LIUZHOU, China // Team Abu Dhabi's Thani al Qamzi and Ahmed al Hameli will be hoping to bounce back from a disappointing Linyi race in China, when they tackle the fourth round of the UIM F1 World Championship in Liuzhou this weekend. Technical problems have seen al Qamzi and al Hameli slip to fifth and sixth positions in the UIM F1 drivers' points standings and a strong performance on the Liu River course on Sunday afternoon is crucial if the Team Abu Dhabi pair are to close the gap on the joint championship leaders, Italy's Alex Carella and Finland's Sami Selio, of the Mad Croc team.
Al Qamzi trails the Italian and the Finn by 11 points and realises the importance of a podium finish in Liuzhou, especially with 20 points available to the winner and 15 to the runner-up. Al Hameli is 15 points adrift of the Mad Croc pair, but has the consolation of holding second place in the UIM F1 Pole Position Championship, just two points behind Selio. Tim Seebold, the American racer who joined Team Abu Dhabi for the race in Linyi, finished sixth on his debut with the team and will be aiming to build on that initial showing.
The Liuzhou race weekend will also mark the second appearance of the F4 boats in a pair of their own practice sessions, a time trial and two 20-minute races on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. * Agency