Race In Peace: Emirati F1H2O Driver Al Hameli Is Remembered
Last week the powerboat racing world lost a kind and tenacious competitor when Abu Dhabi driver Ahmed Al Hameli died from ongoing health issues. Today, legendary broadcaster Stephen J. Michael paid tribute to him on the F1H2O World Championship website.
Ahmed Al Hameli and Gary Ballough celebrated a victory at the Dubai Grand Prix to close out the 2017 XCAT World Championship. Photo courtesy Raffaello Bastiani
Al Hameli, who last competed in an F1H2O race in 2019, was “one of the country’s most prominent champions,” according to Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed, chairman of Dubai Sport Council. Tributes from the Middle East and the rest of the world poured in after news that the 45-year-old died last Thursday, August 8, following a lengthy battle with brain tumors.
After being diagnosed with a tumor a dozen years ago, Al Hameli underwent a successful operation to remove it and continued to focus on racing—he competed in several classifications, including F1, F2, XCAT, Class 3, jet ski and even wooden speed boats. His highest F1H2O finish came in 2008 when he earned four podiums and was fourth in the driver points standings.
The following year he nabbed his first of seven career Grand Prix victories, winning from pole position at the opening round event in Portugal. Following his great performance at the Grand Prix of Kyiv in 2011, where he won both the race from pole position and the following match race the next day, severe headaches forced him to check into a hospital, which led to doctors finding a cancerous mass that eventually took his life.
At a 2016 F1H2O World Championship race in China, Emirates Team driver Ahmed Al Hameli won the Grand Prix of Liuzhou. Photo courtesy Vittorio Ubertone/F1 H2O
According to Michael, Ahmed traveled the world for the next decade attempting various solutions to thwart his illness while trying to race at the same time. However, in 2021, another tumor was discovered, which he fought until he passed away a week ago Thursday.
Several Americans raced with and against Al Hameli and have fond memories of their time spent with him.
“Race in peace Ahmed—a world-champion talent taken far too young,” said Florida native Shaun Torrente, the three-time F1H2O world champion who retired from the sport at the beginning of this year. “I hope his family and all my brothers in the Middle East can find some peace in this difficult time.”
Gary Ballough, who was teammates with Al Hameli on the Victory Team’s XCAT World Championship team in 2017 and 2018, said he had a ton of respect for the driver who started 81 Grand Prix races and won seven of them while securing 10 pole positions, 19 podiums and 30 top-five finishes.
“The race we ran together for Victory and won was the highlight of my racing career,” Ballough said in regard to the final XCAT World Championship race of the 2017 season in Dubai. “I met him by racing against him but we became good friends. He would come here to my house and visit. He was just really a great guy—kind, funny and fast in a boat. I consider him a racing brother.”
Check out the slideshow above for more images of Al Hameli with Ballough, Gilman and Torrente.
Scott Gillman, the four-time world champion from the U.S. who currently manages the Gillman Racing team that races for the Sharjah International Marine Sports Club, said Al Hameli was like the son he never had.
“A truly loyal person, that I will always have wonderful thoughts of,” Gilman said in Michael’s tribute story. “Through all his battles with physical headaches and pain, he was a real battler that would never give up. I’m devastated with his loss.
“He could turn a boat quicker and more precise than any driver I’ve known in my career,” he added. “He came into the sport as a true talent and left this earth as a true champion, fighting his fate like a true winner to the bitter end.”
The voice of F1H2O, Michael’s excellent tribute to Al Hameli, which was posted on the series website today, was a nice way to remember the champion.
In it, he elaborates on the driver’s career and describes him as a warrior on and off the racecourse.
“Ahmed Al Hameli, a true racer and father of six children, you are a true champion and will sorely be missed by all that you have touched in life!” Michael said in the tribute piece.
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