2012 F1 Powerboat World Championship

April 2014 F1 Powerboat World Championship 2012 2011 2013 The 2012 UIM F1 H2O World Championship was the 29th season of Formula 1 Powerboat racing. Whilst a provisional calendar consisted of a total of nine rounds,Advance Regulations 2012 http://www.uimpowerboating.com/vsite/vnavsite/page/directory/0,10853,4916-200115-217338-nav-list,00.html Union Internationale Motonautique 19 September 2012 following cancellations, an amended programme of six races, beginning in Doha, Qatar, on 10 March 2012, and ending in Sharjah, UAE, on 7 December 2012 was published by the UIM.2012 Calendar News – 23 March update http://www.uimpowerboating.com/vsite/vfile/page/fileurl/0,11040,4916-205818-223041-175940-0-file,00.pdf Union Internationale Motonautique 23 March 2012 19 September 2012 At the penultimate race of the year in Abu Dhabi, reigning champion Alex Carella successfully defended his 2011 drivers' title, the Italian becoming a double world champion for the Qatar Team.Carella Wins 2nd Straight Title With Win in Abu Dhabi! http://www.f1h2o.com/post/carella-wins-2nd-straight-title-with-win-in-abu-dhabi F1H2O 30 November 2012 30 November 2012 Teams and drivers Team Hull Engine No. Boat number Race drivers Rounds QAT Qatar Team DAC Mercury 2.5 V6 1 ITA Alex Carella All 2 USA Shaun Torrente 1–4 USA Terry RinkerRINKER REPLACES TORRENTE IN QATAR F1 TEAM http://raceboatinternational.com/archive/index.php?id=751 Raceboat International 16 November 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20160203202333/http://raceboatinternational.com/archive/index.php?id=751 3 February 2016 dead dmy-all 5–6 13 QAT Khalid Al Shamlan 1 USA Team Nautica BaBa Mercury 2.5 V6 3 SUI Rinaldo Osculati All 4 NOR Marit Strømøy All UAE Team Abu Dhabi BaBa Mercury 2.5 V6 5 UAE Thani Al Qamzi All 6 UAE Ahmed Al Hameli 1–3 UAE Majed Al MansooriVersatile Al-Mansoori Fills in for Al Hameli in China! http://www.f1h2o.com/post/versatile-al-mansoori-fills-in-for-al-hameli-in-china F1H2O 28 September 2012 1 October 2012 4–5 USA Scott Gillman 6 27 USA Scott Gillman1 1 5 CHN CTIC China Team Moore Mercury 2.5 V6 7 FRA Philippe Chiappe All DAC 8 RUS Stanislav Kourtsenovsky All 81 CHN Xiong ZiweiXiong "Leo" Ziwei To Get First Taste of F1 Racing! http://www.f1h2o.com/post/xiong-leo-ziwei-to-get-first-taste-of-f1-racing F1H2O 28 November 2012 29 November 2012 5–6 POR F1 Atlantic Team BaBa Mercury 2.5 V6 9 FRA Philippe Tourre All 10 POR Duarte Benavente All DAC 19 KUW Youssef Al RubayanAtlantic Team Adds Yousef Al Rubayan to it's y 2012 Line-Up! http://www.f1h2o.com/post/atlantic-team-adds-yousef-al-rubayan-to-it-s-2012-line-up F1H2O 14 January 2012 19 September 2012 All ITA Mad Croc F1 Team BaBa Mercury 2.5 V6 11 FIN Sami Seliö All 12 FIN Filip Roms All SWE Team Sweden BaBa Mercury 2.5 V6 14 SWE Jonas Andersson 1–2 Molgaard 3–6 DAC 15 AUS Rhys Coles 1 Molgaard SWE Bimba SjoholmHistoric Weekend in F1 With Two Women Racing in China! http://www.f1h2o.com/post/historic-weekend-in-f1-with-two-women-racing-in-china F1H2O 30 September 2012 1 October 2012 4 SWE Erik StarkF2 "Dominator" Steps Up To Join Team Sweden in the Emirates! http://www.f1h2o.com/post/f2-dominator-steps-up-to-join-team-sweden-in-the-emirates F1H2O 6 November 2012 16 November 2012 5–6 GBR Dragon F1 TeamBritain's Malcolm Goodman Ready for a New Challenge http://www.f1h2o.com/post/britain-s-malcolm-goodman-ready-for-a-new-challenge F1H2O 15 November 2012 16 November 2012 Dragon Mercury 2.5 V6 22 GBR Malcolm Goodman 5–6 ITA Singha F1 Racing Team DAC Mercury 2.5 V6 23 ITA Valerio Lagiannella 1–2, 4–6 Blaze 24 ITA Francesco Cantando All RSA Caudwell RacingSouth Africa's Caudwell Racing Brings 4-Stroke Technology To F1! http://www.f1h2o.com/post/south-africa-s-caudwell-racing-brings-4-stroke-technology-to-f1 