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he last act of any play on
stage is supposed to be
the best act.
Why? Because it ties all
the loose ends together!
Its purpose is to bring
all the drama that has
come before it during the performance to a
conclusion.
In life, we all have a beginning and an ending. It’s
the actions that you put before others that will
eventually be judged and thus, make you who
you are. It’s how people will remember you.
In racing, as in life, it’s how you want to be
remembered as a driver. Your accomplishments
will be weighed against others. You’ll be
remembered by how you finished overall in
your career with success or failure.
And this brings us to the final race of the year,
the Grand Prix of Sharjah.
In a series that has witnessed 262 previous
races over its 33 year history with 13 different
World Champions and 46 different Grand Prix
winners, Sharjah has become a special place
in the overall history of the sport of F1H2O
racing.
It is not just the “grande finale” but a destination
to accomplishing the goal of a world title.
This year will mark the 18th Grand Prix race
along the Khalid Lagoon and nothing marks a
stronger signature identity to the race than last
years’ historic result.
On that late afternoon and for the first time in
the sport’s history, we saw a woman defeat 17
other men in a chase for glory and a Grand Prix
victory.
Norway’s Marit Stromoy, a professional
entertainer by trade and a talented veteran
racing driver, made history in her 60th career
start in her eighth season of racing on the tour
winning for the first time as she charged up
from her fourth starting position.
She instantly became a worldwide celebrity.
However, this is just a sample of why Sharjah is
so special with such a multitude of memories
over the years.
In 2014, the drama was at a fever pitch, when
three drivers were within six points of each
other for a world title coming to Sharjah.
Teammates Alex Carella and Shaun Torrente
driving for the Qatar organization were hot on
the trail of French driver Philippe Chiappe who
was searching for his first title.
Carella was motivated. He was chasing history
looking for his record tying fourth straight title.
Torrente was determined. He was a two-time
North American champion coming off both a
victory and a second place in his last two starts.
Chiappe, a veteran driver who wasn’t an instant
success in his career but who had built himself
into a force, needed to win, after taking a
victory the week before in Abu Dhabi frompole
position.
The pressure was intense, but Chiappe used
his business savvy and coolly came home with
his first of back-to-back world titles with the
victory that day.
F1H2O
Last year, Norway’s Marit Stromoy
made history in her 60th career start in
her eighth season of racing on the tour
winning for the first time as she charged up
from her fourth starting position.
t
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n° 4December | 2016