round 2 of the F1H2O World Championship in Evian, France on June. CLASSONE CHAMPIONSHIP CONFIRMED A mix of classic Offshore Racing and conventional Grand Prix circuits will combine to make up the 2015 UIM ClassOne World Powerboat Championship, the format agreed between representatives of the U.I.M., teams, drivers and promoter H2O Racing. In a revision to the format of 2014 with catamarans and monohulls racing in tandem, the first two events will integrate with the Venezia-Monte Carlo; Leg 1, 85NM, from Venezia to Rimini on 1 July and Leg 7, 81NM, from Salerno to Formia on 9 July will be for V1 only. The first event for C1 will be two closed course races also taking place in Salerno on 8/9 July, with the final three races of the year for both C1/V1 running in tandem taking place in Abu Dhabi and now being held on the 9/13 November. 04

5 CAPPELLINI ADDS RESOURCE TO TEAM ABU DHABI First it was Alex Carella he enticed to head across the Gulf from Qatar to Abu Dhabi, and now in his latest coup team supremo Guido Cappellini has snapped up the brains behind the three-time World Champions success, signing up engine management guru Brendan Power, talented technician Bill Rucker and propeller developer David DeWald. The new look Team Abu Dhabi unit is expected to have new boats ready for the next round at the Grand Prix of France in Evian on June. BOTTI WINS 18TH RUNNING OF THE KARUJET Jean-Baptiste Botti joined an elite list of riders to tame the toughest offshore race in the world after winning the 18th running of the Karujet in Guadeloupe. F1H2O CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER TORRENTE OUT IN THE COLD!! Despite the perfect start to the season, taking the pole and race win at the Qatar Team s home Grand Prix in Doha in March, the recent management restructuring and formation of the Qatar Sailing and Marine Sports Federation whose focus seems to be directed away from powerboat racing appears to have left the early Championship leader Sean Torrente out in the cold and with no F1H2O seat to jump into. Despite his obvious bitter disappointment with the Team s exit and frustration at the turn of events, Torrente tries to remain upbeat indicating there may be light at the end of the tunnel!! The rider from Porto Vecchio took victory on his fifth attempt, winning stage 5 to take the lead and coming home in fourth in the final stage to lift the title. After winning stage 5 and seeing that Alex [Barret] had a problem I just took it easy the whole way. I knew I just needed to finish the final stage with a decent time, so I didn t risk any trouble out there. Happy, very happy. said Botti. 05

6 EVIAN Une belle histoire d eaux, Une histoire de bien être, De rencontres, de découvertes, Entre le lac Léman et les Alpes Evian Tourisme info@evian-tourisme.com

7 ERIK STARK JOINS TEAM EMIRATES The latest driver reshuffle sees young Swede Erik Stark, who started the season with a well-earned third place podium finish, move from Team Nautica who he raced for last year during his rookie season to join the new Emirates outfit to team-up with Ahmed Al Hameli. This swapping of talent gives Scott Gillman a solid driver line-up and makes the Emirates outfit a serious player for team and driver Championship titles in BARTEK BACK WITH MOTORGLASS TEAM The first Polish driver to race on the UIM F1H2O World Championship tour Bartek Marszalek will return to the series in Evian to re-join the Motorglass F1 Team. The 31-year-old competitor from Warsaw will be making his 15th career start as he searches for his first topthree podium teaming-up with veteran Francesco Cantando of Italy and Austrian rookie Bernd Enzenhofer making the Motorglass F1 outfit from Milan, Italy the largest team on the tour with three drivers for the 2015 campaign. EMIC UNVEILS NEW LOOK IN EVIAN There will be a new name and face in the paddock for round 2 of the UIM F1H2O World Championship in Evian, Team Nautica rebranding and introducing a new driver to the series. The new look EMIC Team, will be officially based out of the United Arab Emirates instead of the U.S.A. and will once again be run by Paola Gillman, longtime head of Team Nautica and wife of four-time World Champion Scott Gillman. Joining the race line up, that is headed by veteran campaigner Marit Stromoy of Norway, will be rookie-f1 driver Christophe Larigot of France. 07

8 n 2 June 2015 FROM Dear Friends, 2015 is already proving to be a wonderfully compelling and exciting year of racing for everyone who is fortunate enough to be involved. In March, working in close collaboration with the World s Governing Body the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), H2O Racing embarked on a challenging and arduous schedule of events and activities that will see it organising, managing and promoting upwards of 20 world-class events in some breathtaking cities across three continents in ten months. The season to date has already delivered a mix of everything and we look forward to more; spectacular racing across all the series, incidents and controversy on and off the water, highs and lows, heartache and celebration, and as in past seasons we anticipate that all the Championships will be closely fought over until the final events of the season in December. The geographic reach and profile of ours sports continues to grow as we venture to new venues yearby-year and we are delighted to be returning to racing in Europe. We are fortunate that the commercial value and the international exposure of the events that we manage are recognised and supported by Governments and global companies as well as individuals, and all fundamental to our continued growth. Planning for a racing season is a daunting prospect and one that is very complex to manage. Its overall success relies on a multitude of organisations and literally hundreds of individuals whose support and commitment we depend on. I would like to thank Dr. Raffaele Chiulli and his team at the UIM, its National Authorities, our event organisers and commercial partners, the teams and competitors and my team at H2O Racing for all their efforts this season. I thank everyone for their support and look forward to even greater success for the remainder of 2015 and in the future. Nicolò di San Germano President H2O Racing 08

