DOHA: Jon Zimmerman, Steve David, Kip Brown and Jimmy Shane shared a win apiece in the second and third pairs of race heats at the 2013 Oryx Cup UIM World Championship in Doha Bay yesterday.
The racing timetable was delayed when U-11 Miss Peter & May’s Tom Thompson suffered a broken arm in a spectacular first turn collision with Brian Perkins in U-21 Snoqualmie Casino and had to be rescued from his inverted hydroplane after the first turn of lap two.
“I saw him (Thompson) coming towards me at speed from the inside and there was nothing I could do to get out of the way,” said an obviously shaken Perkins, as both boats were eliminated from the rest of the day’s racing.
Zimmerman was a convincing winner of the re-run of heat 2A. “My crew chief doesn’t smile that often and it was great to put a smile on his face,” joked the U-9 driver.
David was handed victory in 2B when Shane was adjudged to have made contact with David’s U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto in the final turn of their thrilling three-lap race.
“He hooked in, moved out, just clipped me and got a penalty,” said David.
Kip Brown confirmed his first ever heat win for the Spirit of Qatar Team with a convincing performance at the helm of U-95 in heat 3A.
“It is a great feeling to take my first heat win in the colours of the Spirit of Qatar team here in Doha Bay,” said a delighted Brown.
Shane exacted revenge for his second heat disappointment by fending off the determined David challenge in heat 3B, the Maryland driver reaching the finish less than a boat length in front of David’s flying U-1.
It meant that each of the day’s four heats had been won by a different driver.
The Oryx Cup UIM World Championship is organised by the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), which runs under the presidency of Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al Thani, in conjunction with H1 Unlimited.
THE PENINSULA
