It’s been nearly three years since Frode Sundsdal last competed on the international powerboat race scene, when he teamed up with Rupp Temper at the UIM F2 European Championships. Now the man from Arendal in Norway, who lives just along the coastline in Tønsberg, thinks it’s the perfect time to return to the UIM F2 World Championship with EDH Racing.
Sundsdal commenting on 2016,
Yes, Formula Two is going to be very tough this year. With the likes of the F1 star’s Selio and Carella racing alongside the already established F2 drivers like Lundin and Palfreyman, getting anywhere near the podium won’t be easy. So if you want to challenge yourself as a racer then this is the season to do it.
Like many Scandinavian drivers Sundsdal started racing in the Junior T250 monohull class when aged fifteen. By his early twenties he had become the Norwegian Champion in both the T250, and T400 classes, along with the titles in both the S850 and T850 categories. From 1990 to 1993 he was the World, European and Scandinavian T400 Champion. By 1996 he had been Norwegian Champion seven times, along with establishing several world water speed records in various classes.
After just one season in the UIM F3 World Championship, he made the move to the UIM F1 World Championship making his debut at the Italian Grand Prix held in Sardinia with the Mare Magnum Team. His best F1 result was a very creditable sixth place at the Grand Prix of Sharjah in 2000. Since that time Sundsdal has competed in various European and Continental Cup events along with races in the Middle East at F2 level.
For the 2016 racing season he has set up a brand new Team called EDH Racing to challenge for the world title.
EDH is one of the single biggest plant hire companies covering Southern and Eastern Norway. They have over three thousand products ranging from small lawn mowers to construction site living quarters available to hire out. I am proud to represent a local company with over 70 clubs on the sponsor list. You can say, I am a proud ambassador!
Sundsdal has decided to adopt a different approach and run a DAC Photo: Chris Davies.
Even though last season’s podium was dominated by drivers racing the Moore hull, Sundsdal has decided to adopt a different approach.
For most of my racing life I have used a DAC hull and I have always felt comfortable at doing so. Over those years Guido Cappellini has made huge strides in driver safety and I know that to get the job done you need a strong boat. It’s one that I have raced before in because I don’t believe in switching to a new boat each year. My good friend Tim Seebold once told me that after the second season of racing the boat you really do know how it will handle.
With the opening round of the 2016 F2 World Championship taking place in Peuruka, Finland just five weeks away, Sundsdal is confident that he will meet EDH’s expectations.
The reason they chose me is that I have always delivered on what I promised them and I’m not about to change that. The first challenge is Brodenbach, Germany a test race for a lot of drivers. Uvis Slakteris is here, so is Rupp Temper, Stafan Hagin – Nick Bisterfeld and so on. It will be a tough race for the German championship!
Frode Sundsdal from EDH Racing putting his DAC through its paces. Photo: Chris Davies.
2016 UIM F2 World Championship
10 – 12 June – Peurunka – Finland
08 – 09 July – Tvedestrand – Norway
06 – 07 August – Tønsberg – Norway
27 – 28 August – Zarasai – Lithuania
10 – 11 September – Macon – France
07 – 09 October – Ribadouro – Portugal
2016 UIM F2 European Championship
24 – 25 September – Stewartby – United Kingdom
