2012 F1 Powerboat World Championship

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2012 F1 Powerboat World Championship
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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, [1] 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. [2] 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. [3]

Contents

Teams and drivers

TeamHullEngineNo.Race driversRounds
Flag of Qatar.svg Qatar TeamDAC Mercury 2.5 V6 1 Flag of Italy.svg Alex Carella All
2 Flag of the United States.svg Shaun Torrente1–4
Flag of the United States.svg Terry Rinker [4] 5–6
13 Flag of Qatar.svg Khalid Al Shamlan1
Flag of the United States.svg Team NauticaBaBa Mercury 2.5 V6 3 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Rinaldo OsculatiAll
4 Flag of Norway.svg Marit Strømøy All
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Team Abu DhabiBaBa Mercury 2.5 V6 5 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Thani Al QamziAll
6 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Ahmed Al Hameli1–3
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Majed Al Mansoori [5] 4–5
Flag of the United States.svg Scott Gillman 6
27 Flag of the United States.svg Scott Gillman 1 5
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CTIC China TeamMoore Mercury 2.5 V6 7 Flag of France.svg Philippe Chiappe All
DAC8 Flag of Russia.svg Stanislav KourtsenovskyAll
81 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Xiong Ziwei [6] 5–6
Flag of Portugal.svg F1 Atlantic TeamBaBa Mercury 2.5 V6 9 Flag of France.svg Philippe TourreAll
10 Flag of Portugal.svg Duarte BenaventeAll
DAC19 Flag of Kuwait.svg Youssef Al Rubayan [7] All
Flag of Italy.svg Mad Croc F1 TeamBaBa Mercury 2.5 V6 11 Flag of Finland.svg Sami Seliö All
12 Flag of Finland.svg Filip RomsAll
Flag of Sweden.svg Team SwedenBaBa Mercury 2.5 V6 14 Flag of Sweden.svg Jonas Andersson1–2
Molgaard3–6
DAC15 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Rhys Coles1
Molgaard Flag of Sweden.svg Bimba Sjoholm [8] 4
Flag of Sweden.svg Erik Stark [9] 5–6
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dragon F1 Team [10] Dragon Mercury 2.5 V6 22 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Malcolm Goodman5–6
Flag of Italy.svg Singha F1 Racing TeamDAC Mercury 2.5 V6 23 Flag of Italy.svg Valerio Lagiannella1–2, 4–6
Blaze24 Flag of Italy.svg Francesco CantandoAll
Flag of South Africa.svg Caudwell Racing [11] CaudwellCaudwell 3.5 V6 [12] 25 Flag of Italy.svg Ivan BrigadaAll
26 Flag of South Africa.svg Brett StuartAll
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Skydive Dubai [13] BaBa Mercury 2.5 V6 33 Flag of the United States.svg Jay Price 5–6
Key
Regular boat/driver
Boat ineligible for team points

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, [15] making history by introducing four-stroke engines into the series which had been dominated in recent times by the two-stroke Mercury engines. [11] The revolutionary engine was based on an Infiniti road car engine and featured Cosworth pistons and conrods in its design. [16]

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. [17] 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, [10] and a second Emirati-based team, Skydive Dubai joined the series, with 2008 champion Jay Price, having last competed themselves in 2009. [13] [18]

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. [19] 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 [7] 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. [20] 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. [8]

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. [21] Two weeks before the Abu Dhabi race, fellow American Terry Rinker was announced as Torrente's replacement. [4]

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. [9] 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. [10] 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, [13] whilst fellow American and multiple champion Scott Gillman returned to the cockpit in a third Team Abu Dhabi boat. [22] 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. [14] 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. [6]

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

Countries that hosted F1 Powerboat races in 2012, shown in green. Former host nations are shown in pink. Countries with F1 Powerboat races in 2012.png
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. [1] 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. [2] 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.

RoundRace TitleDateCircuit LocationRace WinnerHull/Engine
1 Flag of Qatar.svg 9th Grand Prix of Qatar10 March Doha Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Ahmed Al HameliBaBa/Mercury
2 Flag of Russia.svg 2nd Grand Prix of Tatarstan23 June Kazan Flag of Italy.svg Alex Carella DAC/Mercury
3 Flag of Ukraine.svg 2nd Grand Prix of Ukraine21 July Vyshhorod Flag of Finland.svg Sami Seliö BaBa/Mercury
4 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 16th Grand Prix of China2 October Liuzhou Flag of Italy.svg Alex Carella DAC/Mercury
5 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg 20th Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi30 November Abu Dhabi Flag of Italy.svg Alex Carella DAC/Mercury
6 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg 13th Grand Prix of Sharjah7 December Sharjah Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Thani Al QamziBaBa/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 
Points2015129754321