F1H2O 25 February 2012 19 September 2012 Caudwell Caudwell 3.5 V6New engines for Formula 1 H2O powerboats http://www.mby.com/news/530857/new-engines-for-formula-1-h20-powerboats Ray Bulman Motorboat & Yachting 27 February 2012 5 May 2013 25 ITA Ivan Brigada All 26 RSA Brett Stuart All UAE Skydive DubaiIt's Official – Jay Price Returning To F1! http://www.f1h2o.com/post/it-s-official-jay-price-returning-to-f1 F1H2O 20 November 2012 29 November 2012 BaBa Mercury 2.5 V6 33 USA Jay Price 5–6Key Regular boat/driver Boat ineligible for team points 1 1 Scott Gillman was initially entered into the Abu Dhabi GP as driving a BaBa hull, powered by a Hartley V8 four stroke engine based on a Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle engine. He switched just before qualifying however to a Mercury 2.5-litre two stroke after feeling that the V8 was too powerful for the BaBa hull.GILLMAN'S FOUR STROKE TOO POWERFUL FOR BABA http://raceboatinternational.com/archive/index.php?id=759 Raceboat International 30 November 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20160203195416/http://raceboatinternational.com/archive/index.php?id=759 3 February 2016 dead dmy-all Team changes The eight full-time teams from 2011 continued into 2012, with an additional ninth team, Caudwell Racing from South Africa, entered. Their entry was officially confirmed in June 2011,Four Stroke join F1 Next Year http://www.f1h2o.com/post/four-stroke-join-f1-next-year F1H2O 24 June 2011 19 September 2012 making history by introducing four-stroke engines into the series which had been dominated in recent times by the two-stroke Mercury engines. The revolutionary engine was based on an Infiniti road car engine and featured Cosworth pistons and conrods in its design.Caudwell Racing Technology http://www.caudwellracing.com/f1h20/technology/ Caudwell Racing 5 May 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20120826224854/http://www.caudwellracing.com/f1h20/technology/ 26 August 2012 dead dmy-all With Russian driver Stanislav Kourtsenovsky moving to the CTIC China Team, the part-time Jetech Tools F1 Team from 2011 didn't participate in 2012. At the beginning of May, former German driver Fabian Kalsow announced his intention to re-enter the series with a team for the latter half of the 2012 season, with a longer-term view to an entry for 2013.German Kalsow Still Dreaming of Returning to F1h2O! http://www.f1h2o.com/post/german-kalsow-still-dreaming-of-returning-to-f1h2o F1H2O 2 May 2012 19 September 2012 This failed to materialise however, but despite that, two new teams lodged entries for the final two races of the year. Former champion Jonathan Jones' hull manufacturing firm Dragon entered with British driver Malcolm Goodman driving, and a second Emirati-based team, Skydive Dubai joined the series, with 2008 champion Jay Price, having last competed themselves in 2009.PRICE AND CARELLA MEET AGAIN http://raceboatinternational.com/archive/index.php?id=738 Raceboat International 29 November 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20160203200254/http://raceboatinternational.com/archive/index.php?id=738 3 February 2016 dead dmy-all Driver changes Following the conclusion of the 2011 season, by far the biggest driver change for 2012 was the resignation of Jay Price from the Qatar Team.Jay Price Turns in Resignation with Qatar Team! http://www.f1h2o.com/post/jay-price-turns-in-resignation-with-qatar-team F1H2O 31 December 2011 1 October 2012 His replacement alongside newly crowned champion Alex Carella, was Shaun Torrente who had driven for the team alongside Price and Carella for the final two races of 2011. At the CTIC China Team, Pierre Lundin was replaced by Russian driver Stanislav Kourtsenovsky who had made two appearances