I took the opportunity to visit UIM F2 racer and Tønsberg Båtrace organiser Frode Sundsdal in Norway this week.

Situated just outside of Tønsberg is Sundsdal’s new ‘Race Shop’, where his DAC hull is now prepared, I asked him about the new facility:

We opened the unit in late November of last year after being located at EDH Utleie for the last 5 years.

We felt that we needed our own place to invite guests, partners and sponsors. This space is rented from another of our backers, Vestfold Maritim AS at a very good rate.

The Race Shop is cleaner than a Hollywood plastic surgeon’s operating theater and is beautifully fitted out:

I have to thank my partner Joyce’s (Christine Andersen) father for his voluntary work, Björn Skar with Roar Hoverud have done an incredible job.

They put in hours of work, it really was a mess when they started!

The Race Shop has a twofold purpose, the main being the engineering side, the other as somewhere where Sundsdal can hold meetings and entertain guests:

My sponsors can come here all year round to have a coffee or a beer and meet-up with my other partners, it acts as a great place for networking opportunities.

For example, I can showcase Garage 15, our supplier of tools.

This has worked well, as we are now selling tools on behalf of them.

I noted that not only are Sundsdal’s sponsors from Norway, they are local to the Vestfold area:

This is the whole idea, my partners not only sponsor my UIM F2 raceboat, they are very involved with the Tønsberg Båtrace that Joyce and I produce every August.

It is very important that if one of the CEO’s turns up here impromptu, the shop should always look amazing.

Sundsdal has already hosted a party in the Race Shop for one of his corporate backers and while I was there 3 of his supporters popped in, removed their snow boots and then discussed plans for 2019.

In the next article, I ask the Norwegian about this season, the Tønsberg Båtrace and where he plans to race and in what.