Doha: The Oryx Cup UIM World Championship’s fourth heats and final will take place today at the Corniche.
The race will form part of the Qatar National Sports Day celebrations. The 2013 Oryx Cup UIM World Championship kicked off the new season of H1 racing on February 7 in Qatar.
The 2013 Air National Guard Hydroplane Championship roared into life, less than a month since Qatar hosted the last Oryx Cup UIM World Championship, the finale to the 2012 season.
After the disappointment of losing U-1 Spirit of Qatar to an accident in one of the race heats at the start of January, Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al Thani, president of the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF), has been in discussion with U-1 team owner Erick Ellstrom of Ellstrom Racing and agreed to support the challenge of Kip Brown and Our Gang Racing in the 2013 Oryx Cup.
Damage done to the U-1 boat, which has been renumbered as U-96 Spirit of Qatar for the new season, was extensive and it was doubtful whether Dave Villwock would have been able to make the start of the Qatar races in any case.
In the four-year history of the Oryx Cup, no driver has ever won the trophy twice. J. Michael Kelly won the inaugural race in 2009, Dave Villwock was triumphant in 2010, Scott Liddycoat took the chequered flag in 2011 and rookie Jimmy Shane stunned defending National High Points champion Steve David to secure the 2012 Oryx Cup last month.
The Penisula
