SHARJAH // His task might be an onerous one, but Victory Team’s Shaun Torrente has not given up hopes of edging two-time defending champion Philippe Chiappe in their battle for the 2016 UIM F1H2O World Champion crown when they go head-to-head in the seventh and final round of the series in Sharjah this weekend.
French veteran Chiappe, who is driving for the CTIC China F1 Team, leads the championship table with 82 points and needs only one point in Sharjah to retain his title and become only the third driver, after Guido Cappellini and Alex Carella, in the sport’s 33-year history to complete a trio of titles.
Chiappe, however, was adamant he will go all out to win the race instead of playing safe.
“I am not going to race for just one point,” Chiappe said. “For sure, I will race for victory.”
The Florida-based Torrente, who has finished in the top three in each of the past three seasons, is second in the drivers’ standing with 63 points, and for him to win, the Dubai-based driver not only has to win Friday’s Grand Prix of Sharjah on the picturesque Khalid Lagoon along Buhairah Corniche, but also hope Chiappe either fails to finish or finishes outside the points.
“We have worked all year to be in this position and we have an opportunity,” Torrente said at Wednesday’s press conference hosted by race organisers Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority at the Hilton hotel
Torrente has finished on the podium in Sharjah three times.
“So, no matter what people might think about the title race, as a driver you are here to win the race and end the season on a high,” Torrente said. “I know Chiappe has an advantage, but I still say anything is possible. This is motorsports and anything can happen.
“Secondly, I have had a lot of bad luck in the past five years. So, I think I have stored enough of good luck over this period to just go and win this weekend.”
This is only the second season for the Victory Team in the F1H2O World Championship. Torrente saluted his teammates for the effort they have put in over the season to put him in contention, ahead of far more experienced F1H2O teams.
“We are a new team and we are in a position to win the championship, which should not be underestimated,” he said. “So, irrespective of the outcome this weekend, I am so proud of what our team has done and achieved this year.”
Schedule
Thursday
• 9-10.20am: Free practice F4
• 9.30-9.50am: Time trials F4
• 10.15-11.15am: Free practice F1
• 2.30-2.50pm: F4 Race Day 1
• 3.30-4.30pm: F1 Qualifying
Friday
• 9.10-9.30am: Free Practice F4
• 9.40-10.00am: Time Trials F4
• 10.15-11.15am: Free Practice F1
• 2.30-2.50pm: F4 Race Day 2
• 3.45-4pm: F1 Parade Lap
• 4-5pm: Grand Prix of Sharjah F1 Race
• 5pm: Prize Giving Ceremony
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,000mm, Winners: Mumayaza, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m, Winners: Sharkh, Pat Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep - Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Harrab, Ryan Curatolo, Jean de Roualle
7pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Gold Cup - Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
8pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m, Winner: Nibras Passion, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ismail Mohammed
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HOW TO WATCH
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
more from Janine di Giovanni
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