9 Dear Friends of Powerboating, Thousands of international powerboating events in more than 50 countries have been organized under the authority of the UIM last year. Thanks to the untiring efforts of our Member Federations, local organizers and the powerboating community at large, our Athletes have been able to compete at the highest level and to showcase to a global audience their skills and abilities at the same time as the attractiveness of our sport. My respect and esteem for our Athletes and for their commitment to our sport has no limits. Our Athletes are the most valuable ambassadors for our values and they have all it takes to be role models for the current and for the next generation, both within and beyond the powerboating community. ( Stefano Casiraghi Memorial Trophy ), Ivan Capelli (UIM Safety Award), the Country of Latvia (UIM Environmental Award) as well as Solar One ( Greening the Sport ), to name only few. Our focus is not limited to sporting performance, though, and safety matters, the development of young talent, the sustainability of the Powerboating sport at all levels and environmental-friendly practices are equally important for us. The safety of our athletes remains on the very top of our list of priorities and we will continue with our efforts to make powerboating ever safer. The exchange of knowledge and experiences with other International Sports Federations, in particular with those governing Motor Sports, is instrumental for this purpose and gives all parties significant benefits. The UIM Safety Award allowed our Federation to successfully channel significant efforts towards pioneering initiatives and research. as respect, loyalty, commitment and sportsmanship remain the seal of our sport. These values are guiding us while we are serving our stakeholders and develop our sport and we cherish them as permanent source of inspiration. Through strict adherence to the WADA Anti-doping code and full compliance with all its provisions, in particular the new ones in the 2015 edition, we also reinforce the basis for a clean sport. With all the love and passion we have for our sport, we may not forget that we are part of a wider global sport community, and we can be proud to be a well-respected and much appreciated member of the larger institutional Sport family, through ARISF, SportAccord and the overall Olympic Movement. Keeping this large family united and successful in its endeavours to grow sport in general and all individual sports in particular requires team spirit among sports, among federations, among nations and among our athletes. This brings me back to our most precious stakeholders: The In recognition of the importance we want to give the Athletes in our Organization, UIM has created an Athletes Committee, at the same time as the Equality Committee was introduced, and I am very pleased to see that these two new platforms are offering the possibility to efficiently voice their wishes and concerns at institutional level. We will not spare any efforts to further strengthen and develop our operational structures to allow us to provide to the athletes and also to our members the services of the highest quality they deserve. I will personally dedicate all my passion, commitment and energy to achieve this goal. The 6th UIM Awards Ceremony held earlier this year in Monaco, attended by over 400 guests from all over the world, put a festive end to the past season and my special thanks go to HSH Prince Albert who honoured us also this year with his presence. The 53 UIM World Champions who were personally presented their Trophy at the UIM Gala will keep a very special memory of this sparkling event, and so will the Winners of the prestigious UIM Awards and Special Mentions, Andrés Botero, Colombian Minister of Sport and UIM River Marathon World Champion A similar potential of synergies lies in the cooperation between competitive powerboating and the boatyard industry, in particular when it comes to environmental issues and energy efficiency, and the UIM Environmental Award and Special Mentions represent a significant incentive for this cooperation and reflect the appreciation of the institutional powerboating movement for outstanding achievements. Through the UIM Propstars Programme we have successfully started attracting young talents who get trained and educated together with and by our National Authorities and we are proud to see the increasing interest in many territories in setting up training centres where the new generation of powerboaters are guided by experts on their way from UIM junior classes to the UIM senior classes and learn the secrets of safe, responsible and environmentally friendly racing. All this goes hand in hand with our untiring efforts to ensure that core values such athletes are our ideals because they give life to our values and bring our messages to the people. Sport is a fantastic medium to break barriers and to bring people together, and our athletes make it happen in our sport. To ensure that our Union will continue to grow and develop healthily I need the support from all of you. I believe that together we can build a bright future. Together, we are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions. Together, we will continue our journey forward! Dr. Raffaele Chiulli President Union Internationale Motonautique 09

10 n 2 June 2015 The UIM-ABP European Continental Circuit Championship is a multiple round series that brings together the premiere riders in Runabout and Ski GP1, GP2 and GP3, Freestyle and Runabout and Ski GP1 in Slalom. UIM-ABP AQUABIKE EUROPEAN CONTINENTAL CIRCUIT CHAMPIONSHIP A typical weekend is held over three days; Day 1 one free practice and two official practice sessions Day 2 - official qualifying and heat 1 for all categories, plus Slalom and Freestyle night show Day 3 - heat 2 all categories All points amassed over both heats at each round count towards the final overall Circuit Championship standings and the awarding of the title European Continental Circuit Champion in the respective categories at the end of the season. The Championship is sanctioned by the Monaco-based Union Internationale Motonautique (U.I.M.), the World Governing Body for Powerboating, and is organised by the National Authorities of the host countries in collaboration with Aquabike Promotion (ABP), Promoter of the UIM-ABP Aquabike Class Pro World and Continental Championships. COMPETITORS AND CATEGORIES To be eligible to compete in Runabout GP and Ski GP classes, Freestyle and Slalom, competitors must hold a U.I.M. Continental licence which is issued on presentation to the U.I.M. Secretariat of a competitors valid International Licence issued by a National authority and on payment of the yearly and or daily fee as set out in the 2015 U.I.M. Aquabike Rule Book and payment of the event inscription fee. The minimum age limit for competitors is 15, with the exception of the GP3 Junior Category with competitors accompanied by a Parent or Guardian and holding a Minor s Release Form signed by either a parent or Guardian. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 10

11 RUNABOUT GP1 2 stroke/max 2600cc 4 stroke/2600cc turbo/max 2000cc Dry weight/280kgs min - Length/360cm max - Width/127cm max RUNABOUT GP2 2 stroke/max 2600cc 4 stroke/2600cc turbo/max 2000cc Dry weight/280kgs min Length/360cm max Width/ cm max RUNABOUT GP3 2 stroke/max 1300cc - 4 stroke/2000cc - max 200hp Dry weight/216kgs min - Length/360cm max - Width/ cm max SKI GP1 2 stroke/max 1300cc 4 stroke/1620cc turbo/max 1000cc Dry weight/114kgs min - Length/280cm max - Width/85cm max SKI GP2 2 stroke/max 850cc 4 stroke/1602cc turbo/max 750cc Dry weight/114kgs max Length/310cm max Width/ cm max SKI GP3 2 stroke/max 800cc max85hp Dry weight/114kgs max Length/310cm max Width/ cm max SKI GP3/JUNIORS 1 2 stroke/max 800cc max 85hp (age 8-12) SKI GP3/JUNIORS 2 2 stroke/max 800cc max 85hp (age 13-15) SKI GP3/JUNIORS 3 2 stroke/max 800cc max 85hp (age 16-18) Dry weight/114kgs min - length/310cm max - width/ cm FREESTYLE Open specification (circa kgs / hp) COURSE A closed-circuit course and can be run on open sea, river or lake comprising of approximately 1750 metres. HEATS Ski Juniors GP3 12 minutes + 1 Lap (Junior1 age 8/12yrs + Junior2 age 13/15yrs) Ski division GP3 15 minutes + 1 Lap Ski division GP2 15 minutes + 1 Lap Ski division GP1 15 minutes + 1 Lap Runabout GP3 15 minutes + 1 Lap Runabout GP2 15 minutes + 1 Lap Runabout GP1 20 minutes + 1 Lap Freestyle Free 3 minutes / Pilot MAXIMUM NUMBER OF COMPETITORS Ski Juniors GP3-15 (Junior1 + Junior2) Ski division GP3-22 Ski division GP2-22 Ski division GP1-22 Runabout GP3-18 Runabout GP2-18 Runabout GP1-18 Freestyle - 10 POINTS 1st 25 pts, 2nd 20 pts, 3rd 16 pts, 4th 13 pts, 5th 11 pts, 6th 10 pts, 7th 9 pts, 8th 8 pts, 9th 7 pts, 10th 6 pts, 11th 5 pts, 12th 4 pts, 13th 3 pts, 14th 2 pts, 15th 1 pts (in the event of equal points, the result of heat 2 dictates final standings) 11

12 n 2 June 2015 F1H2O 12

13 NEW FACES, NEW PLACES, NEW EXCITEMENT IN F1H2O FOR 2015! Some long time followers of the UIM F1H2O World Championship series saw the transition coming and they were shocked by the scope of it all. The sport has now taken a new very different course and turned in another direction. 13