during the 2011 season for the Jetech Tools F1 Team. F1 Atlantic Team signed Kuwaiti Youssef Al Rubayan for a full campaign in a third boat alongside the retained Tourre and Benavente whilst Filip Roms joined compatriot Sami Seliö at the Mad Croc team, replacing Davide Padovan. Ivan Brigada, having raced on one occasion for the Singha F1 Team in 2011, moved to the new Caudwell team for 2012 to partner South African Brett Stuart. At the first race of the year in Qatar, Khalid Al Shamlan made a one-off appearance at his home event for the Qatar Team alongside Carella and Torrente. After the race however, Rhys Coles left Team Sweden. Having driven for them for the latter half of 2011, he had been retained for 2012, but parted ways following the Qatar race. In the lead up to the fourth race of the season in China, then-championship leader Ahmed Al Hameli was diagnosed with a brain tumour, undergoing successful surgery in the US, but was forced to miss the Chinese round. His replacement was fellow Emirati Majed Al Mansoori.MANSOORI REPLACES AL HAMELI http://raceboatinternational.com/archive/index.php?id=704 Raceboat International 1 October 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20160203204451/http://raceboatinternational.com/archive/index.php?id=704 3 February 2016 dead dmy-all It would later transpire that Al Hameli would miss the remainder of the season. At the same race, Bimba Sjoholm made history by ensuring that two women would start an F1 Powerboat World Championship race for the first time when she drove the second Team Sweden boat that had been vacated since Rhys Coles left the team. She drove a brand new Molgaard hull, with teammate Jonas Andersson having debuted his at the previous race in Ukraine, switching from his previous BaBa. Following the race in China, Shaun Torrente had his Superlicence withdrawn by the UIM and banned for the next two races after his sixth crash in just ten races, this time also forcing Sami Seliö into retirement, and thus all but ending the Finn's championship hopes.UIM Withdraws Torrente's Licence http://www.f1h2o.com/post/uim-withdraws-torrente-s-licence F1H2O 3 October 2012 16 November 2012 Two weeks before the Abu Dhabi race, fellow American Terry Rinker was announced as Torrente's replacement. As the season entered its final stages, further changes took place throughout the field. Prior to the race in Abu Dhabi, the penultimate round of the season, along with Rinker, a further five new drivers came into the series. Team Sweden announced that recently crowned double F2 champion Erik Stark would replace Bimba Sjoholm for the rest of the year. In addition, Malcolm Goodman returned to F1 as British F2 champion having had a previous outing in 2009, and would race for the new Dragon F1 Team. Jay Price made his return to the series having left the Qatar Team following the 2011 season in acrimonious circumstances, entering with the other new team, Skydive Dubai, whilst fellow American and multiple champion Scott Gillman returned to the cockpit in a third Team Abu Dhabi boat.Hall-Of-Fame Member Scott Gillman To Return To Racing! http://www.f1h2o.com/post/hall-of-fame-member-scott-gillman-to-return-to-racing F1H2O 23 November 2012 29 November 2012 Gillman initially intended to trial a new Hartley four stroke V8 engine but later abandoned the experiment prior to qualifying, instead reverting to the normal Mercury two stroke. Finally for Abu Dhabi, Xiong Ziwei became only the second Chinese driver to enter an F1 powerboat race, driving a third boat for the CTIC China Team. For the final round of the year in Sharjah, Team Abu Dhabi went back to a two boat team, after the difficulties with the Hartley four stroke engine. Scott Gillman continued on with driving duties though, replacing