Hencz had gotten the weekend off to the best possible start by winning the opening heat from his fellow Slovakian racer, Marian Jung, who then ran into mechanical issues in the second heat after he broke a cylinder due to a water-cooling issue. It would prove to be a very frustrating weekend for him after winning the previous round in Poland.

Victory in the second heat had gone to Hencz.

We knew it was working good but even I was amazed we could win two heats.

Marcin Zielinski had capitalised on Jung’s misfortune and would collect second place; they had worked over night to resolve the issue that had led to him running on just three cylinders in the previous heat.

I think we should all be happy every single cylinder was working perfectly.

The racer certainly making his way up the leader board was Aabrams who’s weekend had certainly started rather slowly. They had struggled to get the settings right with the injectors for the first heat so over Friday night they set about changing the carburettors, whilst at the same time replacing piston rings and to add to their list, they even opted to change the gearbox.

We just couldn’t work it out, so it meant for us it was going to be a long, long night.

For the final heat Hencz knew all he had to do was finish inside the top five to take victory, so he opted for a safe race which turned into a good plan. In the end he crossed the line in third place securing a successful weekend.

It was a long drive here to Sweden, but our return trip home will be an enjoyable one that is for sure. Last year I missed the whole season, so this year is going to be my ‘comeback from hell to hero.’

The third and final heat was won by Aabrams who admitted that they had finally figured out what the issue was.

It was all good but just too late. My mission was really not to win here but to come away still leading the championship, so I consider that mission accomplished.

Polish driver Zielinski who had challenged Aabrams all the way throughout the second heat was looking to put in an identical performance for the third, but his start was far from perfect, and he immediately found himself almost at the back of the pack. He would eventually catch up with Hencz but by then he had run out of laps to mount a significant challenge and settled for fourth across the line.

This weekend has been good as we have collected more championship points and now the whole team is motivated for Dunaújváros and the European Championship.

Photos by Chris Davies.

Making what he described as the ‘perfect start’ he then glanced back in his mirrors and could see no one challenging him. After that it was just a case of racing his own race.

In the closing laps the back markers were not picking up the lead boats which I thought was frustrating. I am one of the few drivers who has radio communications with my crew on the bank, if all the teams had that then I think it might ease that situation and would make the racing safer.

Following Hencz home was his fellow Slovakian racer, Marian Jung. Throughout the morning he had struggled with getting his engine to run smoothly. In trying to balance the ethanol and oil it was either way too rich or way too lean and it meant that Jung was only able to get thirty minutes of testing time.

It’s moments like this when you need to use your experience and fortunately, I have gained plenty over the years.

Marcin Zielinski had stated from pole position but that was only after he had to protest the decision that had seen that lap discounted from his qualifying times. The officials had seen the Polish driver miss a turn mark and assumed that was his quickest lap but under appeal the driver showed on board footage to prove that was not the case and so that pole setting time was reinstated.

Just when he thought his troubles were over for the day his engine then decided to run only three out of the four cylinders in the latter stages of the heat.

If I can finish third on just three cylinders just think what I can do tomorrow with four.

Racing resumes in Mora with the second F500 heat just before lunch.

Photos: Chris Davies/PRW

In the F500 class the defending World Champion Erko Aabrams put together the perfect lap in qualifying, posting the fastest time ahead of Giuseppe Rossi and Marcin Zieliński. That was later followed by a dramatic first heat as approaching the far turn buoy Rossi closed the door on Marian Jung who was unable to avoid him damaging both boats in the process. To add to the confusion the 2020 F250 World Champion Andrea Ongari had taken out two turn buoys leaving the race officials with little choice but to cancel the opening heat which was a shame for David Loukotka (98), as the local hero was in a sensational third place.

In the evening, Jung sprinted back home to Slovakia to collect a new boat so that he could race on Sunday. Unfortunately, Rossi was unable to do that, so the Italian devote himself to his clients who were running his engines.

Aabrams, who had been leading the first heat before it was cancelled showed in the second heat that he was serious about defending the title when he beat Havas, who was in a brand new ASV hull across the finish line by twenty seconds.

Bizarrely Ongari was at it again when he took out a further two turn buoy and was once again disqualified from the heat.

So it now came down to the final heat and with Aabrams on pole position it would be something of an upset if the Estonian was to miss the top step of the podium but amazingly that was what happened.

When PRW spoke to Aabrams he explained what happened

As we were getting ready for the most important heat my knee accidently pushed my trim button just at the very moment my mechanic went to start my engine. With the engine now in the wrong position I couldn’t get any acceleration for the first few metres.

So, by the time he had reached the first turn buoy he was back in ninth place and although he tried to make up lost ground, he ended up crossing the line in fourth place. Ahead of him was the former OSY400 competitor Cezary Strumnik but so was Havas and two second places meant the Hungarian would collect six hundred points, thirty-one more that the Estonian and more crucially the maximum points in the battle for the world title.

When the delighted Havas spoke to PRW he spoke about the engine problems that he had on Saturday.