14 n 2 June 2015 his saga all began back in late December. After a three year back-to-back Championship run, Italian Alex Carella, was ousted by a veteran French driver who was twice his age. This slowly emerging driver had raced for 12 seasons, before, finally reaching his dream of becoming the first person from France to win the title in the 31 year history of the sport. Philippe Chiappe now reigns supreme. He, along with Team CTIC China, earned their first ever motorsport title for the Peoples Republic. The 52 year-old came from behind the pack of drivers a year ago and captured two must win races back-to-back to earn the ring and take the top step for the title. Fast forward less than three months into early Numerous stories started flying out of control announcing driver changes, racing directors being fired and historic figures returning to the sport, in a merry-goround of activity that could barely be followed in the orbits of ever changing drama and suspense. The 32nd season of F1H2O racing seemed placid enough until the tidal wave of stories began in February when it was announced By Team Abu Dhabi that Hall-of-Fame driver Guido Cappellini would replace another Hall-of-Famer, Scott Gillman, directing the team for the upcoming campaign. Gillman had held the job for almost a decade. Immediately it was learned that long time driver of Team Abu Dhabi Ahmed Al Hameli would be let go. He would be replaced by Italian threetime World Champion Alex Carella who would leave the Qatar Team and race for fellow Italian Cappellini. In the meantime, Gillman wasn t standing still. The crafty Californian, who had held on to much of the holdings of the team in his own name, now started his own organization. It would be called the Emirates Team and immediately he hired the now team-less Ahmed Al Hameli back to his side. Italy s three-time World Champion Alex Carella would leave the Qatar Team and join countryman Guido Cappellini at Team Abu Dhabi So, with these many shake ups in place, the season started in Doha, Qatar for the 11th Grand Prix of Qatar. The home standing team, which had won the past three races on their home waters of Doha Bay, was now down to just one driver in American Shaun Torrente to carry the torch for the Qatar Team. The weekend of the 13th and 14th of March would bring more drama. The late Middle East winter winds hounded the circuit bringing large waves in from the open gulf forcing official qualifying to be postponed until the morning of race day itself. There were more shake-ups in the Team Abu Dhabi line-up. Cappellini and longtime veteran Thani Al Qamzi having a disagreement over equipment and it reached such a high level that Thani walked out. For the first time in his 14 year career Thani would intentionally not start a Grand Prix. 14

15 F1H2O Cappellini quickly replaced Al Qamzi with fellow Italian David Del Pin. This was going to be a new experience for Del Pin who would now step into an F1 powerboat for the first time in his career for Team Abu Dhabi. The early morning eye-opening qualifying session saw defending race winner Torrente take pole position in his new DAC boat from Italy on the 1.76 kilometer five pin circuit after doing a second kph lap which was.55 of a second quicker than defending world titlist Philippe Chiappe, who would start next to him in second with a time of Third on the grid was Ahmed Al Hameli showing well in Scott Gillman s new Emirates Team s smaller F2 designed BABA hull with a second time at kph. Fourth quickest was Kuwaiti driver Youssef Al Rubayan in the F1 GC Atlantic Team boat with a second lap, Sami Selio of Finland taking fifth fastest for Mad Croc Baba Racing, posting a second lap. Just six hours later, 16 drivers from 11 different nations lined up along the start pontoon staring out on very rough water conditions including large swells ready to push the drivers to their maximum edge as they begun the 2015 campaign. After many discussions about how the start of the race was going to be effected by the rough conditions, it was determined by the UIM officials that the curtain would rise on the start of the season using not the normal modified Le Mans start coming freely off the dock after three rows of lights would be shut off by the official starter, instead, the pace boat would bring them around for a rolling start. With the pace boat exiting the circuit after two laps, the green flag was waved and off went the starting field. Led by fastest qualifier Shaun Torrente, the Florida driver would defend his position giving no opportunity for the new World Champion to slide in front, powering his way to over an 11 second lead in less than 10 laps. On lap 22 the whole complexion of the raced changed. Two-time World Champion Sami Selio was pushing hard for a podium finish and made a great move past second year man Erik Stark taking over fourth position. 15

16 n 2 June 2015 F1H2O A few moments later, as he headed to the right-hand turn on the backside of the race circuit he slid past Emirates Team driver Ahmed Al Hameli into third place, but as he pinched in from the outside going for the right-hand corner he lost control briefly, stuffed the boat, and it snapped back up right into the path of Al Hameli. The two boats collided violently flying into the air both barrel rolling to a stop bringing out the pace boat for the remainder of the event, both drivers lucky to escape serious injury. The remaining laps were run under the yellow flag and for the second time in three races in Doha Torrente won the race. The team handed me the perfect pieces to the puzzle, with a new boat and a great step-up I guess all our hard work testing earlier in the week getting ready for the season-opener paid off, said Torrente. Now we head to what I hear will be another rough water circuit and for me this is something that I relish and can t wait to get to France in June. But will the points leader actually race in France? We ll get to that discussion shortly. Meanwhile... Finishing a close second was Frenchman Philippe Chiappe of the CTIC China Team as the defending World Champion did his best to chase down Torrente only to finish runner-up for the second straight year and now has a record six podiums in his 13 starts on Doha Bay. After the 21 laps and then the accident I wasn t totally sure I was ready to push in these challenging conditions, said Philippe. I was truly happy to finish, take a podium, finish and leave with 15 points. Now the rest of the field head to my home waters and I can t wait to race in France in front of so many of my loyal fans in June. It will be electric. The final place on the podium went to Swedish driver Erik Stark of Team Nautica as the rookie-of-the- year driver from 2014, who was just starting his eighth Grand Prix, earned his second podium of his career earning 12 points in the process. Jonas Andersson, who won this race back in 2008, came home in a fine fourth place in his Team Sweden boat ahead of past winner and three-time World Champion Alex Carella of Team Abu Dhabi who struggled with his qualifying set-up but ran a strong race finishing fifth after starting tenth. Norwegian racer Marit Stromoy charged up from 14th to take sixth moving up farther than any other driver on the day in her Team Nautica BABA boat, while Kuwaiti driver Youssef Al-Rubayan came home seventh after qualifying fourth earlier in the day for the F1 GC Atlantic Team. 16

17 The late Middle East winter winds hounded the circuit bringing large waves in from the open gulf forcing official qualifying to be postponed until the morning of race day itself. Filip Roms of the Mad Croc Baba Racing Team was eighth at the end of the day after starting 13th, with rookie driver David Del Pin running in his first ever F1 event for Team Abu Dhabi a solid ninth. Veteran Duarte Benavente of Portugal starting his 16th season in F1 rounded out the top ten after moving up from his 15th qualifying position in his F1 GC Atlantic BABA race boat on another solid run. The 11th Grand Prix of Qatar had all the excitement of a mystery movie with cancelled practice and qualifying sessions, early morning qualifying and then a Grand Prix that tested the drivers mettle to their core. When the waves died down on Doha Bay it was Shaun Torrente coming out front dominating the event knowing that his team and all their hard work made it possible for him to win for the third time in four races on his teams home waters. The swirl of rumours concerning the fate of the decade old Qatar Team in F1H2O only heated up in the weeks following. It became clear that by mid-april the new directorship of the newly formed Qatar Sailing and Marine Sports Federation would freeze the organization and secede from racing for the near future. With that thought in mind the many time Team Champions of the sport had their best personnel quickly being snapped up including engine mastermind Brendan Power along with propeller designer David DeWald signing new contracts to work in Cappellini s camp at Team Abu Dhabi. This was a major coup for the Italian. By bringing over the masterminds of the Qatar Team from America, who had steered Carella to three straight titles, he had now reunited them with the Italian driver making Team Abu Dhabi a strong favorite early in Carella will have a bit or more work to do now as he currently sits down in fifth place in the Championship standings after his less than auspicious start in Doha. Meanwhile, what about the man who leads the championship after his victory in Doha for his now departed Qatar Team? Well, the talented Shaun Torrente may be the odd man out. He is sitting at home without a ride in the series he currently leads as it heads to the next round at the end of June in Evian, France. Hopefully, something will change for the likeable driver who has three career victories. Other surprises that have shaken up the driver line-up in the paddock sees young Swede Erik Stark, who started the season with a wellearned third place podium finish, move from Team Nautica whom he raced for all of last year during his rookie season, to join the Emirates organization and teaming with Ahmed Al Hameli. This swapping of talent gives Scott Gillman a solid driver line-up and makes the Emirates group a serious player for team and driver championship titles in

