UIM CLASS 1 WORLD POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP
EMIRATES/DUBAI DUTY FREE DUBAI GRAND PRIX
DUBAI, U.A.E., 9 - 11 DECEMBER 2010
EDOX POLE POSITION - ROUND 6

WELMAX WIN EDOX POLE POSITION

CHAMPIONSHIP IN STYLE Friday, 10 December, DUBAI (UAE): Norwegians Kolbjorn Selmer and Jorn Tandberg produced a blistering lap in today's official qualifying for race 1 of the Emirates/Dubai Duty Free Dubai Grand Prix to become the first all-Norwegian pairing to win the Edox Pole Position Championship.

The Welmax crew said after yesterday's practice session that they would not hold back and needed just one lap to take their fifth consecutive win of the season, posting a time of 2mins 35.10secs around the 4.08Nm circuit. "It is an excellent feeling," said wheel-man Selmer. "The plan was to get a good lap in early. I didn't realise we were that fast but it felt like a very good lap. We did everything right on the inside and on the outside in the swell you can only go so fast."

Despite a valia! nt effort to spoil the Norwegian celebrations by stealing pole position from Welmax in the closing seconds, Fazza's Arif Al Zafeen and Nadir Bin Hendi once again had to settle for second place. "We had a problem in the morning so missed practice. We tried some new set-ups but it was a little bumpy and got worse, so we were a little unlucky. Now we will focus on the next two races to try to win the Middle East title."

Team Abu Dhabi's Rashed Al Tayer and John Tomlinson came out on top of a nail-biting, three-way-fight, for the remaining podium slot between Negotiator and MITI/Giorgioffshore to grab their third straight qualifying podium since teaming-up in Italy.

Despite an electrical problem early in the session, Negotiator's Luca Fendi and Giovanni Carpitella's fourth fastest time moved the team into third place overall in the Edox Pole Position Championship.

Tomaso Polli and Nicola Giorgi were unlucky to miss out, by just tenths of a secon! d, on a top three finish in the ever-improving MITI/GiorgiOffshore aft er the boat started taking on water in the engine bay. Relekta's Christian Zaborowski was far from happy with their sixth place stating that they just made too many mistakes. Skydive 2010 finished in seventh, with GSG Ceramic Design failing to start the session after breaking an engine earlier in practice after they had posted the second quickest time.

EMIRATES/DUBAI DUTY FREE DUBAI GRAND PRIX, EDOX POLE POSITION - Results

1. Welmax - K Selmer (NOR) / J Tandberg (NOR) - 02.35,10
2. Fazza - A Al Zafeen (UAE) / N Bin Hendi (UAE) - 02.37,01
3. Team Abu Dhabi - R Al Tayer (UAE) / J Tomlinson (USA) - 02.40,14
4. Negotiator - L Formilli Fendi (ITA) / G Carpitella (ITA) - 02.40,28
5. MITI/GiorgiOffshore - T Polli (ITA) / N Giorgi (ITA) - 02.40,89
6. Relekta - P Gaiser (BRA) / C Zaborowski (NOR) - 02.44,40
7. Skydive 2010 - G Manuzzi (SMR) / M Al Marri - 02.54,67
GSG Ceramic Design - G Cappellini (ITA) / G Montavoci (ITA) - D! NS

EDOX POLE POSITION CHAMPIONSHIP - after round 6 of 6

1. Welmax - 115pts 2. Fazza - 95pts 3. Negotiator - 44pts 4. Skydive Dubai - 42pts 5. Team Abu Dhabi - 36pts 6. Relekta - 28pts 7. GiorgiOffshore - 22pts 8. GSG Ceramic Design - 19pts 9. Victory 2010 - 13pts 10. Welmax Alianza - 7pts 11. Foresti & Suardi SCAM - 5pts