WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP EMIRATES TEAM TO ADD 3^RD DRIVER!
4-TIME WORLD TITLEST JONES CONTINUES TO LOOK FOR BACKERS!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Fresh off their World Championship season the Emirates Race Team from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates will add rising young talent Thani Ateeq Al Qamzi to the team beginning at the 3^rd round of the U.I.M. F1 World Championship in Dunaujvaros, Hungary on the 20^th of May for the Grand Prix of Hungary.

“Tanny” who will comes to F1 from the Emirates F2 ranks, made his debut last season in the final two rounds of the 2000 championship season qualifying 15^th in Sharjah and dropped out after 4 laps. The following week in Abu Dhabi he did better, qualifying a promising 13^th and finishing the event with a fine 7^th place and 4 world championship points.

“It’s a great step for him and I’m excited he’s joining our team,” stated Emirates #1 driver and mentor American Scott Gillman. “Even though his first ever event was just 2 years ago, he has dedicated himself to getting prepared for this day when he would be able to run along side Awad Al Qubaisi and me and believe me he’s got talent and will surprise a lot of people right away. I’ve worked with him now for 2 years and he’s absolutely ready.”

Al Qamzi, who actually started as a successful jet-ski racer, is currently in the top 3 in the points championship in the domestic F2 championship and has proved his worth in international F2 competition. Thani will run a 2 litre powered machine in the series and will battle for rookie of the year honors with 10  races to go in the 12 race series.

Meanwhile, 3 time zones away and over 200 more races under his belt than the young Emirates star, 4-time World Champion Jonathan Jones continues to try to unscramble his dilemma of no sponsorship to carry him towards his chance of winning the title for the 5^th time in his career. Jones, who last won the title in 1998, has a complete package this season to battle for the title, a quick 2.5 litre Mercury engine on the back of a new specially built David Burgess designed boat that was handicapped a year ago in the development of OMC’s 3 litre powerplant.

“I’ve spent the past 3 days last week working on the bottom of the boat up at David’s shop and getting it in perfect trim and felt that this would be a perfect year for me to win a 5^th championship, but with the failure of my sponsorship monies at the last moment I’m on the outside looking in and I’m very disappointed,” stated the native of Cardigan, Wales. “The way the championship has been going so far this season, we feel we have a great chance to give it a great shot despite missing the last race in Portugal. I’m ready, the boats ready, now we just need some more monies to get us to Dunaujvaros to show everyone how competitive we really are.”

Jones, who in 1997 event in Hungary hopes he gets another chance to run at the front again.

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