18 n 2 June 2015 This now opens up the door for Team Nautica to add another driver to their line-up for France. While the lovely city of Evian on the shores of Lake Geneva opens its doors to the UIM F1H2O paddock for the first time in late June, another city 1,747 km to the West of Evian is doing the same. The ancient city of Porto, Portugal, the country s second largest, and lying to the countries north on the Rio Douro will welcome the UIM F1H2O World Championship on the weekend of the 1st and 2nd of August to a country that greeted the sport for the first time in 1999 in Portimao. Its return to Portugal is the first time since Sami Selio and Ahmed Al Hameli s race ends in spectacular coming together F1H2O RETURNS TO PORTUGAL AND TO PORTO FOR THE FIRST TIME The city of Porto is a thrilling jumble of architectural styles from ornately tiled churches to Art Deco shops and down by the riverside, the Ponte de Dom Luis I Bridge stands out in this 2000 year old city. So, with numerous driver changes, new teams emerging and new race sites in Europe and in Shanghai, China later in the year, 2015 will long be known as a year when the page turned on tradition while showing new light for the world of UIM F1H2O powerboat racing. Change is good...now go out and relish in it! 18

19 Evian F1H2O Rekindles France s Grand tradition in F1H2O! It s truly hard to believe, however it s been eight racing seasons since the last time the UIM F1H2O World Championship series has raced in France. The last touching of French soil was back in 2007 with Finnish driver Sami Selio winning for the first time in his career in the port city of La Rochelle on the West Coast facing the Atlantic Ocean and going on that season to win the first of his two World Titles. This time around, it s the lovely city of Evian which is elegantly perched on the border between France and Switzerland welcoming visitors from around the world for the season s second event of 2015 on the of June on Lake Geneva. The area, known for its spectacular clear fresh waters, and internationally renowned for their healing qualities, lures health-conscious visitors from around the world. Meanwhile, the country of France has been a mainstay in the history of the sport of F1H2O racing. It began with its first Grand Prix held during the inaugural season in All told, France has hosted a total of 17 Grand Prix in various locals throughout the country such as Lyon, Chalon-sur-Soane and La Rochelle over the years. The country of France has produced nine different drivers over the years in the sport, but none has shone brighter than current World Champion Philippe Chiappe from Rouen. Philippe, captured the title a year ago in dramatic fashion last December by winning the last two races of the season from pole position in the United Arab Emirates to give France their first World Champion in the history of F1 racing. This will be a real treat for me and a great memory getting a chance to race for my fans in my home country, said Philippe. I am so pleased that we can race in an area of the country that I truly love and can t wait to arrive to start a true celebration of F1H2O in France for the first time since Vive la France! 19

20 n 2 June 2015 F4-S BRINEY SHINES AS BAD WEATHER CLOUDS F4-S SEASON OPENER he teams and drivers competing in the F4-S Trophy will head to Evian in France at the end of June chomping at the bit and desperate to get some quality time on the water to kick-start their season proper after considerable disruption to their racing programme at the season-opener in Qatar in March due to severe weather and sea conditions. Despite the best efforts of Race Director Luis Ribeiro to find a suitable weather window, with safety always the key factor, delays to the scheduling and cancellation of activities was the order of the weekend with teams limited to two practice and one qualifying session and no racing. The first opportunity to get out on the water for practice was cut short when Motorglass F1 Team newcomer Elisa Leidi crashed out, but impressively had already done enough to post the third fastest time of 1:26.17s on her debut outing. Qatar s Mohammed Al Obaidly went quickest with 1:21.78s, Team CTIC China s Wu Bingchen less than two-tenths off the top in third. Team Sweden s Briney Rigby put her name at the top of the time sheets in the second session ahead of defending Champion Mike Szymura with Wu again in the mix, going third quickest. A break in the weather eventually allowed for the first official qualifying session, but Australia s Briney Rigby was unable to take advantage of her pole position with strong winds and rough sea subsequently forcing the cancellation of the race. Despite the limited opportunities the 16-yearold from Blacktown, NSW, Australia showed once again that she is an up and coming talent and intent on adding to the three race and two event titles she picked up in her debut season in The runner-up in the Championship was impressive in the very tricky conditions and delivered her opening salvo of the season to post the fastest time with a 1:07.03s lap. Second quickest was Team CTIC China s Wu Bingchen with 1:08.08, defending Champion Mike Szymura third quickest with 1: But that was to be their lot as weather also disrupted the programme of their F1H2O cousins knocking back the schedule, and with qualifying and the Grand Prix of Qatar taking place on the same day, the remainder of the F4-S racing programme was shelved with the racers becoming frustrated spectators. 20

21 21 Motorglass F1 Team newcomer Elisa Leidi crashed out

22 n 2 June 2015 AQUABIKE ALL FOUR TITLE RACES PERFECTLY POISED AT THE SEASON MIDTERM t the midterm of the 2015 UIM-ABP Aquabike Class Pro World Championships the title races in all categories are perfectly poised, with the enticing prospect of a thrilling run in in China in October and the UAE in December beckoning. In Runabout Khalifa Belselah is five points clear and heads a Middle East trio chased by a French Quintet led by Jeremy Perez. In Ski Jeremy Poret has a six point margin but is being hunted by older brother Mickael and Nacho Armillas tied on points, with Kevin Reiterer poised to attack in fourth. Swedish youngster Emma-Nellie Ortendahl is ripping up the form book in the Ladies division and leads Estelle Poret and defending World and European Champions, Jennifer Menard and Sandra Fernandez, with Nac Florjancic stealing his brothers thunder and his unbeaten record to lead the Freestyle. The UIM-ABP tours upward spiral of the last four years continues apace, maximum competitor numbers in Qatar in March and in Italy in June, 22 countries represented and Grand Prix entries littered with World, European and National Champions highlighting and underwriting the tour s ultimate status of World Championship and producing breath taking competition. A return to Doha in Qatar for a fifth time saw history in the making in Runabout with Thamer Al Darwish becoming the first Qatari to win a heat and Grand Prix title on the UIM-ABP tour and choosing to do so in front of his home crowd. A brilliant win in heat 2 and fifth in heat 1 was enough for him to see off Jeremy Perez and heat 1 winner Jean-Baptiste Botti. In Ski Nacho Armillas and Jeremy Poret traded wins, Armillas heat 2 win earning him the overall victory, Alex Barret taking third, the title in Ski Ladies going to Sandra Fernandez with Estelle Poret and Emma-Nellie Ortendahl completing the podium, heat 1 winner Jennifer Menard retiring from heat 2 when leading. In Freestyle Nac Florjancic ended his brother s 12 GP 24 heat unbeaten run to take overall honours, Qatar s Fahad Al Hamli rounding out the podium. The charming town of Castro on Italy s southernmost heel was the setting for round 2; the location was excellent, the weather good and the sea conditions, at times, monstrous. If the European riders reputation in Runabout was challenged in Qatar, it took somewhat of a beating in Castro, Khalifa Belselah, Youssef Al Abdulrazzaq and Thamer Al Darwish locking out the podium. 22

