Doha, Qatar: The stunning Doha Corniche, near to the Sheraton Hotel, was a hive of activity yesterday, as teams, officials and members of the media involved with the UIM F1 World Powerboat Championship made their final preparations for Saturday's opening round of the prestigious nine-round championship, which runs from late March to mid December this year.
Staff at the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) in Doha have worked in unison with staff from Idea Marketing to set up the complex communications system and racing facilities to ensure that Saturday's race will run to the exacting standards of the sport's governing body, the UIM.
Similar distance
The calendar shift to the end of March means that QMSF staff have been working on a pair of World Championship events in the space of four weeks, following the Class 1 Qatar Grand Prix on March 1.
The QMSF is now one of the most progressive organisations in world marine sports' racing and Doha is buzzing at the thought of welcoming the world's finest F1 racers for the second time in five months - Qatar hosted rounds five and six of the thrilling 2007 series in November 2007.
"We have moved the course along the Corniche this time," said Mohammad Al Jaidah, Head of Formula Racing at the QMSF.
"It has a similar lap distance, but we have turned the course around, so that the yellow buoy is on the opposite side and we are closer to the action on the shore and can benefit from some deeper water."
Schedule: Doha Corniche
Today
- 10.00-18.00 Technical scrutineering
- 12.00-14.00 Team registration
