Boat racing's Formula 1 is at beautiful Lake Toba, where the battle for the Grand Prix Indonesia will take place. On the starting line is Erik Stark, who despite a two-year absence seems to be red hot. Something he proved with the second fastest time during free practice on Friday.
The qualifier, which was supposed to take place on Saturday, has been postponed to Sunday at 02:00 (CET) due to weather conditions. And then the race runs in two parts 20 min each instead of a long one, at 6:00 (CET) and 09:00 (CET).
- It felt very good on the test rounds we did. There is a lot that needs to be done, but the boat worked perfectly and I feel in very good shape. Once out on the track it was as if I hand never been away. I feel more than ready for tomorrow, says Erik.
Ahead of this year's season and the season debut in Indonesia, Stark has signed a contract with the Dubai based Victory Team and has set his sights on the world championship title in Formula 1. New for this year is also that there a slightly different track.
- Simply explained, there will be a little more turns and a little longer lap times, up to a minute compared to 40 seconds as before, which should suit me. Sunday also seems to be able to offer quite a lot of wind, which is also not a disadvantage. We invest in a set-up of the boat that prioritizes good acceleration rather than the highest possible top speed.
He has already proven that he can assert himself in these contexts. Not least with his second place overall in the Formula 1 WC 2018. In addition, he has no less than four WC golds in Formula 2 on his merit list.
In other words, it is set for a very tight showdown on Sunday.