23 23

24 n 2 June 2015 HISTORY MAKER THAMER AL DARWISH WINNER IN QATAR 24

25 A controversial first heat in extreme seas saw Jean-Baptiste Botti take the win after the race was red-flagged and stopped after Martinique rider Ugo Fidelin took a big tumble that put him in hospital. But a post-race protest by Belselah, that rumbled through the night but eventually upheld, and Botti s subsequent DQ for cutting the course gave Belselah the win and elevating Abdulrazzaq and Al Darwish to second and third spots. To say Botti was unhappy would have been an understatement and in heat 2 he let out his frustration with one of the most astonishing and brilliant performances ever seen. Starting from the back of the 21-rider field he was up to sixth by the end of lap 1 and on a mission to chase down the lead trio of Belselah, Abdulrazzaq and Al Darwish. Two laps later he scythed his way past his countrymen Teddy Pons and Francois Medori to move into third, then overhauling Abdulrazzaq and Al Darwish, hitting the front at the end of lap four after an audacious pass on Belselah and gesturing to him to catch him as he went by. From that point on it was race over as Botti delivered an absolute masterclass to take his second official win in the Championship and making his feelings absolutely clear, slowing down before the finish line as he looked around for the rest of the field before taking the chequered flag ahead of Abdulrazzaq and Belselah. Two spectacular heats in Ski saw the welcome resurgence and return to top form of Mickael Poret, grabbing his first heat win on the tour in three years and just missing out on the GP title to Kevin Reiterer. The 28-year-old led heat 1 from start-to-finish after brother and pole-sitter Jeremy Poret dropped his bike heavily at the first turn. Austria s Kevin Reiterer enjoyed an early three lap tussle with Norway s Stian Schjetlein before moving into second spot but was unable to close the gap to the race leader. Third place went to Alex Barret passing after Schjetlein in the closing stages. 25

26 n 2 June 2015 Heat 2 saw Reiterer work hard for his win and title, trailing heat 1 winner Mickael [Poret] for seven of nine laps before pulling a brilliant pass at the start of the penultimate lap to hit the front and go on to take the victory, the two finishing equal on points, his heat 2 win giving him the title On lap 3 it looked as though the young Austrian might have blown his chances as he closed in on Poret, dropping the bike and losing time before clambering back on board and giving chase again and then gaining the upper hand. Jeremy Poret picked up three places after starting down in sixth following his tumble in heat 1, but the best performance went to Spain s Nacho Armillas driving up and through the field from last place to finish in fourth ahead of Alex Barret, whose fourth in heat 1 and fifth put him third overall. The ladies heats were as thrilling, Estelle Poret leaving it until the penultimate lap to chase down and overhaul race long leader Emma-Nellie Ortendahl, with Jennifer Menard winning her scrap with Kylie Ellmers to take third. With Poret forced to start at the back of the pack for heat 2, Ortendahl took full advantage to lead from start-to-finish to claim a memorable maiden GP title, Poret finishing fifth but enough to take second overall, with Jennifer Menard third. As is the norm at all events the crowds gathered in their thousands, in Castro finding any spare rock that was free, to watch and applaud the Freestylers, and if Nac Florjancic s win in Qatar was a bit of a surprise to some, he backed it up by toppling World Champion and elder brother Rok for the second time, and extending his overall lead in the Championship standings, Italians Roberto Mariani and Alberto Camerlengo finishing third and fourth. The UIM-ABP Aquabike Class Pro World Championship now heads to Liuzhou in China for round 3 on 3-4 October. 26

27 The 2015 title race in Runabout is turning into a titanic battle for supremacy between the Middle East and France, the riders from the Middle East staking their Championship credentials after claiming overall victories in Qatar and in Italy. Castro GP winner and the new points leader Khalifa Belselah from the UAE heads a Middle East lockout of the top three slots, with Qatar s Thamer Al Darwish, the winner in Doha in second ahead of 2013 World Champion, Kuwaiti Youssef Al Abdulrazzaq. Chasing them is a quintet of French stars; Jeremy Perez, the man who headed the World Rankings in 2014, leads the French pack from Corsican duo Jean-Baptiste Botti and Francois Medori, then Didier Chabert and defending World Champion Teddy Pons. RUNABOUT: MIDDLE EAST VERSUS FRANCE ALL VERSUS BOTTI Belselah, Al Darwish and Botti have all grabbed heat wins, but it was Belselah s protest and Botti s subsequent disqualification from first place in heat 1 in Castro that has ignited the Runabout title race, a clearly unhappy Botti taking sweet revenge and goading his rival on route to an emphatic win in heat 2. So whilst the Middle East trio hold the upper hand with the French in pursuit, the man they all have to fear and beat is Botti, clearly the quickest out there. But for a mechanical problem in heat 2 in Qatar, the double win and GP title would most probably have been his and but for the DQ, overall victory in Italy was a given. For the second year in a row France s Jeremy Poret is facing a stiff challenge to his title hopes, his immediate challenge coming from older brother Mickael, both facing a challenge to the title that one or other has held since Looking to unseat them are two relative youngsters, Spain s Nacho Armillas and Austria s Kevin Reiterer, both 22. SKI: PORET BROTHERS ONE-TWO BUT UNDER THREAT FROM YOUNG PRETENDERS TO TITLE And whilst the top four have each won heats this season it is Armillas and Reiterer who have taken Grand Prix titles; Armillas trading heat wins with Jeremy Poret in Qatar to take the title, Reiterer trading wins with Mickael Poret in Italy to take the title. To keep his crown and protect his slender six point lead, Jeremy [Poret] is going to have to reproduce the form that has propelled him to three titles in four years, but a resurgent and now nearly fully fit Mickael [Poret], tied in second spot on 65 points with Armillas is an ever present threat, whilst both the young pretenders to the title have made it clear and shown that they fear neither of the Poret brothers. 27

