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Veteran Emirati driver closes gap on Abu Dhabi teammate Torrent with victory in Italy’s Sardenia Regional Grand Prix
Thani Al Qemzi of Abu Dhabi. — photos provided
Abu Dhabi’s Thani Al Qemzi won the Sardinian Regional Grand Prix in Italy on Sunday, setting the stage for an exciting climax to the 2022 UAE UIM F1H2O World Championship.
The experienced Emirati driver broke the pole position record by leading from start to finish in Olbia 24 hours ago, ahead of reigning Swedish world champion Jonas Andersson by 2.97 seconds.
The result put Al Qemzi within nine points of his Abu Dhabi team-mate and championship leader Shaun Torrente, who secured a third podium position to keep him on the verge of 2nd. Three F1H2O Drivers’ Championships in contention.
It all brought a fascinating climax to Sharjah’s season, with the championship coming to a close with back-to-back Grand Prix races on December 16-18, with Anderson finishing third behind Al Qemzi by nine points.
Chasing his first world drivers crown in a 22-year career, Al Qemzi is already on track for a fifth consecutive constructors’ title with Torrente as the Abu Dhabi duo lead Sweden by 63 points.
The Emirati has earned his place in qualifying by setting the first sub-30 second lap time in modern F1H2O jet ski history and taking pole position.
A good start was crucial on one of the shortest circuits in the championship, and Al Qemzi rose to the challenge to keep Alberto Comparato out in the first round for a clear lead.
A yellow flag came quickly when Finn Kalle Viippo turned out, but Al Qemzi made a good start at the restart and gradually widened the lead behind him as the battle for other podium spots went on.
Andersson passed Comparato in second place with a clever overtaking maneuver on lap 19, and 10 laps later the young Italian lost third place to a mechanical problem under the pressure of Torrente.
However, Al Qemzi had no problems as he had been performing well all the way up to the checkered flag. Meanwhile, the misfortune continued for Sharjah’s Sami Selio, who was out with technical problems after 59 of 70 laps.
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