Powerboat Racing

Bình Định-Việt Nam boat seen in action. The Vietnamese team led by world champion Jonas Andersson will compete at the UIM F1H2O World Championship on March 29-31 at Quy Nhơn City's Thị Nại Bay. VNA/VNS Photo

BÌNH ĐỊNH — Host team Bình Định-Việt Nam is ready for the UIM F1H2O World Championship, the Grand Prix of Bình Định, which is organised on March 29-31 at the Quy Nhơn City's Thị Nại Bay.

This is the largest aqua sport event held in Việt Nam and the defending champion Jonas Andersson will take charge of the Vietnamese team.

After 31 times on the top podium in his career, Andersson and young teammate Stephan Arand are considered title favourites on home ground.

They are currently the No 1 team with 17 points after the first stage at the Toba Lake in Indonesia earlier this month.

Estonian Arand was excited about his first time in Việt Nam, saying it would be a totally new experience and he could not wait to enjoy the feeling.

He said the team's target was to cross the finish line and win valuable points for the host side.

In this stage, Bình Định - Việt Nam will compete against eight rivals: CTIC China Team, Stromoy Racing (Norway); F1 Atlantic Team (Portugal); Maverick Racing (France); The Red Devil-SMC F1 Team (Finland) and the trio of Team Abu Dhabi, Sharjah Team and Victory Team (the UAE).

The team's technician Johan Osterberg said the staff would check everything, such as the power supply, start up and check internal system errors for timely correction to ensure that everything was perfect for the team's highest result.

Athletes will have free practise sessions on March 29 before the qualification. They will compete in the Sprint Race 1 and Sprint Race 2 on March 30. The championship will be on March 31.

Boats of the host team will be carefully checked to ensure best conditions for the world championship. —Photo f1h2o.com

“The city here is very nice. The beaches and the hotel are perfect. We are very happy. I like the idea of racing in the mornings," Sharjah Team manager Scott Gillman said. 

"We did it at the last race in Indonesia. It’s nice to be able to pack up easily at the end of the day as well. You have to go where the conditions allow you to run and it’s safe to run in the mornings. Unfortunately, Filip (Roms) had an accident on Lake Toba, so the guys have been working since Tuesday morning repairing his boat. We’ve almost got it done now and should have everything ready to go," said the four-time world champion.

Meanwhile F1 Atlantic Team’s Ben Jelf shared: “These are the things that dreams are made of.

“The team has been working hard as always and we proved in Indonesia that we have the pace, so now we can build on that and hopefully secure more championship points and begin to reap rewards for the hard work.

"Every time I get in the boat and on the water, I learn something new. The boat felt really good in Indonesia, so I will be looking for a good result on Sunday morning. The people have been really nice here. The weather starts really good in the mornings and then starts to get a bit rougher towards the late morning, so I think it makes a big difference and it’s a good decision to plan the timetable as they have,” he said.

The F1H2O is organised following last week's successful Aquabike Championship which received appreciation from officials, athletes and supporters for organising activities.

“They said that Bình Định was a culturally diverse destination, and was also very interesting for racers," said Trần Việt Anh, Chairman of the Board of the Bình Định F1 Company.

He said as for Thị Nại racetrack, people were very surprised about the infrastructure, facilities and service, which offer great potential for the further development of aqua sports and will be a sought-after venue for major competitions in the future.

The organisers had only several days to prepare for the F1H2O event after the aquabike tournament wrapped up.

However, everything is almost ready for the stunning performance of world elite racers.

“The time to organise this tournament is very short, so we have to quickly mobilise all forces, with the support of all departments and agencies of Bình Định Province, in completing the ground, stage and all preparations," Việt Anh said.

The world championship is a highlight of the Amazing Bình Định Fest 2024 on March 22-31. VNS