The UIM F2 World Championship this weekend returns to Peso da Régua for the penultimate round of the 2024 UIM World campaign.
Sixteen of the World’s top Powerboat Racers will descend on the city in Northern Portugal to fight for bragging rights at the Grand Prix of Portugal.
Over the course of the weekend, the competitors will compete during free practice, qualifying, and throughout Sunday Afternoon’s Grand Prix race.
The last round of competition is San Nazzaro saw the reigning World Champion Rashed Al Qemzi once more take the top spot in the championship table. But in a season where the competition is so close, the Championship leader will be looking for a win on the Douro River to keep his hopes of a fifth World Championship Title alive.
Still in with a chance of claiming his first F2 World Championship title is Lithuania’s Edgaras Riabko who secure pole position at Peso da Regua in 2023 and then put in a faultless performance to secure the Grand Prix win over Al Qemzi. Riabko will be looking for a repeat performance in the hopes of taking the championship battle down to the final event in Vila Velha de Ródão next weekend.
One thing both drivers had not factored into their World Title campaigns was Sweden’s Mathilda Wiberg. Mathilda has been making waves this season and currently sits in second in the Championship. Mathilda will be looking forward to returning to Portugal and will be looking to defend her position in the championship standings.
Portuguese crowds will be cheering on their very own Duarte Benavente, who will be hoping for a return to the podium on home water and looking to claw back some championship points.
Duarte’s season got off to a flyer in Brindisi at the beginning of the season, with him securing bronze at the opening round. However, in a change in fortune, a collision in the second round in Norway has left the Portuguese driver sitting in seventh in the championship table. With forty points up for grabs over the next two rounds of racing Duarte’s hopes of a World Championship medal finish are very much still alive and he will be hoping that with the support of his home crowd behind him he can return to the fight this weekend.
President of the Portuguese Motonautique Federation had this to say on the forthcoming event “We are pleased to welcome the F2 World Championship Drivers back to Portugal once again and in particular back to Peso da Régua for the second time.”
He continued “I would like to thank all the event sponsors, and everyone involved in hosting the event for a second consecutive year. The event in 2023 was a huge success with some fantastic racing and 2024 promises to be even better.”
