For the Reporter
It was a case of déjà vu in slightly easier circumstances for Jimmy Shane and his U-5 Graham Trucking team, who raced to victory in the 2013 Oryx Cup UIM World Championship final in Doha Bay on Tuesday afternoon.
No driver had ever won the Oryx Cup twice and Shane duly rewrote the history books with his second win in the space of a month when he cruised to a comfortable triumph.
Steve David, driving the Kent-based U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto, was penalized a lap before the start for making a premature move on Shane to take the inside line on the back straight of the pre-race warmup lap.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more,” said Shane, who didn’t have a full-time H1 ride until 18 months ago. “I will be a father for the first time in 3½ months, and to win here in Qatar two times in less than two months is a superb start to the year for me.”
The race proved to be anticlimactic to three thrilling days of racing in Qatar, with Jon Zimmerman holding on to take second place – after finishing third in January – and David lapping both Mark Evans and Ryan Mallow to place third, despite running a penalty lap.
“We have a spotter on the tower to watch when we pick up speed and make a move,” David said. “I was sure that we were OK and we appealed against the decision, but it was not to be. It was one of those things.”
It was a disappointing finale to the week’s racing for Kip Brown in the U-95 Spirit of Qatar. He was forced out of the race before the start with engine problems.
“I think we salted up the engine,” Brown admitted. “I had the salt door closed, but I think we got some in through the inlet valve. The exhaust gas temperature started to climb and it was as much as I could do to get the boat back to the pits. It’s very disappointing. You win some, you lose some.”
In the previous four Oryx Cup UIM World Championship races, there had never been a double winner. J. Michael Kelly won the inaugural race in 2009, Dave Villwock was triumphant in 2010 for the Spirit of Qatar Team and Scott Liddycoat and Jimmy Shane won in 2011 and 2012.
Tom Thompson, who had been injured in a spectacular crash involving U-11 Miss Peters & May and U-21 Snoqualmie Casino on Saturday afternoon, had been released from the hospital and was able to watch the action unfold.
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Oryx Cup UIM World Championship final
1. U-5, Jimmy Shane, Graham Trucking, 400 points
2. U-9, Jon Zimmerman, Jones Racing, 300 points
3. U-1, Steve David, Oh Boy! Oberto, 225 points
U-100, Ryan Mallow, Miss Fox Plumbing, DNF
U-57, Mark Evans, Formulaboats.com, DSQ
U-95, Kip Brown, Spirit of Qatar, DNS
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