For powerboat racing fans who like a ‘little flutter’ on the roulette, baccarat or black jack tables, this weekend’s UIM F2 World Championship round taking place in Campione d’Italia should satisfy their needs, but who would you back to collect the victors trophy come Sunday evening?
It’s been nearly twenty years since the UIM last staged a World Championship round in the Italian enclave within the Swiss canton of Ticino. Back then Jonathan Jones won his first F1 Grand Prix for his John Player Gold Leaf Team and a lot of water has lapped the shores of Lake Lugano since then.
Fast forward all those years and now the Casinò di Campione has become the largest employer in the municipality, in fact it’s become the largest casino in Europe with more than 55,000 square meters of floor space on 9 floors, enough space for 56 gaming tables and 500 slot machines.
The main event though this weekend won’t be taking place inside the new casino premises, designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta, but alongside its steps and all eyes will be on Sweden’s Pierre Lundin. Having already won the first two rounds of this year’s championship he will start as many peoples favourite but does he really need to push hard and risk it all in his attempt to add the world title to his 2015 European crown?
“This weekend is all about being smart” said Lundin. “It might sound easy when I say that all I have to do is stay in front of Palfreyman and Bisterfeld but I know that those young guys will be trying their hardest to finish ahead of me come Sunday. Yes, I have a thirteen point lead over Matt but I also know that this might not be the last round of this year’s championship, so what ever the result on Sunday I’m confident that I can still take the title.”
So could Matt Palfreyman cause an upset, third in Brindisi, second in Tonsberg, perhaps the top step of the podium in Campione?
“I have to beat Lundin by at least two positions in this race if my challenge to be world champion remains realistic” said Palfreyman. “I know what the boat is capable of. In Tonsberg it felt amazing, I could put it where I wanted and it was extremely forgiving. I didn’t qualify well so at the start of the race my plan was to survive the first few laps and then start picking drivers off and it all went to plan. Plus this is completely new territory to all twenty four of us lining up on the start pontoon, so anything can happen.”
Just to add to the bookmakers dilemma a ‘Dark horse’ has emerged in the shape of three time F1H2O World Champion Alex Carella. So why has he entered the race?
“It’s simple” said the Abu Dhabi backed driver. “We are here really just to carry out tests for DAC. Guido Cappellini, has realised that it’s too much to expect drivers who race in Formula 4 to then jump straight into F1H2O. So for the 2016 season Team Abu Dhabi will enter a two boat team into the UIM F2 World Championship and I have been asked to help with their preparations.”
If that is the case and Carella is here just to ‘test’ perhaps Bimba Sjoholm might be worth a bet. She was so unlucky at the previous Grand Prix in Tonsberg, Norway, when having established a healthy lead in the Norwegian Grand prix she was denied a spot on the podium when her engine went down to running on just five of the six cylinders. Since then she has shown her true potential by taking victory at last weekend’s race in Nora, where she beat the likes of Erik Edin and Johan Osterberg.
“It was a fantastic weekend” said Sjoholm, “it felt like a little test before Campione. I know that I can be quick now I just have to be constantly quick.”
Racing gets under way with F2 Free Practice at 10:00 local time and Qualifying from 15:15
