Sami Selio put his pole position to good use when he claimed victory in the St Petersburg F1 Powerboat Grand Prix on the Neva River earlier today. His partner in the Mad Croc Team, Alex Carella, who started from third on the grid made it a perfect day for the team finishing the 40-lap race run under clear blue skies in second. American Jay Price brought his Qatar Team boat home in third place.

Team Abu Dhabi driver Thani Al Qamzi ended the race in fourth place while his team mate, Ahmed Al Hameli, did not have as good a day. Al Hameli was running up near the head of the field when his engine gave up just before the three quarter distance mark. Behind Al Qamzi, Jonas Andersson did well to bring his skittish Team Azerbaijan DAC home in fifth with Pierre Lundin (CTIC China Team) in sixth.

Marit Strømøy (Team Azerbaijan), Davide Padovan (Rainbow Team), Andy Elliott (Qatar Team) and Stanislav Kourtsenovsky (Pringles Xtreme F1 Racing) rounded out the top ten.

Thani Al Qamzi and Jay Price now lead the championship table on 21 points after two rounds of the 2010 UIM F1 Powerboat World Championship. Sami Selio and Ahmed Al Hameli are just one point further back. Francesco Cantando and Alex Carella are next on the log, both with 15 points.

The next race in the series is scheduled to take place in China at the beginning of October.

Sami Selio (Team Mad Croc) put the disappointment of the first race of the season behind him when he claimed pole position for tomorrow's St Petersburg UIM F1 Powerboat Grand Prix. The 2007 champion's time was nearly a second faster than Ahmed Al Hameli although the Team Abu Dhabi driver will start down the grid in 16th place after he seized his engine just before the end of the qualifying session. Al Hameli's Loss is Jay Price's (Qatar Team) gain and the American will line up alongside Selio on the grid.

Selio's team mate, Italian Alex Carella will start in third place ahead of Fabio Comparato (800 Doctor). Francesco Cantando (Singha F1 Racing Team), who claimed pole last time out in Portimão could only manage the sixth fastest time and will line up in front of Thani Al Qamzi (Team Abu Dhabi), Philippe Chiappe (CTIC China Team) and Jonas Andersson (Team Azerbaijan).

Davide Padovan (Rainbow Team) and Duarte Benavente (F1 Atlantic Team) round out the top ten on the starting grid. Regular visitor to South Africa, Marit Strømøy (Team Azerbaijan), will start tomorrow's race from eleventh on the grid.

Speaking after the qualifying session Selio said, “We kept on working to improve the boat in the last 24 hours, since we were the last boat to arrive in the paddock and were trying to catch up with the rest of the teams, to get ready for qualifying. Now, we feel we can do a good job tomorrow and earn our first points of the season, hopefully with a win, at the end of the day.”

The race Gets underway on the Neva River in St Petersburg, Russia at 16h00 South African time tomorrow. 

Brett Stuart won the final heat of the Chris Hani District Municipality F1 Powerboat Grand Prix in Queenstown this afternoon after Tim Fetherstonhaugh had electrical problems and could not get his boat onto the start line. Marit Strømøy, who had mechanical problems in both the earlier heats, showed what she could do when she finally got her boat going and ended the heat in second. Elzane de Jager continued her run of third places.

Robert Shepard and Steven Zungu had a race long battle with Shepard eventually taking the flag about two boat-lengths ahead of Zungu. Terri Mitchell ended ahead of Andre Kemp in sixth.

Once the day's points had been tallied it was Brett Stuart who took the overall win ahead of Tim Fetherstonhaugh and Elzane de Jager. 

Tim Fetherstonhaugh started the second heat of the Chris Hani District Municipality F1 Powerboat Grand Prix from pole position and controlled things from the front to take his second win of the day. Brett Stuart was close behind him on the run to the first turn buoy, but his boat did not respond when he tried to turn around the buoy allowing Elzane de Jager to grab second. It took Stuart a couple of laps to get back past de Jager but once he did Fetherstonhaugh's lead was too big for him to make much impression and he had to settle for another second place. Marit Strømøy was starting to catch de Jager when her engine stopped just before the half way mark leaving de Jager to a comfortable third.

Robert Shepard claimed another fourth place ahead of Steven Zungu. Terri Mitchell, racing without a canopy to allow the fumes from her first heat fuel leak to dissipate, ended in sixth ahead of Andre Kemp.

Tim Fetherstonhaugh put the fuel problems he suffered during time trials yesterday behind him when he raced to a comfortable win in the first heat of the Chris Hani District Municipality F1 Powerboat Grand Prix at the Bonkolo Dam a few minutes ago. Starting from sixth on the grid the Port Alfred driver powered his way to second place behind Brett Stuart by the end of the first lap. Pole sitter Elzane de Jager was third. Fetherstonhaugh made his move on the fourth lap and, once he got past Stuart, controlled things from the front for the rest of the race.

Elzane de Jager looked to have things sown up in third place but a late charge by Robert Shepard nearly allowed him past. As is often the case with racing catching someone is one thing, passing them is another and de Jager managed to hold on to third. Steven Zungu ended in fifth with Andre Kemp in sixth. Terri Mitchell's race came to a premature end when a broken fuel line left her stranded on the circuit while visiting Norwegian driver Marit Strømøy's boat did not get off the start line.

Elzane de Jager will start the first heat of tomorrow's Chris Hani District Municipality from pole position after setting the fastest time during qualifying on Queenstown's Bonkolo Dam this afternoon. She was just over half a second quicker than Brett Stuart with Robert Shepard in third.

Andre Kemp, racing his new boat for only the second time, will start in fourth ahead of Steven Zungu. Championship leader Tim Fetherstonhaugh did could not set a time after his fuel pump failed while he was waiting for his run around the course. Mechanical maladies kept Terri Mitchell and Marit Strømøy off the water and they will line up in seventh and eighth respectively.

Eight F1 drivers and their crews are in the final stages of preparing for the weekend's Chris Hani District Municipality F1 Powerboat Grand Prix at the Bonkolo Dam just outside Queenstown in the Eastern Cape. Seven South African drivers have been joined by Norwegian Marit Strømøy, back in country for the third time this season. Tim Fetherstonhaugh currently leads the championship after winning the last two rounds and is looking to extend that lead with another overall win. Elzane de Jager leads the pack that will be out to stop him with Robert Shepard just behind her.

Time trials will take place this afternoon with the three heats that make up the Grand Prix scheduled for tomorrow.