Héctor Sanz believes that this season could be the one where he breaks through the ranks and challenges for outright honours in the UIM F2 World Championship.

The Spanish driver, who lives in the small Catalan town of Riba Roja d’Ebre, has been testing his Mercury-engined DAC in the build up to the opening round of the series on Kaunas Reservoir in Lithuania this weekend and has been talking to Neil Perkins.

Hector finished 11th in the points’ standings in 2018 after setting impressive lap times in a season marred by a spectacular crash in Portugal (photo by Fred Emeny below).

With the 2018 F2 World Champion Alberto Comparato moving on to the UIM F1 H2O World Championship and several other front-runners taking part in several racing programmes during the year, Sanz is focused on upsetting the applecart and looking to get amongst the front-runners in a five-race programme that is sure to attract a large number of registered drivers.

Speaking after last weekend’s final test session on the Ebro River at Club Nautica in Riba Roja d’Ebre, Sanz said:

I suppose I am a little nervous to see how we begin the season and how it will go and to see the result of the work we have carried out throughout the winter.

I am very motivated after the experience I gained last year.

Getting into Q3 is important.

I need to be safe in the top 10.

This year the regulations have changed a little. We have adjusted the weight and balance of the boat to improve.

My goal is always to be inside the top seven and I believe we can be.

I need to cut out last year’s mistakes.

There are many strong drivers again this year and I guess we will see who when the racing starts…..

With the recent news out of the UIM confirming that the race in Lithuania will be followed by four further Grand Prix in Norway, Italy, Portugal and Abu Dhabi, the Spaniard knows the importance of putting points on the board against the likes of Austria Rupert Temper, Lithuania’s very own star Edgaras Riabko, 2017 champion Rashed Al-Qemzi and the likes of American racer Brent Dillard, Germany’s Stefan Hagin and Nick Bisterfeld, Brit, Owen Jelf and the experienced Portuguese veteran Duarte Benavente.

Other names confirmed on the entry list include former F4S front-runner Kalle Viippo of Finland, Emirati Rashed Al-Tayer, the experienced Frenchman Philippe Tourre, former F1 racer Mike Szymura, Norway’s Frode Sundsdal, Latvia’s Uvis Slakteris, Dutchman Ferdinand Zandbergen and the Swedish quintet of Johan Österberg, Ola Petterson, Daniel Segenmark, Oskar Samuelsson and Bimba Sjöholm.

The weekend’s racing is being laid on by F2 Lithuania in association with the Lithuanian Powerboat Federation (LMF).

Free practice and qualifying sessions will take place from 11.00hrs and 15.00hrs, respectively, on Saturday (June 29) with the Grand Prix of Lithuania firing into life at 3pm (local time) on Sunday, June 30th.