Saturday, October 5: H2O Racing and UIM officials were left with no option other than to cancel the pair of 16-lap Sprint races at the Grand Prix of Shanghai China on Saturday afternoon.
There had been no respite in the weather conditions in the Baoshan district at the mouth of the Huangpu River, as nine boats initially lined up in gusting winds, drizzle and choppy water for Sprint race one with Shanghai affected by the northern end of a typhoon that had struck Formosa and the south of the country.
There was a slight delay from the original timetable while UIM Officials and Teams' representative Alberto Comparato made a final check with the boat of Osprey Rescue Staff to ensure that racing could run safely in the conditions. But the decision was then made to cancel both the Sprint races.
Comparato concluded: “It was very bad, It was even tricky with the rescue boat, For me, it was too dangerous.”
Electrical issues had kept Marit Strømøy and the new Mercury V8 four-stroke out of the entire qualifying session in the morning but the Norwegian admitted that the cancellation was a sensible decision. She said: “For me it was undriveable, this morning was difficult and now it is impossible.”
Former two-time World Champion Sami Seliö added: “It was rough, big rollers and the current is quite strong here.”
The defending World Champion Jonas Andersson said: The Commissioner made the right decision. The qualifying was super rough today and this was a lot worse. It will be rough tomorrow but today was not possible.”
Engine changes will ensure that Maverick Racing’s Cédric Deguisne and the China CTIC Team’s Peter Morin start near the rear of the field ahead of Strømøy, with Rusty Wyatt, Andersson and Erik Stark lining up in the top three places.
An amended timetable will see the Grand Prix of Shanghai China take centre stage at 09.00hrs (Shanghai time) on Sunday morning.
Sunday’s Grand Prix of Shanghai China will be broadcast live at 09.00hrs (Shanghai time) and also at 12.00hrs to cater for international television networks.
