Rashed Al Qemzi is the 2024 UIM F2 World Champion, winning the Grand Prix of Portugal at Vila Velha de Ródão to become the only driver in history to claim five F2 world titles.
Five drivers went into the 42-lap final round with a mathematical chance of the championship. Monegasque driver Giacomo Sacchi had taken his first pole position of the season, with championship leader Al Qemzi starting alongside him in second. His closest rival, Lithuania’s Edgaras Riabko, was handicapped from the start, qualifying seventh after persistent engine problems carried over from the previous round.
Al Qemzi got away cleanly and was immediately matched by teammate Mansoor Al Mansoori, who had moved up behind him. But Al Mansoori’s challenge lasted less than two laps before an engine failure brought his race to an early end and ended any prospect of an Abu Dhabi one-two in the title fight.
With Al Mansoori out, Britain’s Matthew Palfreyman moved into third and looked a threat to Sacchi’s podium position. He was pushing hard when a gust of wind flipped his boat out of the race, taking him out of the championship fight with it.
Riabko, meanwhile, had worked his way steadily through the field from seventh and settled into third, needing only to finish there to secure the silver medal. He duly held his position to the flag.
Britain’s Mette Bjerknes produced the drive of the race through the fleet to take fourth, passing Nelson Morin and David Del Pin on her way through, with Sweden’s Mathilda Wiberg completing the top five finishers.
Al Qemzi took the win, with Sacchi second and Riabko third. Despite his early retirement, Al Mansoori had accumulated enough points from earlier rounds to take third in the championship standings, securing the bronze medal ahead of Wiberg.
“I was confident at the start of the race that I could take the lead. Once I was in front, I just had to be sensible and not push too hard as that’s when mistakes can happen. I am really happy to have claimed my fifth title and thank you to my team for always supporting me. It has been an exceedingly difficult season with some particularly good drivers but, as a team, Abu Dhabi did it again.” Rashed Al Qemzi
UIM F2 Grand Prix of Portugal – race result
| Pos | Driver | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rashed Al Qemzi | UAE |
| 2 | Giacomo Sacchi | Monaco |
| 3 | Edgaras Riabko | Lithuania |
| 4 | Mette Bjerknes | Great Britain |
| DNF | Matthew Palfreyman | Great Britain |
| DNF | Mansoor Al Mansoori | UAE |
UIM F2 World Championship – final standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rashed Al Qemzi | UAE | 81 |
| 2 | Edgaras Riabko | Lithuania | 67 |
| 3 | Mansoor Al Mansoori | UAE | 51 |
| 4 | Mathilda Wiberg | Sweden | 48 |
| 5 | Matthew Palfreyman | Great Britain | 44 |
| 6 | Nelson Morin | France | 32 |
| 7 | Giacomo Sacchi | Monaco | 27 |
| 8 | Duarte Benavente | Portugal | 21 |
| 9 | Mette Bjerknes | Great Britain | 20 |
| 10 | David Del Pin | Italy | 19 |
| 11 | Roope Virtanen | Finland | 13 |
| 12 | Scott Curtis | Great Britain | 10 |
| 13 | Tobias Munthe-Kaas | Norway | 7 |
| 14 | Jarno Vilmunen | Finland | 7 |
| 15 | Nikita Lijos | Latvia | 7 |
| 16 | Owen Jelf | Great Britain | 7 |
| 17 | Peter Žak | Slovakia | 4 |
| 18 | Tomas Cermak | Slovakia | 2 |
| 19 | Johan Österberg | Sweden | 1 |
| 20 | Egidijus Dagilis | Lithuania | 0 |
| 21 | Totti Kemppainen | Finland | 0 |
| 22 | Tullio Abbate | Italy | 0 |
| 23 | Dainis Podžuks | Latvia | 0 |
| 24 | Alexander Lindholm | Finland | 0 |
| 25 | Frode Sundsdal | Norway | 0 |
| 26 | Luca Fornasarig | Italy | 0 |
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
