He revived his hopes of preserving the world championship title
And problems haunting the Abu Dhabi team’s powerboats .
Yesterday, Swedish world champion Jonas Andersson, captain of boat No. 1, won the Sharjah Grand Prix race, the first of the two rounds holding the conclusion of the Formula 1 World Powerboat Championship, which will be hosted by Khalid Lake in the Emirate of Sharjah until tomorrow, Sunday, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Muhammad Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, Chairman of the Executive Council of the Sharjah Government, and organized by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, with the participation of 18 elite drivers from around the world.
Anderson succeeded in finishing the 38-lap, 78 kilometers race course, which extended along Khalid Lake, in first place, 8.5 seconds ahead of the Finnish runner-up Sami Celio, captain of the Sharjah team’s boat No. 11, while third place went to the Polish Bartek Marsalek, captain of boat No. 77, which was a personal best for Batrek this season.
The Swede Anderson revived his hopes of preserving the title he achieved last season as world champion, after his victory in the Sharjah Grand Prix by 20 points, which was enough to reduce the difference to three points between him and the current championship leader, American Sean Torrente, captain of the Abu Dhabi boat No. 6, who paid an expensive price due to electrical faults and poor engine performance in the last lap, and went from being the runner-up into finishing in sixth place.
The result of the race was also harsh on the Abu Dhabi team, especially with the driver of boat No. 5, Thani Al Qamzi, who lacked the sufficient competitive performance to compensate for his late start from ninth place, only to finish the race in seventh place, which lead him to give up the runner-up position in the world championship ranking this season and retreating to third place with 59 points, leaving the runner-up position to the Swede Anderson with 66 points, only 10 points behind his teammate in the Abu Dhabi team, Sean Torrente, who scored 69 points.
The top three of the general standings, Torrente, Anderson, and Al Qamzi, transferred the identification papers to tomorrow, Sunday, for the final round (The Road to Sharjah – Middle East Award) of the World Championship 2022, for the opportunity to win, and 20 additional points up for grabs, which will determine the features of the championship.
Recourse : Sharjah commrece & Tourism Development Authority .