28 n 2 June 2015 One thing is certain, even at this point in the season and assuming they turn up at the next two events, a Florjancic will be World Champion, again. What is intriguing is which one, defending and double World Champion Rok or 2012 World Champion Nac. The brothers from Maribor are in a league of their own and have dominated the tour since their first appearance in China in 2011 finishing first [Rok] and second, and between them they have held the crown for the last three years. Up until this season what was a given was that elder brother Rok would win, but his astonishing unbeaten record of 24 heat wins from 12 GP starts ended in Qatar, both taking a heat win, but Nac taking the title and then backing it up with a second overall win in Italy to lead his bother by just four points. Is the tide turning in the Florjancic camp! We shall see? SKI LADIES: EMMA-NELLIE THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK AND IN FRONT FREESTYLE: SLOVENIA VERSUS SLOVENIA At just 16-years-old Sweden s Emma-Nellie Ortendahl is the new rising star in Ski Ladies and leads the title race by nine points. In pursuit three time heat winner, Estelle Poret, defending World Champion Jennifer Menard and defending European Champion Sandra Fernandez. Ortendahl s rise to title challenger is meteoric; her debut outing in Italy in 2014 was marred somewhat by a penalty that robbed her of her first heat win. In Qatar the youngster from Alvanger grabbed third overall but stole the headlines winning the Slalom beating both Poret and Menard. And in Italy she proved what an allround racer and competitor she is, finishing second in heat 1 to Poret and then winning heat 2 to take overall victory and her maiden GP title. 28

29 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP SIX COUNTRIES SHARE EVENT HONOURS IN aporec very impressive turnout saw 98 riders from 16 countries kick-start the re-launch of the multi-event UIM- ABP Aquabike European Continental Championship at the first event in Porec, Croatia, with riders from six countries grabbing event honours. In the premiere categories Runabout GP1 and Ski GP1 for men and women overall victories went to France s Jeremy Perez, Austria s Kevin Reiterer and Spain s Beatriz Curtinhal. World number two Perez dominated his heats winning both, with countrymen Didier Chabert and Christophe Agostinho completing the podium. Reiterer was the standout rider in Ski leading home the current tied World Championship points leader Nacho Armillas and Mickael Poret in both heats, with Beatriz Curtinhal locking out the top step in the ladies division ahead of Sweden s Jonna Borgstrom and World Champion Jennifer Menard. A close encounter in Runabout GP2 saw Italy close out the top three spots and won by Alessio Schintu by just two points from Antonio D Arma and Giuseppe Greco, with Belgium riders Robin Laforge and Claude Vangasbeck one-two in GP3. In Ski GP2 Croatia s Tomaz Kete sneaked home by two points from Czech Republic rider Lukas Binar, with [Kevin] Reiterer taking third, GP3 honours going to Austria s Markus Erlach ahead of Hungary s Peter Biro and France s Benjamin Scharf. In Ski Juniors Swiss youngster Alec Enderli took top spot over France s Nycolas Olivin and Portugal s Andre Barbosa. After a slight blip in the World Championship season-opener in Qatar, finishing second to his younger brother, Freestyle World Champion Rok Florjancic resumed normal service to take the win from Nac, with Roberto Mariani in third. 29

30 n 2 June 2015 AQUABIKE BOTTI TRIUMPHS IN THE KARUJET Jean-Baptiste Botti is the latest to add his name to an elite list of riders to have tamed what is widely accepted as the toughest offshore race in the world after winning the 18th running of the famous Karujet in Guadeloupe in April. The rider from Porto Vecchio, Corsica took victory on his fifth attempt to win this daunting classic, winning his first and only stage on 5 of 6 and then coming home in fourth in the final stage to lift the title. After winning stage 5 and seeing that Alex [Barret] had a problem I just took it easy the whole way. I knew I just needed to finish the final stage with a decent time, so I didn t risk any trouble out there. Happy, yes, very very happy. said Botti. Forty eight professional and amateur riders arrived in Guadeloupe all looking to try to just survive whatever they faced, let alone win the event, described by competitors past and present as an animal and known for breaking bikes, bones and bodies. What began in 1998 as a challenge between two friends racing around the stunning Caribbean Island has since achieved iconic and legendary-status, and in 2006 was recognised by the UIM affording it World Championship status! Of the seven World Champions that have lifted the title since 2006, four, Ugo Fidelin, two-time winner Davy Vaitilingdon, Teddy Pons and Marc Forbin were all amongst the entry and facing six gruelling stages over the four days, setting out each day from the event base on the beach at Viard. And joining UIM-ABP registered riders Fidelin and Pons were three other regulars on the World tour, Jean-Baptiste Botti, Alex Barret and Herve Partouche, and they and all the other competitors knew that if there was one thing you could be certain of it was that you couldn t be certain of anything!! Over the four days Barret, Medori and Botti enjoyed a mighty three-way battle and featured heavily on all the stages; Barret led the trio home on stage 1, American Craig Warner spoiling their private fight winning stage 2, but it was Barret who led the standings at the end of day 1 from Warner and Botti. Medori was the first to encounter trouble and the high after the opener soon changed after falling foul of the heavy seas and taking a tumble on stage 2, dropping a lot of time ending the day in 24th and over nine minutes off the leaders. Former winner Vaitilingdon was still in the mix in fourth spot, not so Pons, Forbin and Fidelin down in 15th, 22nd and 29th. Medori hit back on day 2 taking the stage win and again the French trio were the pick of the field and again locking out the top three positions, Barret extending his lead over Botti to 46seconds, 30

31 Vaitilingdon up to third, with Medori right back in the mix and up to eighth. Stage 4 and the overnight standings on day 3 had a familiar ring; Medori first home from Barret and Botti, Barret leading the Karujet from Botti and Medori. Quietly keeping in touch was another Frenchman Alain Tarzia and looking to better his third overall last year, and now into fourth. The final day and for Alex Barret disaster and heartbreak, dropping ten minutes and losing the lead that he had held from the start to Botti on Stage 5, then hitting more trouble and failing to finish the final stage and slipping down to end the event in seventh. Botti seized the moment, grabbed the stage win from Vincent Karam and a resurgent Ugo Fidelin, to take the lead by five seconds with one stage to go, sealing the overall win by 11 seconds with fourth. Medori capped a great fightback after his tumble on day two, moving up from 24th to finish the event as runner-up. I came here to win, but runner-up isn t so bad. The event was pretty tough, the fight was hard. But it s nice to be on the podium at a Karujet, I m quite content. Alain Tarzia produced another series of consistent performances to take the final spot on the podium for the second time in two years. Third place again. I had a bad start losing some time but ended it well and I m happy with another great event. Two podiums in a row, is just great. Last year s winner Ugo Fidelin rounded out a frustrating event winning the final stage but could only manage 13th overall. It was a good event. It didn t really start well for me but I had a lot of fun. It was great to end it with a stage win, I m happy with that. Once again the Karujet showed how tough it is to win and how cruel an event it can be showing little or no respect for anyone, former Champions especially, ask Fidelin, Pons, Vaitilingdon and Forbin. FINAL STANDINGS (TOP 6) 1. JB Botti (fra) 5:49:52.899s 2. F Medori (fra) + 11:47.436s 3. A Tarzia (fra) + 16:07.285s 4. K Carlini (fra) + 17:10.433s 5. V Karam (gua) + 24:57.928s 6. A Granger (gua) + 37:06.423s 31