Drivers standings

PosDriverQAT
Flag of Qatar.svg
RUS
Flag of Russia.svg
UKR
Flag of Ukraine.svg
CHN
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
ABU
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
SHA
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
Points
1 Flag of Italy.svg Alex Carella 51311Ret79
2 Flag of France.svg Philippe Chiappe 23434662
3 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Thani Al QamziRet6622160
4 Flag of Finland.svg Sami Seliö 341Ret3560
5 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Ahmed Al Hameli12250
6 Flag of Italy.svg Francesco Cantando6Ret546338
7 Flag of Sweden.svg Jonas AnderssonRet58Ret5426
8 Flag of the United States.svg Terry Rinker 8218
9 Flag of Russia.svg Stanislav Kourtsenovsky87Ret79Ret13
10 Flag of Kuwait.svg Youssef Al RubayanRetRet75RetRet11
11 Flag of the United States.svg Shaun Torrente4Ret10Ret10
12 Flag of Finland.svg Filip Roms7DNSRet810910
13 Flag of Norway.svg Marit Strømøy RetRetRet10788
14 Flag of Italy.svg Valerio Lagiannella108912Ret6
15 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Majed Al Mansoori6135
16 Flag of the United States.svg Scott Gillman Ret74
17 Flag of Portugal.svg Duarte BenaventeDSQRet9Ret11DNS2
18 Flag of France.svg Philippe ToureRet9RetDNSRetRet2
19 Flag of Qatar.svg Khalid Al Shamlan92
20 Flag of Italy.svg Ivan BrigadaDNSRetRetRet14101
21 Flag of South Africa.svg Brett StuartRetRetRet1116DNS0
22 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Xiong ZiweiRet110
23 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Rinaldo OsculatiRetRetRetRet15120
24 Flag of the United States.svg Jay Price RetRet0
25 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Malcolm GoodmanRetRet0
26 Flag of Sweden.svg Erik StarkRetRet0
27 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Rhys ColesRet0
28 Flag of Sweden.svg Bimba SjoholmRet0
Key
ColourResult
GoldWinner
SilverSecond place
BronzeThird place
GreenOther points position
BlueOther classified position
Not classified, finished (NC)
PurpleNot classified, retired (Ret)
RedDid not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
BlackDisqualified (DSQ)
WhiteDid not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
BlankDid not practice (DNP)
Excluded (EX)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Withdrawn (WD)
Did not enter (cell empty)
Text formattingMeaning
Bold Pole position
Italics Fastest lap


Teams standings

Only boats with results eligible for points counting towards the teams' championship are shown here.

PosTeamBoat
No.
QAT
Flag of Qatar.svg
RUS
Flag of Russia.svg
UKR
Flag of Ukraine.svg
CHN
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg
ABU
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
SHA
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg
Points
1 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Team Abu Dhabi5Ret66221119
61226137
2 Flag of Qatar.svg Qatar Team151311Ret107
24Ret10Ret82
3 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg CTIC China Team723434675
887Ret79Ret
4 Flag of Italy.svg Mad Croc F1 Team11341Ret3570
127DNSRet8109
5 Flag of Italy.svg Singha F1 Racing Team23108912Ret44
246Ret5463
6 Flag of Sweden.svg Team Sweden14Ret58Ret5426
15RetRetRetRet
7 Flag of the United States.svg Team Nautica3RetRetRetRet15128
4RetRetRet1078
8 Flag of Portugal.svg F1 Atlantic Team9Ret9RetDNSRetRet4
10DSQRet9Ret11DNS
9 Flag of South Africa.svg Caudwell Racing25DNSRetRetRet14101
26RetRetRet1116DNS
10 Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Skydive Dubai33RetRet0
11 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dragon F1 Team22RetRet0
Key
ColourResult
GoldWinner
SilverSecond place
BronzeThird place
GreenOther points position
BlueOther classified position
Not classified, finished (NC)
PurpleNot classified, retired (Ret)
RedDid not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
BlackDisqualified (DSQ)
WhiteDid not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
BlankDid not practice (DNP)
Excluded (EX)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Withdrawn (WD)
Did not enter (cell empty)
Text formattingMeaning
Bold Pole position
Italics Fastest lap


References

  1. 1 2 "Advance Regulations 2012". Union Internationale Motonautique . Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  2. 1 2 "2012 Calendar News – 23 March update" (PDF). Union Internationale Motonautique . 23 March 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  3. "Carella Wins 2nd Straight Title With Win in Abu Dhabi!". F1H2O. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  4. 1 2 "RINKER REPLACES TORRENTE IN QATAR F1 TEAM". Raceboat International. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  5. "Versatile Al-Mansoori Fills in for Al Hameli in China!". F1H2O. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  6. 1 2 "Xiong "Leo" Ziwei To Get First Taste of F1 Racing!". F1H2O. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Atlantic Team Adds Yousef Al Rubayan to it's[sic] 2012 Line-Up!". F1H2O. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Historic Weekend in F1 With Two Women Racing in China!". F1H2O. 30 September 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  9. 1 2 "F2 "Dominator" Steps Up To Join Team Sweden in the Emirates!". F1H2O. 6 November 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 "Britain's Malcolm Goodman Ready for a New Challenge". F1H2O. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  11. 1 2 "South Africa's Caudwell Racing Brings 4-Stroke Technology To F1!". F1H2O. 25 February 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  12. Ray Bulman (27 February 2012). "New engines for Formula 1 H2O powerboats". Motorboat & Yachting. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  13. 1 2 3 "It's Official – Jay Price Returning To F1!". F1H2O. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  14. 1 2 "GILLMAN'S FOUR STROKE TOO POWERFUL FOR BABA". Raceboat International. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  15. "Four Stroke join F1 Next Year". F1H2O. 24 June 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  16. "Caudwell Racing Technology". Caudwell Racing. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  17. "German Kalsow Still Dreaming of Returning to F1h2O!". F1H2O. 2 May 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  18. "PRICE AND CARELLA MEET AGAIN". Raceboat International. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  19. "Jay Price Turns in Resignation with Qatar Team!". F1H2O. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  20. "MANSOORI REPLACES AL HAMELI". Raceboat International. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  21. "UIM Withdraws Torrente's Licence". F1H2O. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  22. "Hall-Of-Fame Member Scott Gillman To Return To Racing!". F1H2O. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2012.