Erik Stark topped the times in Saturday morning’s warm-up session for the Grand Prix of Jeddah, posting a best lap of 42.533 seconds over the 30-lap session.
The Team Abu Dhabi driver’s time was just over a second slower than Shaun Torrente’s pole position lap of 41.444 seconds set in Friday’s qualifying, suggesting teams were focused on race preparation rather than outright speed.
Alberto Comparato finished second in the session, 0.111 seconds behind Stark, with Grant Trask third. Championship contenders Rusty Wyatt and Jonas Andersson rounded out the top five.
Torrente, who starts the Grand Prix from pole position, set the eighth-fastest time. Championship leader Alec Weckström finished 15th, more than two seconds off the pace.
Stefan Arand, Cédric Deguisne and Damon Cohen did not participate in the session.
The Grand Prix starts at 16:05 local time with 20 championship points available and Weckström holding a one-point advantage over Torrente in the title race.
Warm-up session times
| Pos | Driver | Best lap | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erik Stark | 42.533 | – |
| 2 | Alberto Comparato | 42.644 | +0.111 |
| 3 | Grant Trask | 42.781 | +0.248 |
| 4 | Rusty Wyatt | 43.129 | +0.596 |
| 5 | Jonas Andersson | 43.259 | +0.726 |
| 6 | Marit Strømøy | 43.261 | +0.728 |
| 7 | Peter Morin | 43.402 | +0.869 |
| 8 | Shaun Torrente | 43.493 | +0.960 |
| 9 | Ben Jelf | 44.018 | +1.485 |
| 10 | Alexandre Bourgeot | 44.048 | +1.515 |
| 11 | Sami Seliö | 44.139 | +1.606 |
| 12 | Stefan Hagin | 44.445 | +1.912 |
| 13 | Mansoor Al-Mansoori | 44.565 | +2.032 |
| 14 | Bartek Marszalek | 44.573 | +2.039 |
| 15 | Alec Weckström | 44.611 | +2.078 |
| 16 | Ferdinand Zandbergen | 44.708 | +2.175 |
| 17 | Duarte Benavente | 46.308 | +3.775 |
| 18 | Stefan Arand | – | DNS |
| 19 | Cédric Deguisne | – | DNS |
| 20 | Damon Cohen | – | DNS |
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