32 n 2 June 2015 NATIONS CUP 32

33 TEAM RUSSIA WIN NATIONS CUP TITLE IN QATAR NOW IN ITS FIFTH YEAR, THE THRILLS, SPILLS AND THE SPECTACULAR THAT HAVE BECOME THE HALLMARK OF THE NATIONS CUP SINCE ITS FIRST OUTING ON MARINA BAY IN SINGAPORE IN 2011, CONTINUED WITH THE WORLD SERIES RETURNING TO QATAR S CAPITAL CITY DOHA FOR A THIRD TIME, WITH TEAM RUSSIA ADDING THEIR NAME TO THE WINNERS ROSTER. 33

34 n 2 June 2015 Germany, Italy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE joined Russia to take on the defending Nations Cup holders Team Belarus, who fielded a revised squad with Roman Vandyshev joined by Dmitry Malkin. Germany were making their first appearance in the series and relying heavily on the experience of two-time F-4S Trophy Champion, 21-year-old Mike Szymura from Berlin who teamedup with Austrian, Bernd Enzenhofer. Back for their third appearance was Team Italy who had been impressive in all previous outings, this year rolling out a new driver line up with 22-year-old Domenico Leidi from Bonate Sopra and the experienced Roberto Lo Piano from Rome making their series debuts. Qatar is the only team to have appeared in all Nations Cup events since 2011, with veteran driver Khalid Al Kuwari making his sixth appearance and joined for the third time by Mohammed Al Obaidly. The team has enjoyed mixed results so far, coming close to winning finishing as runners-up in 2011 and 2012, taking a disappointing fifth in 2013 and fourth last year, the high points for Al Kuwari his very popular double Match Race wins in Andrei Panyushkin and Kostantin Ustinov hoped for a repeat the success they enjoyed in 2013 after winning in Doha, but were part of a quartet who fell short last year managing only fifth. Back after missing out in 2014 was the series most successful team, the UAE, fielding a revised line up with Rashed Al Qemzi joined by series newcomer Rashed Al Remeithi. In all their previous outings their drivers have dominated, Ahmed Al Hameli guiding them to victory in 2011 winning 34 the Match Race and Sprint Races, Majed Al Mansoori matching him the following year. In 2013 Rashed Al Qemzi finished first in all four Sprint Races to give the team their third title in a row. Also back and making their third start in Nations Cup was Saudi Arabia with Naeem Al Kedawi and Ahmed Saud Abdulaziz, Al Kedawi their sole representative in 2011 in Sinagapore the duo finishing second in Qatar and third overall in the standings in After a trouble-free first day of practice, the weather played a big hand on day 2 causing disruption to the schedules as the competition proper got underway, and it was Team Russia s day with Kostantin Ustinov pulling off a surprise win in an all-russian Match Race final beating teammate Andrei Panyushkin. Following a two hour delay due to the poor conditions 13 drivers went out for a reduced session, but the 30 minutes was enough for Panyushkin to maintain

35 his place at the top of the time sheets after dominating in practice the day before, his time of 50.94s almost six-tenths quicker than Team Belarus Roman Vandyshev whose teammate squeezed into sixth place. Germany s Mike Szymura maintained his form posting the third quickest time ahead of Italy s Roberto Lo Piano and Qatar s Mohammed Al Obaidly. After qualifying the teams and drivers faced each other in the Match Race, with two boats racing off against each other on an alternate two-pin course over the best of three runs, their start positions decided by their times and positions in qualifying. Kostantin Ustinov s route to the final saw him get past the UAE s Rashed Al Remeithi two-nil, win a tight quarter final against Belarus Roman Vandyshev in the deciding third leg and easily out gun Saudi Arabia s Saud Abdulaziz Ahmed in the semi-final. Teammate Andrei Panyushkin eased through beating Qatar s sole representative, Mohammed Al Obaidly and then Mike Szymura in the semi-final, the German missing a turn-mark and disqualified from the first run and just losing out in the second, but he bounced right back to win the third and fourth place race-off beating Ahmed. On paper and the quickest on the water over the two days was Panyushkin and the hot favourite to take the Match Race final, but two jump starts and disqualification gifted the win to Ustinov, the two teammates sharing the day s honours and putting Team Russia on top of the standings with 47 points. Mike Szymura s third place and Bernd Enzenhofer s tenth place moved Germany into second overall on 31 points, two points ahead of Team Belarus Roman Vandyshev and Dmitry Malkin who finished in sixth and seventh spots. In the two Sprint races Russia, Belarus and Germany produced a thrilling climax, with Andrei Panyuskin s win and second place and Kostantin Ustinov s fifth and third steering Team Russia to their first overall Nations Cup win with 130 points. Defending Champions Belarus took second overall on 106 points with Germany producing a very strong showing over the three days on their Nations Cup debut finishing third overall with 94 points. Russia headed into the sprint races with a 16 point advantage over Germany with Belarus a further two points adrift. Race 1 saw pole-sitter Andrei Panyushkin lead from the start with Roman Vandyshev, Mike Szymura and Konstantin Ustinov giving chase when the yellow flag came out following a failure with the start equipment and several drivers late off the pontoon. From the restart Panyushkin immediately resumed control at the front with Vandyshev and Szymura running line astern until lap 15 of 22. Behind the lead trio the performance of the race came from 23-year-old UAE driver Rashed Al Qemzi, moving up from 12th into sixth on lap 7, then scything his way up through the field passing Szymura to take third spot on lap 16. Al Qemzi was closing down Vandyshev in second when Italy s Roberto Lo Piano hit a bum note and spectacularly flipped over and out of the Nations Cup on lap 20 bringing out the second yellow flag, the chequered flag coming out two laps later. Panyushkin made the perfect start in race 2 followed by Vandyshev and Al Qemzi when the third yellow flag of the afternoon came out after Al Qemzi took out and destroyed a turn buoy. But unlike in race 1 Panyushkin was caught napping when the green flag was given for the restart and was passed immediately by both his Belarus and UAE rivals. Vandyshev held off a spirited race-long challenge from Al Qemzi to take the chequered with Panyushkin driving a sensible race to cross the line in third, then elevated to second after Al Qemzi was given a one lap penalty for destroying the buoy, dropping him to tenth. 35

36 n 2 June 2015 Konstantin Ustinov bettered his race 1 finish taking third with Germany s Mike Szymura capping a good afternoon taking fourth, his teammate Bernd Enzenhofer s ninth and sixth place finishes helping to secure the team their Nations Cup third place. Dimitry Malkin also improved on his race 1 seventh place with fifth for Belarus. Team Saudi Arabia marked their return to Nations Cup with another very solid set of consistent performances and results from both Saud Ahmed and Naeem Al Kedawi, scoring well in the Match Race and picking up points in both sprint races to take fourth overall. Italy improved on their overnight position but Roberto Lo piano s dramatic exit from race 1 dented their hopes of moving even higher up the table than fifth, with 22-year-old Domenico Leidi finishing eighth in both races. Despite Al Qemzi s brilliant solo efforts, with teammate Rashed Al Remeithi not starting either race sixth overall was the best they could manage, Mohammed Al Obaidly, Qatar s sole representative, valiantly piling up points with two good outings in sixth and seventh. UIM NATIONS CUP WORLD SERIES 2015 POS NOS TEAM RIDER POS PTS POS PTS POS PTS POINTS 1 9 Andrey Panyushkin Russia 10 Kostantin Ustinov Dmitry Malkin Belarus 12 Roman Vandyshev Mike Szymura Germany 8 Bernd Enzenhofer Saudi Arabia Saud Ahmed Naeem Al Kedawi Roberto Lo Piano dns 0 Italy 12 Domenico Leidi Rashed Al Qemzi U.A.E. 14 Rashed Al Remeithi dns 0 dns Mohammed Al Obaidly Qatar 4 Khalid Al Kuwari dns 0 dns 0 dns

