Shaun Torrente topped the times in Free Practice 2 to end Friday on top after Jonas Andersson led the opening session on a day disrupted by unprecedented flooding at the Road to Sharjah–Grand Prix of Sharjah.
The championship leader posted a fastest lap of 47.992 seconds in the one-hour session to edge Andersson by 0.338 seconds as conditions improved dramatically following overnight storms that inundated the Sharjah area.
Torrente’s sub-48-second lap was the quickest of the day and gave the American valuable confidence heading into Saturday’s qualifying session, where he can take another step towards securing his fourth world title.
Bartek Marszalek moved up to third with 49.333 seconds, but six racers were yet to take to the water with 47 minutes remaining. Erik Stark and Alberto Comparato had not started their sessions when the yellow flag was raised after a turn buoy became dislodged.
Practice resumed with 37 minutes on the clock. Trask moved up to second with 49.090 seconds but Torrente remained the class of the field. Andersson then displaced his team-mate with 48.330 seconds as the two closest title rivals led the way.
Torrente sat out the remainder of the session but finished the day in confident mood ahead of Saturday’s qualifying. Stark only joined the fray with 16 minutes remaining and posted 48.878 seconds for fourth in the final standings.
Free Practice 1 results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonas Andersson | Team Sweden | 48.365 | – |
| 2 | Grant Trask | Team Sweden | 48.563 | +0.198 |
| 3 | Shaun Torrente | Victory Team | 48.668 | +0.303 |
| 4 | Stefan Arand | Sharjah Team | 48.930 | +0.565 |
| 5 | Peter Morin | China CTIC Team | 48.945 | +0.580 |
| 6 | Rusty Wyatt | Sharjah Team | 49.327 | +0.962 |
| 7 | Marit Strømøy | Strømøy Racing | 49.373 | +1.008 |
| 8 | Ben Jelf | F1 Atlantic Team | 49.748 | +1.383 |
| 9 | Brent Dillard | China CTIC Team | 49.989 | +1.624 |
| 10 | Alberto Comparato | Comparato F1 | 50.115 | +1.750 |
| 11 | Ferdinand Zandbergen | Red Devil-SMC F1 Team | 50.138 | +1.773 |
| 12 | Erik Stark | Team Abu Dhabi | 50.355 | +1.990 |
| 13 | Damon Cohen | Comparato F1 | 50.692 | +2.327 |
| 14 | Alexandre Bourgeot | Maverick Racing | 51.112 | +2.747 |
| 15 | Sami Seliö | Red Devil-SMC F1 Team | 51.144 | +2.779 |
| 16 | Bartek Marszalek | Strømøy Racing | 51.308 | +2.943 |
| 17 | Alec Weckström | Victory Team | 51.550 | +3.185 |
| 18 | Mansoor Al-Mansoori | Team Abu Dhabi | 52.171 | +3.806 |
| 19 | Duarte Benavente | F1 Atlantic Team | 52.238 | +3.873 |
| 20 | Cédric Deguisne | Maverick Racing | 53.692 | +5.327 |
Free Practice 2 results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaun Torrente | Victory Team | 47.992 | – |
| 2 | Jonas Andersson | Team Sweden | 48.330 | +0.338 |
| 3 | Grant Trask | Team Sweden | 48.474 | +0.482 |
| 4 | Erik Stark | Team Abu Dhabi | 48.878 | +0.886 |
| 5 | Peter Morin | China CTIC Team | 49.192 | +1.200 |
| 6 | Bartek Marszalek | Strømøy Racing | 49.333 | +1.341 |
| 7 | Ferdinand Zandbergen | Red Devil-SMC F1 Team | 49.373 | +1.381 |
| 8 | Alberto Comparato | Comparato F1 | 49.455 | +1.463 |
| 9 | Stefan Arand | Sharjah Team | 49.680 | +1.688 |
| 10 | Rusty Wyatt | Sharjah Team | 49.681 | +1.689 |
| 11 | Sami Seliö | Red Devil-SMC F1 Team | 49.807 | +1.815 |
| 12 | Alec Weckström | Victory Team | 49.845 | +1.853 |
| 13 | Brent Dillard | China CTIC Team | 49.922 | +1.930 |
| 14 | Marit Strømøy | Strømøy Racing | 50.025 | +2.033 |
| 15 | Mansoor Al-Mansoori | Team Abu Dhabi | 50.753 | +2.761 |
| 16 | Ben Jelf | F1 Atlantic Team | 50.753 | +2.761 |
| 17 | Damon Cohen | Comparato F1 | 51.675 | +3.683 |
| 18 | Alexandre Bourgeot | Maverick Racing | 51.774 | +3.782 |
| 19 | Duarte Benavente | F1 Atlantic Team | 52.245 | +4.253 |
| 20 | Cédric Deguisne | Maverick Racing | 53.460 | +5.468 |
Qualifying takes place on Saturday morning at 09:30 local time, with the two sprint races scheduled for the afternoon. The weather forecast is favourable with sunny spells and temperatures climbing into the low twenties.
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.
