Oryx Cup winner Jimmy Shane (centre rear) with Jon Zimmerman (left rear) and Steve David (right rear) on the podium with Qatar Marine Sports Federation President Sheikh Hassan, Sami Abu Shaikha and H1’s Sam Cole during the 2013 Oryx Cup UIM World Championship final on Doha Bay yesterday.Picture By: Bill Osborne
DOHA: It was a case of déjà vu in slightly easier circumstances for Jimmy Shane and his U-5 Graham Trucking team, who snatched a straightforward victory in the 2013 Oryx Cup UIM World Championship final in Doha Bay yesterday.
No driver had ever won the Oryx Cup twice and Shane duly re-wrote the history books with his second win in the space of a month when he cruised to a comfortable triumph once main rival Steve David was penalised a lap before the start for making a premature move on his rival to take the inside line on the back straight of the pre-race warm-up lap.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more,” said Shane, who didn’t have a full-time H1 ride until 18 months ago.
“I will be a father for the first time in three and a half months time and to win here in Qatar twice in less than two months is a superb start to the year for me.”
It was a disappointing finale to the week’s racing for Kip Brown in U-95 Spirit of Qatar. He was forced out of the race before the start with engine problems.
In the previous four Oryx Cup UIM World Championship races there had never been a double winner.
J Michael Kelly won the inaugural race in 2009, Dave Villwock was triumphant in 2010 for the Spirit of Qatar Team and Scott Liddycoat and Jimmy Shane won in 2011 and 2012.
Tom Thompson, who had been injured in that spectacular crash involving U-11 Miss Peters & May and U-21 Snoqualmie Casino on Saturday afternoon, had been released from hospital and was able to watch the action unfold.
Steve David made a better start to heat 4A than great rival Jimmy Shane and he never looked back from them on.
The U-1 Oh Boy! Oberto driver, from Lighthouse Point in Florida, accelerated away from his young rival to claim his third heat win of the week. Shane finished well ahead of third-placed Jon Zimmerman.
A jumpstart cost J Michael Kelly any chance of winning heat 4B in U-37 Miss Beacon Plumbing and Kip Brown was able to cruise to the chequered flag and confirm his second heat win of the weekend, with Kelly coming home in third behind Mark Evans before being disqualified for a fuel violation.
The Oryx Cup UIM World Championship was 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. On the final podium, H1 chairman Sam Cole also signed a five-year deal with Sheikh Hassan to continue to run the Oryx Cup in Doha until 2018.
THE PENINSULA
