UIM F1 H2O World Championship -Shaun Torrente joins Team Sweden

by Philippe Stiernon on 6 Feb 2011 2011 UIM F1 H2O World Championship - The most talented driver in North America is finally going to get his first taste of international competition this upcoming season as Miami, Florida driver Shaun Torrente will team with Swedish driver Jonas Andersson starting at the opening race of the 2011 UIM F1 H2O World Championship at the ninth Grand Prix of Qatar the weekend of the fourth and fifth of March on Doha Bay.

The two time defending North American title holder who has won three-quarters of all races in America the past three years, is excited about his new team and his new teammate.

'I’m really thrilled about joining Team Sweden and working with my new teammate Jonas,' said Shaun. 'I’ve been working throughout the winter putting together a perfect opportunity for F1 and I think this is a great fit for both the team and myself. I’ll be racing Jonas’s boat hull that carried him to a pair of victories in recent years and am looking forward to the challenge ahead.'

The 31 year-old driver from South Florida has 31 North American F1 career starts and has won a third of his races and currently sits seventh overall in the all-time winning drivers list. Shaun, will be joined by his close friend and mentor Ted Gryguc of Woodbridge, Ontario Canada. Ted is a well respected retired driver who has raced in the Mod-VP and Champ Lights (SST-45) classes winning various championships when he was an active driver in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

'Ted and I are close and we work well together and have won many races in the past three season’s,' stated Shaun. 'I know this is going to be a learning curve for the whole team but it’s challenges like this that make me want to push even harder to reach the success we expect at each event.'

The multi-national American with Italian-Cuban blood lines has won two SST-120 (F2) North American titles in 2001 and 2003 along with three national titles in the ultra competitive SST-45 (F4) class as well. While racing a decade ago he was attending Florida State University and now owns his own business in Homestead, Florida a southern suburb of Miami.

2011 UIM F1 H2O World Championship website