Rashed Al Qemzi claimed his third UIM F2 World Championship with a pole-to-flag victory in the Grand Prix of Portugal II at Vila Velha de Ródão on Sunday, 17 October 2021, his fourth consecutive win at the Portuguese venue.
The 2021 season had been compressed to three rounds by the ongoing impact of the global pandemic. Al Qemzi arrived at the Tagus circuit two points behind championship leader Edgaras Riabko of Lithuania, having won the previous round at Ribadouro. He needed a strong result; Riabko needed to hold him off. What followed was one-sided from the first lap.
Qualifying
Saturday’s sessions set the tone immediately. Al Qemzi posted a Q3 lap of 44.640 seconds to take pole, ahead of Portugal’s defending champion Duarte Benavente (44.790s) and Sweden’s Bimba Sjöholm. Riabko could only manage tenth or eleventh in the combined times, a blow to his title prospects before the race had begun. Norway’s Tobias Munthe-Kaas was disqualified in qualifying.
The race
Al Qemzi converted pole into an immediate lead and was never headed across the 45 laps on the 1,577-metre Tagus river circuit. He built a gap of around 13 seconds at his peak before easing in the closing stages, crossing the line 8.686 seconds ahead of Benavente. The Netherlands’ Ferdinand Zandbergen completed the podium in third, with Sjöholm fourth and fellow Swede Daniel Segenmark fifth.
Riabko fought back from his lowly grid position to finish eighth, scoring just three points. Combined with Al Qemzi’s maximum, the title was settled before the boats came off the water. Team Abu Dhabi teammate Mansoor Al Mansoori, making his F2 debut, retired after 18 laps. Finland’s Kalle Viippo lasted 26 laps and Austria’s Rupp Temper exited on lap eight.
2021 UIM F2 World Championship – final standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rashed Al Qemzi | UAE | 47 |
| 2 | Duarte Benavente | Portugal | 33 |
| 3 | Edgaras Riabko | Lithuania | 32 |
| 4 | Ferdinand Zandbergen | Netherlands | 27 |
| 5 | Bimba Sjöholm | Sweden | 21 |
| 6 | Colin Jelf | Great Britain | 17 |
| 7 | Rupp Temper | Austria | 15 |
| 8 | Tobias Munthe-Kaas | Norway | 10 |
| 9 | Daniel Segenmark | Sweden | 7 |
| 10 | Mansoor Al Mansoori | UAE | 7 |
| 11 | Mette Bjerknes | Great Britain | 6 |
| 12 | Johan Österberg | Sweden | 5 |
| 13 | Owen Jelf | Great Britain | 2 |
| 14 | Kalle Viippo | Finland | 2 |
| 15 | Uvis Slakteris | Latvia | 2 |
| 16 | Lars Andresen | Norway | 1 |
| 17 | Konstantin Ustinov | Neutral Athlete | 0 |
| 18 | Nikita Lijos | Latvia | 0 |
| 19 | Giacomo Sacchi | Monaco | 0 |
| 20 | Robin Stoddard | Great Britain | 0 |
| 21 | Philippe Tourre | France | 0 |
| 22 | Marit Strømøy | Norway | 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.
