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Amongst those leading the assault will be two-time world champion Sami
Selio, whowithFilipRoms, finished runners-up in the teams’ championship,
with Selio ending the year in third overall.
The 41-year-old Mad Croc BABA Racing driver heads into 2017 coming
off the back of his best season since clinching his second world title in
2010.
Despite gifting his rivals a 50 point head start last year a resurgent Selio
rediscovered his form, picking up two pole positions, a win and three
further podiums.
Selio, who splits his time between Playa San Juan in Tenerife and Helsinki,
sits third in the all-time rankings of podium successes on 44 behind Guido
Cappellini (103) and Scot Gillman (53), the Finn racking up 13 Grand Prix
wins, 15 second and 16 third placed finishes, as well as starting from P1
25 times.
Confirmed alongside Selio and starting his seventh season in the top-flight
is the ever-improving 23-year-old Filip Roms from Espoo, who is also
coming off the back of a strong showing in 2016 in which he took his best
race finishwith second in Evian in France and best qualifying position in P2
behind his teammate in Harbin, China and rounding out his year in sixth in
the overall standings.
The team ran a series of tests in March and early April ahead off the
season opener, with Selio looking to take a third consecutive pole position
in Portugal and his first win. “We aim to ensure that this year we are ready
from race 1 and the whole team is very motivated. For me a third world
title is completely realistic to achieve. There is no other objective we can
aim for. I am already anxiously looking forward to the start of the season.”
he said.
Probably the biggest news to unravel pre-season was the unexpected
change that brings two big names together under one umbrella, with
Ahmed Al Hameli and Shaun Torrente teaming-up in the rebranded Scott
Gillman Victory Team and a further rebranding realignment which sees
EMIC Racing morph into Emirates Racing, the driver line up of Marit
Stromoy andMike Szymura remaining in situ.
The pairing of Al Hameli and Torrente unleashes a formidable driver and
team title challenge, Al Hameli running in a BABA Torrente a Moore, and
it will be intriguing to see how the two fare as teammates after their rather
public ‘spat’ and heated exchange of words in Sharjah last year.
F1H2O
EMIC Racing morph into Emirates Racing,
the driver line up of Marit Stromoy and Mike
Szymura remaining in situ.
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n° 1April | 2017