During last year’s UIM F2 European Championship it was Sweden’s Erik Edin who set the early ‘bench-mark’ with a forty-one second lap time around the Lake Zaraso course. It would be another Swede though who would eventually walk away with the European crown in his possession. Now fast forward twelve months and once again it’s those two Swede’s who are trading blows in the fight for this year’s World Championship title.
As the series passes the half way point in the seven round calendar, Lundin, by his own admission feels very fortunate to be leading the points table, after two competitors ahead of him in the Grand Prix of Tønsberg both crashed out, handing him twenty valuable points in the process. As the experienced Swede will tell you ‘to finish first, first you have to finish’.
Much to the amazement of those crowds lining the Tønsberg quayside, Lundin’s closest championship rival Edin, did eventually finish but the young Swede needed to first defy the laws of physics and then summon up all his strength to get his ailing Molgaard hull home and snatch a podium place, keeping his hopes of the 2016 title alive.
With the Zarasai course featuring what are in effect two seven hundred metre long straights, reliability will play a huge part in the outcome to this weekends Lithuanian Grand Prix. In the early stages of last year’s event Lundin struggled with his engine set up, almost allowing Rupp Temper to snatch the European title away. With Lundin going into this event with a seven point cushion over Edin, perhaps we might see him playing it safe and opting for the runner’s up place, whilst maintaining his lead in the title hunt. Or could we see Britain’s Matt Palfreyman take that next step up on the podium and collect that well overdue victory.
The first ninety minute practice session gets underway on Saturday at 10.15. Q1, Q2 and Q3 qualifying starts from 13.45. Then the Speed Record runs and Match Races round off the day’s F2 action at 16.15. With temperatures set to reach nearly thirty degrees C the Lithuanian Grand Prix will certainly be a hot one.
