Friday, Jun 05, 2015
Dubai: Former world champion Jay Price is relishing the prospect of returning to Portugal, the site of much of his powerboating success.
Paired with fellow American Shaun Torrente for the first time, Price is confident the pair have what it takes to finish on the podium in the third round of the UIM XCAT World Series, the Cascais GP, from June 12 to 14.
“Portugal is dear to my heart,” said Louisiana-based Price, who is part of the Altman Marine team in the Lady Spain boat.
“Portimao, Portugal, is where I claimed my first-ever Formula 1 victory in 2008 and I repeated the win again in 2009. The goal for Cascais is to have a podium finish. Of course we want to win, but a top-three finish with a young team in a world class category would be a great accomplishment.”
While the two have battled each other plenty of times on the water, this will be the first time they will be sharing a boat — and the first time the current leader in the F1 Series, Torrente, will get a taste of XCAT racing.
“Together we bring years of experience to the team, in both knowledge of boat set-up and driving. I chose Shaun because he is just like me in the desire to win. Racing is what we were born to do,” said Price.
“I am not sure what conditions to expect in Cascais, but it is the Atlantic. I presume it will be rough seas, but you never know until just before race time.
“We have not had any time with the boat since the Dubai race, but the team and I have had many discussions on a new set-up we will be using in Cascais. The team will be very busy making the changes just days before the race.
“Lady Spain is a team on the rise as they have learned a lot this season. The goal of the team is to finish this season in the top five, but as a driver I want more. My goal for the team is to finish in the top three. It won’t be easy but then again nothing worth obtaining ever is.”
As for what it’s going to take to get the better of the teams who have won the first two rounds of the series, Price explained: “To beat the XDubai and Abu Dhabi teams it will take more than luck. I worked with those guys and there are no better-prepared teams.
“Our team will need to find the perfect balance on the boat, have a perfect tune on the engines, proper prop selection, a good long lap strategy, a good qualifying position, good driver decisions and then some good luck.”
After the Cascais GP on June 14, Price and Torrente will have four remaining rounds of the series to work their way up the rankings. The fourth round is scheduled for Gold Coast, Australia, from August 21 to 23 and the fifth in Nice, France, from October 16 to 18.
XCAT action will then move to the UAE for the final two rounds — in Dubai from November 18 to 20 and in Abu Dhabi a week later.
Staff Report
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