Terry Rinker turned in a strong performance Thursday among powerboat racing drivers in qualifying action for the 21st Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi.

Rinker, who calls Tampa, Florida home, is driving for the Qatar Team in the final two events of the 2012 UIM FI H2O World Championship for power boating.

Rinker, a six-time North American FI champion for Team AMSOIL, had an impressive qualifying effort in driving the No. 2 Qatar Team DAC boat for the first time on Thursday. He even led for the pole position briefly with a second lap time of 47.25.

Rinker will compte in the UIM FI World Championship Series events in both Abu Dhabi and Sharjah of the United Arab Emirates. The 12-time national champion  has dominated the APR Superleague Championship series. Rinker has been inducted into the APBA Hall of Champions in 2007, 2009 and 2011.

Driver Alex Carella, Rinker’s teammate for the Qatar Team, earned the pole position for the race. Carella’s top time in earning the pole spot for the second straight year was 46.59. The Qatar Team won the 2011 series championship.

The Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi will be contested Friday starting at 6:30 a.m. EST.  The race can be watched at www.f1h2o.com.