Today’s Grand Prix race saw Team Abu Dhabi’s Mansoor Al Mansoori with only one thing on his mind heading into the gruelling 45 lap race, and that was the podium top spot and a move into the top three in the World Championship table.
Reigning World Champion and teammate Rashed Al Qemzi would start the Grand Prix pf Peso da Regua from seventh on the grid and would have an almost impossible job to pass the six drivers sat a head of him on the grid.
With course restrictions in place for safety reasons, the second half of the grid was started on a short delay as the fifteen championship drivers powered away from the pontoon.
Next to Al Mansoori on the grid was British driver Matthew Palfreyman, who was sitting right next to Lithuania’s Edgaras Riabko with both drivers looking to fight for the 2024 UIM F2 World Championship title.
Notably absent on the start grid was Sweden’s Mathilda Wiberg, who was currently sat in second in the championship standings until she spectacularly barrel rolled out of qualification and putting her hopes of a UIM Medal in doubt.
As the lights went out for the start of the Grand Prix Mansoor Al Mansoori made the most of his advantage into the first turn and managed to come round the first turn ahead of his rivals and was determined not to give up his position despite immense pressure throughout every single lap of the race.
Twenty-seven laps into the race Giacomo Sacchi-Abbate’s engine expire, and he was forced to limp into the pontoon and retire from the race. A few laps later, British driver Owen Jelf pulled off the course and was also forced to retire with water in his fuel, hampering his Grand Prix race challenge.
At every point around the course, the remaining thirteen drivers all entered intense battles at every inch of the course as the laps began to deplete.
Abu Dhabi’s had one goal in sight, and that was to keep Matthew Palfreyman and Edgaras Riabko behind him until the chequered flag. Britain’s Matthew Palfreyman spent 45 laps of the race hot on Al Mansoori’s wake looking for every opportunity to pass the Emirati racer. The biggest issue Palfreyman faced was that every time he launched an attack on Al Mansoori, Riabko made a counter move to move past the brit.
Further back, reigning World Champion and Championship leader Rashed Al Qemzi had brought his ‘A’ game to the race and from the start had moved himself from seventh to fourth on the grid. He himself had a huge battle ahead of him trying to fight off British driver Scott Curtis and Norway’s Tobias Munthe-Kaas, who were both piling on the pressure.
Portuguese fans were cheering on Portugal’s very own Duarte Benavente, who, due to an engine issue on Saturday, had to replace his engine and start the forty-five Grand Prix race from the last position on the grid. But the Portuguese driver managed to claw back six positions to finish amongst the championship points.
In what must be the closest fought Grand Prix race of the season Abu Dhabi’s Mansoor Al Mansoori led from start to finish in a fantastic drive from the driver to secure the Grand Prix win and move him into third in the World Championship standings.
Despite his best efforts to pass the race leader Britain’s Matthew Palfreyman also managed to hold off Riabko to claim the silver medal position and move himself into fourth in the championship seventeen points behind the championship leader.
Riabko romped home to third and narrowed the gap in the Championship table to just six points as we head to the finale next weekend in Portugal’s Vila Velha de Ródão.
Grand Prix Winner Masoor Al Mansoori had this to say this on the race “The race was intense I had technical problems a couple of times in the race, and I thought Matt would pass me, but I manged to hold him off and take the win.”
He continued “Abu Dhabi, as a team now, focus on next weekend and a one, two finish in Vila Velha de Ródão and hopefully that will see us secure a one, two in the World Championship! See you all next weekend when we fight again!”
The championship now moves to the Grand Finale 260km away in Vila Velha de Ródão where we will see the 30th UIM F2 World Champion for the 2024 season. But who will win the next Grand Prix and who will walk away with the title? Now is anyone’s guess!
