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he
29-year-old
from
Toaby
battled
through
a thrilling and dramatic
qualifying session which
saw Maverick F1 driver
Amaury Jousseaume blow
his boat over one and half
times in Q1 then last year’s
Harbin pole-sitter and race
winner Sami Selio barrel-roll out in Q2, both
drivers emerging relatively unscathed from
their excursions.
Stark topped the time sheets in a frantic first
20 minute session with just 1.72s splitting
the top 12, then survived a breathless second
session posting the fourth fastest time, with
Abu Dhabi’s Thani Al Qemzi and Victory duo
Ahmed Al Hameli and Shaun Torrente locking
out the top three slots, 0.31s the difference
between the lead quartet.
Remarkably Selio’s 42.20s lap, the identical
time of Stark, remained good enough for fifth
quickest and a shoot-out slot before the Mad
CrocBABARacing driver spectacularly barrel-
rolled out of the session. There was more
drama to come right at the end when it looked
as though Abu Dhabi’s Alex Carella’s last
flying lap had bumped him up into second spot
and demoted defending champion Philippe
Chiappe to seventh. But Carella’s time was
discarded as he was deemed to have started
the lap after the chequered flag was raised to
end the 15 minute session and giving CTIC F1
Shenzhen driver Chiappe a lifeline and a shot
at the pole, Carella dropping to seventh.
With Selio side-lined Chiappe was the first
out in Q3 and set the mark to be beat with
a 41.36s lap but was unable to improve
on his second. Stark followed him out and
immediately grabbed the provisional pole
with 41.05 then improved on his second to
set a target of 40.65 for the remaining three
to chase down.
Torrente went next but missed out with a
best lap of 41.23s and was then edged out by
teammate Al Hameli’s 40.83 but still Stark had
provisional pole. The last man out was Thani
Al Qemzi but like all before him failed with his
first and then his second lap, his time of 40.78s
securing P2 ahead of Al Hameli.
Marit Stromoy produced another solid
qualifying performance going eighth quickest,
ahead of Jonas Andersson with Filip Roms
rounding out the top ten.
From pole, Stark produced a faultless drive
and held his nerve over 53 gruelling laps
around the 1.92km Hulan Estuary Wetland
Park circuit to take the win by 9.31s and
become the newest member of the eliteGrand
Prix winners club in his 22nd race.
Second place went to Thani Al Qemzi with
Ahmed Al Hameli coming home in third place.
F1H2O
T
STARK POLE AND WIN
DOUBLE IN HARBIN PUTS
HIM INTO CONTENTION
IN TITLE RACE…
22
n° 4November | 2017