Tønsberg harbour was a hive of activity today as the second round of the UIM F2 World Championship got underway with Qualifying for the Grand Prix of Norway.
Eighteen Drivers representing 10 nationalities took to the water this morning for a ninety minute free practice session.
It was during the session that we saw the first retirement from the race as a collision between Lithuania’s Egidijus Dagilis and Portugal’s Duarte Benavente saw the Portuguese sustain damage to his hull that would mean he could not continue in the weekends competition.
Ready for a battle were both Abu Dhabi Drivers who following the opening round in Brindisi were left dismayed and looking to get their Championship campaigns back on track.
It was infact reigning World Champion Rashed Al Qemzi that went fastest in free practice with team mate Mansoor Al Mansoori securing second fastest ahead of Britain’s Scott Curtis in third.
As the teams lined up in the Norwegian sunshine for the Xpert Qualifying thousands of race fans adorned the harbour board walk.
Qualifying session 1 would see 17 drivers reduced to 15 to head through to Q2. Suffering engine problems and lacking in power Rookie Racer Roope Virtanen was the first driver to pull out the competition and not make the cut for the next session. As the session whittled away Lithuania’s Egidijus Dagilis was the other driver set to watch the rest of qualifying from the dock.
Rashed Al Qemzi a man on a mission topped the group in Q1 ahead of the Championship leader Brit Matthew Palfreyman, with Swedens Mathilda Wiberg the third fastest in the session.
Q2 saw the fleet of fifteen drivers compete to be in the top six of the session to then fight to claim the pole position for the Grand Prix off Norway Race.
Less than a second separate the top 10 boats and throughout the 15 minute session the lead changed hands several times and with positions changing with every lap no driver was guaranteed a place in the third qualifying session.
Jarni Vilmunen took the fastest lap of the session with Mansoor Al Mansoori taking second, Rashed Al Qemzi taking the third fastest lap. The six boat line up was decided in the last couple of laps with Edgaras Riabko making the cut, Mathilda Wiberg grabbing her position and Mette Bjerknes leaving it to the very final lap of the session to secure the final place in Q3.
The Xpert Qualifying finished with the top six boats battling it out to secure Pole position. Once more the positions changed hands several times throughout the session.
But it was the World Champion Rashed Al Qemzi that claimed pole position. Jarno Vilmunen looked set to start the race in second place until he ran out of fuel with two and a half minutes left of the session.
As the green flag was raised to start the session again. Abu Dhabi’s Mansoor Al Mansoori decided it was now or never and pushed his DAC Hull to the limit managing to grab P2 from the Finnish Rookie on his very last lap.
The Grand Prix of Norway will get underway Tomorrow afternoon with the Parade Lap beginning at 14.30.
