Seventeen-year-old Lember from Tallin was the class of the field as he sped away from the pack and by the third lap, he was comfortably half a straight ahead of the young Bulgarian racer Viktor Lyubenov.

Once I knew I had the lead I took each turn very safely as it was just mine to lose.

When Lyubenov spoke to PRW he said.

In the start run Lember and me were equal then as we passed the first turn it was like he found another gear and I had no answer. It’s going to be so difficult to beat him here, so my plan now is top three.

Coming in behind Lyubenov was the Italian racer Luca Finotti, who will also be looking to secure a spot on the podium come Saturday evening.

Photos: Chris Davies/PRW

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.

I don’t think that as woman that I should be treated somehow differently because of that. When I started, I was the only girl in the youth boating class in Estonia, but I have always been attracted to adrenaline-filled sports.

Ever since she can remember she has accompanied her mother and father to the competitions throughout Europe. At the age of ten she sat in a junior class competition boat for the first time. Since that moment she has set her goal of competing in F-500 where her father once raced.

Back in June at the first round of the Hydro GP series staged in Boretto, Italy, Aaslav-Kaasik had set the fastest time in qualifying but was disqualified in the first heat for safety reasons after rounding a mark the wrong way. Not put off by this she then went onto win the next two heats and take the twenty maximum championship points available.

Ternopil in Ukraine hosted the second round of the championship but yet again Aaslav-Kaasik had an early setback to her race weekend.

Following a crash in the opening heat the Estonian knew that her weekend was now all about damage limitation and just how many championship points she could end up with. Sixth place overall meant the answer would be ten valuable points.

Going into the final round at Jedovnice in the Czech Republic the Bulgarian Viktor Lyubenov held a seven-point lead over Aaslav-Kaasik at the top of the championship table. This time though her main threat would come from her fellow compatriot Marek Peeba who topped the timing sheets in the initial stages. Peeba, who would win the F125 European Championship just a few weeks later certainly wasn’t about to make Aaslav-Kaasik life easy, especially when he won the second heat.

Crucially though Lyubenov was having a weekend to forget. The championship leader had failed to finish two out of the three heats and any thoughts of a gold medal had by now disappeared. As they set off for the final heat Peeba faulted and didn’t finish. Unaware of this Aaslav-Kaasik crossed the finish line to become the first female F125 World Champion in Hydro GP.

After the finish, as she approached the shore, she heard loud clapping and when she stepped out of the boat her emotions took over and burst into tears, her father Uku had a smile though from ear to ear.

When she was asked about winning the world title she said

Don’t be afraid to compete in a sport that requires physical strength and a technical aptitude that is more commonly seen in men. If you are brave and determined, then you can succeed. I respect my fellow competitors and believe that because of that they also respect me as an equal competitor and not because I’m also a woman. If competing in this kind of competition also brings success, then victory is the sweeter.

UIM F125 Class – Hydro GP 2022 World Championship

13-15 May – Jedovnice, Czech Republic.

10-12 June – Boretto, Italy.

29-30 July – Mora, Sweden.

27-28 August – Ternopil, Ukraine.

F125 European Championship

16-18 September – Cremona, Italy.