As the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) F1 H2O World Championship heads to Brazil for the first time in 30 seasons of competition next weekend (June 1-2), the Qatar Team—led by two-time defending points champion Alex Carella of Italy and American driver Shaun Torrente—has high hopes once again for the 2013 season.
Shaun Torrente hopes to help the Qatar Team win its third-straight F1 H2O World Championship this season.“Our team is going into the opener in Brazil with a focus on trying to win our third championship in a row,” said Torrente, whose 2012 season ended early (read the story) after the UIM withdrew his provisional super license after a crash at the Grand Prix of China in October—his license was reinstated for 2013. “It’s going to be good to get back in the boat, that’s for sure. For me Brazil is more about staying in the race and scoring good points. Obviously we want to win, but I have to race smarter and think about the whole year.”
Torrente, who leaves for Brazil on Monday, said the team had a successful testing session in Italy in early April (read the story) and he expects that to translate onto the racecourse on Brasilia’s Lake Paranoá despite the drastic change in elevation. The average elevation of the lake is more than 3,000 feet above sea level.
Qatar Team driver Shaun Torrente is excited about the season opener in Brazil.
“Most of the time we race at or near sea level so this race is going to be different,” Torrente said. “We’re expecting about an 8- to 12-percent power loss depending on weather conditions. The good thing is that all teams have the disadvantage, and we—our crew chief Brendan Power and me—have some experience from racing in Windsor, Colo., where the elevation is above 5,000 feet.”
Torrente will be joined by his wife, Flavia, who will be providing speedonthewater.com with some behind-the-scenes photos of the racing as well as their trip to Brazil. The race in Brasilia, the country’s capital, is the first series event ever in South America and only the second race in the Southern Hemisphere. The only other Southern Hemisphere F1 H2O event was in South Africa back in 1992.
On a quest for a third-straight championship, one thing’s for sure, the Qatar Team will bring it’s A-game to inaugural Grand Prix of Brazil, which becomes the 32nd country to host the exciting racing series.
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