Team Abu Dhabi begins its challenge for honours in this year’s UIM F2 World Championship at the Lithuanian Grand Prix on Kaunas Reservoir this weekend.
Rashed Al-Qemzi and Mohammed Al-Mehairbi will race two DAC boats against some of Europe’s most talented drivers in the first round of a popular racing series that will also take teams to Antwerp in Belgium, Tonsberg in Norway, Campione d’Italia and Ribadoura in Portugal. Rashed Al-Remeithi also travels with the team as a reserve driver.
It’s been over a month since the team operating out of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC) was in action at the 24 Hours of Rouen endurance race in northern France, but officials and crew members have carried out all their pre-race preparations and Al-Qemzi and Al-Mehairbi are confident that they can build upon the experience they gained in a maiden season of Formula Two racing in 2016.
They travelled to Milan today and will carry out further training before heading off to Lithuania for the weekend.
In 2016, Al-Qemzi took part in five of the seven rounds of the series and finished ninth in the points’ standings, his best result being a fine second place at Maçon in France.
Sweden’s Pierre Lundin dominated last year’s championship, eventually claimed four victories and won the title by 40 points from fellow countryman Erik Edin. Austrian Rupert Temper was third.
Salem Al-Remeithi, general manager of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC) commenting on the new season said today;
Rouen this year failed to deliver the result we had anticipated, but one of our boats recovered well after earlier delays to finish fourth in its class and I am confident that we can surprise this year in F2.
The field for these races is very strong and it’s great experience for our drivers to be racing at new venues against some of the best in the business.
Several of the leading drivers took part in an F2 race at Brodenbach in Germany a couple of weeks ago and Latvian Uvis Slakteris claimed the winner’s spoils.
Technical and administration checks will take place on Friday in Kaunas and F2 teams will be permitted on to the racecourse for the first time after the FR1000 boats for a three-hour session from 10.15hrs on Saturday morning.
F2 qualifying will be split into the customary three sessions from 14.30hrs and then crews will take part in the Speed Record and Match Races from 17.00hrs.
F2 teams will be permitted further practice and warm-up on Sunday morning (June 11). There will be a Repechage F2 race for the slowest qualifiers, starting at 13.00hrs, and the Grand Prix takes centre stage from 15.30hrs.
