Team Abu Dhabi star blocks out aquabikes bid to focus on F2 challenge
Team Abu Dhabi’s Rashed Al Tayer will block out one world title target this weekend to focus on another as he returns to international action in Lithuania.
Al Tayer will be looking for a flying start to the 2019 UIM F2 World Championship in Sunday’s Lithuanian Grand Prix where he was challenging for victory 12 months ago before a crash ended his hopes.
The Emirati driver makes no secret that his top priority is the 2019 UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship, and after two rounds he is well placed in second position overall in the Runabout GP1 series, just two points behind Denmark’s Marcus Jorgensen.
But the jetski title race will be far from his mind this weekend when he and team-mate Rashed Al Qemzi both pursue victory in the opening round of the F2 World Championship on Lithuania’s Kaunas Reservoir.
They have already enjoyed one notable powerboat racing victory this season as members of the four-man Team Abu Dhabi line-up who clinched one of the world’s most prestigious endurance races, the 24 Hours of Rouen in France.
For Al Qemzi, the Lithuania Grand Prix provides extra motivation, as he won the race on his F2 debut two years ago on his way to capturing the world title. Action begins with free practice at 11am on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix getting under way at 3pm.