The team worked great and with the help of the VRP engine manufacturer Carlo Verona, the problems were resolved by Sunday. Sometimes consistent results bring victory and now we are waiting for the next competition.

Third place on the podium remarkably went to Ongari after he collect maximum points in the third heat without touching any buoys.

Back in the cockpit was the double World Champion Robert Hencz and when PRW caught up with him he explained how his weekend went

This weekend was for us incredibly special with many emotions but also it was unlucky for me. On Saturday in the first heat after the crash between Jung and Rossi and then the red flag after the mistake made by Ongari I was in fifth place, but we all ended that one on zero points. Then on Sunday in the second heat during the two-minute warning my pipes wire was broken so I never left the jetty. In the final I started last and finished in fifth place. It was great being back in boat but after the race I have many pains but its ok. For the next race, I will have a brand-new engine and we are coming back stronger.

The A.S.D. Motonautica Boretto Po will be keeping a close watch on the River Po’s water level before the next round of the Hydro GP is due to take place at the start of June.

Images supplied by Milan Spurný at Studio diSTy

Czech Journalist Milan Spurný (MS), who is based at the iMotorZOOM.cz editorial office shares with PRW an interview he did with Hencz prior to this weekend’s action.

I went through the historical tables, and I first recorded you in the F500 World Championship back in 2009, when you finished fourth overall. At that time, your compatriot Marián Jung took the title, second was Tiziano Trombetta and third was Attila Havas, the most successful powerboat racer in terms of medals won at UIM races. It was your first season in F500, how would you rate your class debut?

Yes, the 2009 season was my F500 debut and the racing was stunning. My first race was in Jedovnice, where the O-700 European Championship took place. But I raced with a 500-cc engine among the stronger “sevens” and I still finished second. So, at the beginning of my F500 career, I was runner-up in the O-700 European Championship, it was an incredible experience.

You probably didn’t start as an F500 class driver. When did you first start and in what class?

I started racing back in 1995 in the OSY-400 category, then I raced in F-125 and since 2009 I have been competing in the F-500 and O-700 class.

It took you five seasons to win your first F500 world title. That year the championship consisted of six events, and you managed to score in all six rounds to beat Havas by two points, and Jung by eight.

2013 was a miracle. I won the title in the last race of the sixth round which took place in Berlin. I won it beating Havas in the process. Jung did not finish that race and I became the World Champion; of course, I still remember my first world title.

In the following seasons you raced in the F500 World Championships and then came the covid year of 2020. That year the World Championship was held as a one-off race in Jedovnice, with three out of four races to count. That was where you won your second world title, which you will certainly not forget for the rest of your life as you ended the fourth heat being flown by helicopter to the hospital in Brno. What thoughts followed, you ended up in the hospital and the doctors shared the extent of your injuries?

The moment of the accident I remember, a big blow came, but I didn’t know from whom. Then the “splinters” just flew, and I tried to move my head up and down. There was a lot of pain, I didn’t know exactly what it was, but I knew I had a big problem. After the rescue operation, I remember fewer things, some moments in the rescue boat, in the ambulance, and then I was in the helicopter.

Subsequently, I did not know anything about what was happening in Jedovnice, whether the race was restarted or not. I didn’t find out that I was the UIM F500 World Champion until late in the evening when my teammates came to the hospital to see me. I cried with joy, but I was strapped to the bed in great pain.

Then, after a few minutes, the unwelcome news came that the extent of my injury was large and profoundly serious, because I had damaged my spine in several places. I cried a second time. Fortunately, I was operated on at the teaching hospital by specialists who did a though professional job.

Several months of recovery at home followed and to this day I have titanium reinforcement and screws in my spine. It can still be felt there today, but I must live with it.

You missed the 2021 season, but you did not “sit” at home. At the European Championships in Chodzież, Poland you were coaching Leva Millere, which was a new experience for you. What did this “managerial” experience bring you personally?

Yes, I sold my raceboat to Millere, whom I coached, taught, and helped all season. But I also helped and coached David Loukotka in everything, I passed on all my best experiences to both of them.

Last year you returned to Jedovnice and to the accident scene and you went out in an F500 practice session.

I was incredibly happy that the organisers allowed me to go out. Most of all I was able to complete a lap of honour to celebrate my 2020 World Championship title. It was a sensational experience. In practice I passed the spot where the crash happened. At first my body tensed up, but then everything was ok.

So, after a one-year break, you are returning to the racing carousel of the UIM F500 World Championship. Surely you will not only want to race but fight for the highest places, won’t the ‘old’ injury be a burden?

Yes, I’m going back and I’m going to fight for the title. My health is already good, but I still have pain. How I will experience it emotionally and how it will affect my psyche; you must ask me after the races. I can’t say if my injury will be a hindrance for me, but one thing is for sure – I’m going to fight for a new title.

This article was prepared by Milan Spurný.

Based in Brno, Czech Republic, Spurný runs Studio diSTy who have been providing exceptional graphic work and pre-press services since 1992. Since 2000 they have been supplying customers with a photographic service that covers not just important life events but also product photography in their studio which can then be used to create promotional materials. PRW are looking forward to further collaborations with him.