37 NEONOPTIC.IT

38 n 2 June CALENDAR 2015 is another ground-breaking and challenging season for H2O Racing, with over 20 events planned in ten months, taking its four UIM sanctioned flagship Championships, Aquabike, Class 1, F1H2O and Nations Cup to four continents. NB: dates and locations subject to change UIM F1H20 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 12/14 March - Doha, Qatar 26/28 June - Evian, France 1/2 August - Porto, Portugal 1/2 October - Liuzhou, China 10/11 October - Shanghai, China 7/8 November - tba, Asia 10/11 December - Abu Dhabi, UAE 17/18 December - Sharjah, UAE UIM CLASSONE WORLD POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP 30 June/1 July - Venezia/Rimini, Italy (V1 ONLY) 8/9 July - Salerno/Formia, Italy (V1 ONLY) 8/9 July - Salerno, Italy (C1 ONLY) 9/13 November - Abu Dhabi, UAE (C1/V1) UIM NATIONS CUP 9/11 March - Doha, Qatar UIM-ABP AQUABIKE CLASS PRO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - Circuit 4/6 March - Doha, Qatar 22/24 May - Castro, Italy 3/4 October - Liuzhou, China 19/20 December - Sharjah, UAE UIM-ABP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Offshore - (Karujet) 2/5 April - Petit Bourg, Guadeloupe, France UIM-ABP AQUABIKE EUROPEAN CONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP - Circuit 15/17 May - Porec, Croatia 19/21 June - Roses-Girona, Spain 24/26 July - Mirandela, Portugal 4/6 September - Valras, France UIM-ABP EUROPEAN CONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP - Endurance 24/26 April - Portimao, Portugal 38

39 STANDINGS UIM-ABP AQUABIKE CLASS PRO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 Runabout GP1 - after round 2 POS NOS RIDER POINTS 1 33 Khalifa Belselah (uae) Thamer Al Darwish (qat) Yousef Al Abdulrazzaq (kuw) Jeremy Perez (fra) Jean-Baptiste Botti (fra) Francois Medori (fra) Didier Chabert (fra) Teddy Pons (fra) Mohammed Al Heidus (qat) Mohamad Burbaye (kuw) Andrzej Wisniewski (pol) 18 12= 44 Lorenzo Benaglia (ita) 16 12= 11 Waleed Al Shasharni (qat) Christophe Concoriet (mtq) Ugo Fidelin (mtq) Gyorgy Kasza (hun) Lars Sebastian Akerblom (swe) Marcin Senda (pol) Krystian Domanski (pol) 6 20= 9 Cyrille Lemoine (fra) 5 20= 84 Johan Johansson (swe) 5 20= 69 Giuseppe Greco (ita) Herve Partouche (fra) Bruno Secciaroli (ita) Christophe Concoriet (mtq) 3 17 Ahmed Al Dawas (qat) 0 38 Mohamad Al Baz (kuw) 0 37 Rashid Al Mannai (qat) 0 50 Gianluca santi Amantini (ita) 0 99 Jordi Tomas (esp) 0 Ski GP1 Men - after round 2 POS NOS RIDER POINTS 1 72 Jeremy Poret (fra) 71 2= 77 Mickael Poret (fra) 65 2= 36 Nacho Armillas (esp) Kevin Reiterer (aut) Alex Barret (fra) Alberto Monti (ita) Tomaz Kete (cro) Stian Schjetlein (nor) Vincent Dardillat (fra) Markus Lutsokert (est) Nicola Piscaglia (ita) Morgan Poret (fra) Henrique Gomes (por) 10 14= 4 Slaven Ivancic (cro) 9 14= 69 Gianfranco Olivieri (ita) Brock Austin (usa) Andy Trasmondi (ita) 5 18= 5 Matteo Finidori (fra) 3 18= 88 Daniel Svae Andersen Almur Bin Huraiz (uae) 2 29 Niki Pravdic (svn) 0 55 Fede Fuster (esp) 0 83 Ulirik Bertsen (nor) 0 Ski GP1 Ladies - after round 2 POS NOS RIDER POINTS 1 98 Emma-Nellie Ortendahl (swe) Estelle Poret (fra) Jennifer Menard (fra) Sandra Fernandez (esp) Jonna Borgstrom (swe) Marta Sorrentino (ita) Kylie Ellmers (rus) Beatriz Curtinhal (esp) Yuki Kurahashi (jpn) Sofie Borgstrom (swe) 0 Freestyle - after round 2 POS NOS RIDER POINTS 1 2 Nac Florjancic (cro) Rok Florjancic (cro) Roberto Mariani (ita) Fahad Al Hamli (qat) Alberto Camerlengo (ita) Bader Al Abdulla (qat) 24 UIM-ABP AQUABIKE CLASS PRO SLALOM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 Runabout GP1 - after round 1 POS NOS RIDER POINTS 1 33 Khalifa Belselah (uae) Jeremy Perez (fra) Francois Medori (fra) Gyorgy Kasza (hun) 13 Ski GP1 - after round 1 POS NOS RIDER POINTS 1 72 Jeremy Poret (fra) Kevin Reiterer (aut) Alex Barret (fra) Morgan Poret (fra) 13 Ski GP1 Ladies - after round 1 POS NOS RIDER POINTS 1 98 Emma-Nellie Ortendahl (swe) Jennifer Menard (fra) Estelle Poret (fra) Yuki Kurahashi (jpn) 13 UIM F1H2O WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2015 after round 1 POS NOS RIDER TEAM POINTS 1 4 Shaun Torrente (qat) Qatar Philippe Chiappe (fra) CTIC China Erik Stark (swe) Nautica Jonas Andersson (swe) Sweden Alex Carella (ita) Abu Dhabi Marit Stromoy (nor) Nautica Youssef Al Rubayan (kuw) F1 Atlantic / Interpass / GC Filip Roms (fin) Mad Croc BABA Racing David del Pin (ita) Abu Dhabi Duarte Benavente (por) F1 Atlantic / Interpass / GC 1 2 Xiong Zi-Wei (chn) CTIC China 0 15 Jesper Forss (swe) Sweden 0 27 Ahmed Al Hameli (uae) Emirates 0 11 Sami Selio (fin) Mad Croc BABA Racing 0 24 Francesco Cantando (ita) Motorglass F Bernd Enzenhofer (aut) Motorglass F1 0 39

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