Team Abu Dhabi aim to bounce back

abu dhabi — Team Abu Dhabi’s Alex Carella will be hoping to bounce back strongly from his accident in Harbin last month, when he tackles this weekend’s Grand Prix of Liuzhou, round five of the 2016 UIM F1 H2O World Championship, on the Liu River in China.

The Liuzhou round is from October 1 to 3. The former leader of the drivers’ championship lost ground on his main rivals by failing to pick up any points on Harbin’s Hulan Estuary Wetland Park course and knows that a podium finish is an absolute must on the Liu River if he is to remain in title contention heading to the final two rounds of the series in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in December.

Following Carella’s retirement in Harbin and team-mate Thani Al Qamzi’s disqualification from 10th position for a lane violation at the start of the first of the two back-to-back Chinese races, Team

My job is in the cockpit of the racing boat. I am focused, fit and counting the hours to the start

Alex Carella

Abu Dhabi has also lost ground on the CTIC China Team, Baba Racing and the Victory Team in the UIM F1 H2O Teams’ Championship. Carella does, however, lead the UIM F1 H2O Pole Position Championship by 15 points.

“The crash has made me more determined than ever to get back on track with the win in Liuzhou,” said Carella. “My job is in the cockpit of the racing boat. I am focused, fit and counting the hours to the start.”

Five drivers have moved clear of the chasing pack and are clear favourites to win the 2016 world title. Defending double World Champion Philippe Chiappe tops the points with 52 and currently lies seven clear of Shaun Torrente of the Victory Team.