Majed Al Mansoori in the No. 6 boat for his third race start in five years. Season calendar thumb|300px|Countries that hosted F1 Powerboat races in 2012, shown in green. Former host nations are shown in pink. Initial plans for the 2012 season included an expanded calendar of nine events, two more than 2011. The round at Portimao was dropped, with new races planned for Venice, St Petersburg, and Perth. Following the first race at Doha, on 23 March, an amended calendar was released with just five further confirmed races, and an additional event in November still to be finalised. Ultimately however, the calendar was further shortened to six races when plans for the expected fifth round were abandoned, with the date removed from the series' official website in late October. Round Race title Date Circuit location Race winner Hull/Engine 1 QAT 9th Grand Prix of Qatar 10 March Doha UAE Ahmed Al Hameli BaBa/Mercury 2 RUS 2nd Grand Prix of Tatarstan 23 June Kazan ITA Alex Carella DAC/Mercury 3 UKR 2nd Grand Prix of Ukraine 21 July Vyshhorod FIN Sami Seliö BaBa/Mercury 4 CHN 16th Grand Prix of China 2 October Liuzhou ITA Alex Carella DAC/Mercury 5 UAE 20th Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 30 November Abu Dhabi ITA Alex Carella DAC/Mercury 6 UAE 13th Grand Prix of Sharjah 7 December Sharjah UAE Thani Al Qamzi BaBa/Mercury Results and standings Points were awarded to the top 10 classified finishers. A maximum of two boats per team were eligible for points in the teams' championship. Position  1st   2nd   3rd   4th   5th   6th   7th   8th   9th   10th  Points 20 15 12 9 7 5 4 3 2 1 Drivers standings Pos Driver QATQAT RUSRUS UKRUKR CHNCHN ABUUAE SHAUAE Points 1 ITA Alex Carella 5 1 3 1 1 Ret 79 2 FRA Philippe Chiappe 2 3 4 3 4 6 62 3 UAE Thani Al Qamzi Ret 6 6 2 2 1 60 4 FIN Sami Seliö 3 4 1 Ret 3 5 60 5 UAE Ahmed Al Hameli 1 2 2 50 6 ITA Francesco Cantando 6 Ret 5 4 6 3 38 7 SWE Jonas Andersson Ret 5 8 Ret 5 4 26 8 USA Terry Rinker 8 2 18 9 RUS Stanislav Kourtsenovsky 8 7 Ret 7 9 Ret 13 10 KUW Youssef Al Rubayan Ret Ret 7 5 Ret Ret 11 11 USA Shaun Torrente 4 Ret 10 Ret 10 12 FIN Filip Roms 7 DNS Ret 8 10 9 10 13 NOR Marit Strømøy Ret Ret Ret 10 7 8 8 14 ITA Valerio Lagiannella 10 8 9 12 Ret 6 15 UAE Majed Al Mansoori 6 13 5 16 USA Scott Gillman Ret 7 4 17 POR Duarte Benavente DSQ Ret 9 Ret 11 DNS 2 18 FRA Philippe Toure Ret 9 Ret DNS Ret Ret 2 19 QAT Khalid Al Shamlan 9 2 20 ITA Ivan Brigada DNS Ret Ret Ret 14 10 1 21 RSA Brett Stuart Ret Ret Ret 11 16 DNS 0 22 CHN Xiong Ziwei Ret 11 0 23 SUI Rinaldo Osculati Ret Ret Ret Ret 15 12 0 24 USA Jay Price Ret Ret 0 25 GBR Malcolm Goodman Ret Ret 0 26 SWE Erik Stark Ret Ret 0 27 AUS Rhys Coles Ret 0 28 SWE Bimba Sjoholm Ret 0 Teams standings Only boats with results eligible for points counting towards the teams' championship are shown here. Pos Team BoatNo. QATQAT RUSRUS UKRUKR CHNCHN ABUUAE SHAUAE Points 1 UAE Team Abu Dhabi 5 Ret 6 6 2 2 1 119 6 1 2 2 6 13 7 2 QAT Qatar Team 1 5 1 3 1 1 Ret 107 2 4 Ret 10 Ret 8 2 3 CHN CTIC China Team 7 2 3 4 3 4 6 75 8 8 7 Ret 7 9 Ret 4 ITA Mad Croc F1 Team 11 3 4 1 Ret 3 5 70 12 7 DNS Ret 8 10 9 5 ITA Singha F1 Racing Team 23 10 8 9 12 Ret 44 24 6 Ret 5 4 6 3 6 SWE Team Sweden 14 Ret 5 8 Ret 5 4 26 15 Ret Ret Ret Ret 7 USA Team Nautica 3 Ret Ret Ret Ret 15 12 8 4 Ret Ret Ret 10 7 8 8 POR F1 Atlantic Team 9 Ret 9 Ret DNS Ret Ret 4 10 DSQ Ret 9 Ret 11 DNS 9 RSA Caudwell Racing 25 DNS Ret Ret Ret 14 10 1 26 Ret Ret Ret 11 16 DNS 10 UAE Skydive Dubai 33 Ret Ret 0 11 GBR Dragon F1 Team 22 Ret Ret 0 References 2 External links The official website of the UIM F1 H2O World Championship The official website of the Union Internationale Motonautique F1 Powerboat World Championship Category:Formula 1 Powerboat seasons F1 Powerboat World Championship