Mansoori is world champion after dramatic turn of events in Portugal

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Team Abu Dhabi’s Mansoor Al Mansoori is the new UIM F2 world champion following a dramatic series of events at the Grand Prix of Portugal.

Norway’s Tobias Munthe-Kaas, Germany’s Stefan Hagin and Finland’s Sami Selio were each disqualified from the final round of the 2022 series for engine infringements following post-race technical checks.

This followed the earlier one lap penalty imposed on Edgaras Riabko for a start infringement, which dropped the Lithuanian from second place to tenth.

The decisions saw American Brent Dillard replacing Munthe-Kaas as race winner, while Mansoori climbed from sixth to second position to take the F2 crown, with an 18-point winning margin from Sharjah Team driver Selio.

Hagin, who had provisionally been acclaimed as world champion, finished third in the standings, another point away.

Mansoori, who joined Team Abu Dhabi last year, succeeds team-mate Rashed Al Qemzi who secured his third F2 world title with victory in Portugal 12 months ago.

It means Guido Cappellini has now delivered 15 powerboat world championships to Abu Dhabi Marine Sport Club since taking charge as Team Abu Dhabi manager in February 2015

Team Abu Dhabi were also celebrating another world title success on Monday after Rashid Al Mulla clinched his fifth successive freestyle crown at the UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship in Italy.

The Emirati had to borrow a friend’s jet ski after his own ski suffered mechanical problems in preparation for the Regione Sardegna Grand Prix in Olbia.

It made little difference, as Rashid extended his dominance of freestyle by recording his 14th consecutive Grand Prix victory in a run stretching back to 2017.