TEAM ABU DHABI STARS CHASE DOUBLE WORLD TITLE BOOST IN CHINA
Team Abu Dhabis bid for a double title success in the 2019 UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship arrives at a significant stage in China this weekend when Rashid Al Mulla and Rashed Al Tayer go for definitive victories.
Reigning world free-form champion Al Mulla, holding an important 12-point lead over Italian Roberto Mariani at the top of the standings, will hope to stretch out his remarkable winning sequence to a ninth progressive Grand Prix in Qingdao on China's Yellow Sea coast.
If he can do that, the last round in Sharjah in December could turn into a convention for the Emirati, in spite of the fact that team-mate Al Tayer has a lot more to do if he is to capture the blue riband Runabout GP1 crown.
After starting the series with his first Grand Prix success in Portugal back in May to grab a share of the championship lead, Al Tayer arrives in China two points behind the current front runner, Denmarks Marcus Jorgensen, ahead of Fridays pole position race.
I said before the beginning of the season that my goal is to win the world title, and that hasnt transformed, he said. Its will be intense, however I realize I showed in Portugal that I can take a Grand Prix and I know what I need to do to win again in China.
The way that their ordinary fuel isn't accessible in China causes some concern for Team Abu Dhabi, and Al Mulla confesses to feeling a little nervous about the impact on his bikes performance.
Else, he remains especially confident about the development to todays (Thursday) pole position action, and rates avoiding mistakes in his daily schedule and an ability to accept more risks as the fundamental advantages he holds over his rivals.
The greatest contrast is that I get a lot of height and do a lot of scary tricks, but I dont commit errors, says Al Mulla, whose training system sees him out on the water for at least five hours a day, four times a week.
Finishing the Team Abu Dhabi challenge in China is Salman Al Awadhi who comes back to action in the Ski Division GP1 after finishing runner-up in the Runabout GP2 championship in Portugal in June.
UIM-ABP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
RUNABOUT GP1
1. Marcus Jorgensen (UAE) 71
2. Rashed Al Tayer (UAE) 69
2. Andrezej Wisniewski (PL) 69
4. Jeremy Perez (FR) 65
5. Anton Pankratov (EE) 61
6. Samuel Johansson (SE) 58
7. Yousef Al Abdulrazzaq (KW) 54
8. Christophe Agostinho (PT) 49
FREESTYLE
1. Rashid Al Mulla (UAE) 100
2. Roberto Mariani (IT) 88
3. Sergey Chemezov (RU) 71
3. Niels Willems (BE) 71
5. Jaroslav Tirner (CZ) 70
6. Alexander Kuramshin (RU) 63
7. Paulo Nunes (PT) 53
8. Vladislav Vorobev (RU) 51
