Abu Dhabi: Team Abu Dhabi's Rashed Alkemzi will be hoping to challenge for a fifth UIM F2 World Championship title when the series returns to Norway this weekend after five years apart.
After three days of rigorous testing in Italy this week, defending champion Alkemzi and team-mate Mansour Al Mansouri are determined to shake off a disappointing start to the season that was plagued by technical issues in Brindisi last month.
Team manager Giudio Cappellini and his mechanics are using the three days of preparation at San Nazaro to get the two drivers and their boats in tip-top condition ahead of Sunday's Norwegian Grand Prix in Tonsberg.
“It wasn't the start I wanted, but now that's over with and I expect to be in a much better position to win this weekend,” said Alkemji, who struggled to finish sixth in the first round before Al Mansouri withdrew early.
“Everyone has worked very hard to ensure we have the opportunity to achieve the outcomes we want, and we know that together we can achieve it.
“We know that our team can get the best out of the boat, and as drivers we need to match their efforts and get the best out of ourselves.”
After a long absence from powerboat racing, Britain's Matthew Palpraman is back in the driver's seat and leads the championship ahead of Lithuania's Edgaras Liabko and Portugal's Duarte Benavente.
Alkemzi, who finished second in the last championship at Tonsberg in 2019, remains confident he can add more to his four F2 world titles despite the fierce competition at the moment.
“At Brindisi you could see that there are a lot of great drivers who want to win and it will be very difficult for anyone to win the championship this year,” he said.
“I want to be in a good position to win on Sunday and Mansoor wants to fight for points with me, so the first goal is to keep the pace going when qualifying starts on Saturday and go from there.”
