Grant Trask topped the times in Sunday morning’s warm-up session as Shaun Torrente and Jonas Andersson prepared for their championship showdown at the Road to Sharjah–Grand Prix of Sharjah.
The Team Sweden driver posted a fastest lap of 48.594 seconds to boost his confidence ahead of the afternoon’s title-deciding Grand Prix, whilst both championship contenders adopted conservative approaches with minimal running.
Trask sets the pace
Marit Strømøy posted the opening lap of the one-hour session but her team-mate Bartek Marszalek quickly broke the 48.9-second barrier on his opening lap and topped the times for much of the stint.
Andersson waited until the session was 20 minutes old before posting his solitary lap of 49.973 seconds, then returned to the pontoon. The defending champion’s minimal running suggested Team Sweden were saving their equipment for the championship decider.
Trask launched himself to the top of the leaderboard with 48.594 seconds to claim fastest time ahead of Marszalek and Peter Morin, who recovered from Saturday’s battery failure to post 48.931 seconds across 12 laps.
Jelf returns after starter motor fix
Ben Jelf returned to action after F1 Atlantic Team diagnosed and rectified Saturday’s electrical issue as a starter motor problem. The British driver completed 11 laps with a best time of 50.326 seconds and expressed optimism about challenging the leading pack in the Grand Prix.
Rusty Wyatt continued to demonstrate the potential of the new Sharjah hull with 49.530 seconds for fourth fastest time, whilst Erik Stark completed the most laps of any driver with 17 tours of Khalid Lagoon.
Warm-up results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Best Lap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grant Trask | Team Sweden | 48.594 | 6 |
| 2 | Bartek Marszalek | Strømøy Racing | 48.886 | 1 |
| 3 | Peter Morin | China CTIC Team | 48.931 | 12 |
| 4 | Rusty Wyatt | Sharjah Team | 49.530 | 12 |
| 5 | Alec Weckström | Victory Team | 49.590 | 11 |
| 6 | Ferdinand Zandbergen | Red Devil-SMC F1 Team | 49.725 | 13 |
| 7 | Jonas Andersson | Team Sweden | 49.973 | 1 |
| 8 | Erik Stark | Team Abu Dhabi | 50.024 | 17 |
| 9 | Alberto Comparato | Comparato F1 | 50.041 | 15 |
| 10 | Sami Seliö | Red Devil-SMC F1 Team | 50.146 | 10 |
| 11 | Stefan Arand | Sharjah Team | 50.213 | 10 |
| 12 | Ben Jelf | F1 Atlantic Team | 50.326 | 11 |
| 13 | Shaun Torrente | Victory Team | 50.481 | 7 |
| 14 | Marit Strømøy | Strømøy Racing | 50.926 | 19 |
| 15 | Brent Dillard | China CTIC Team | 51.150 | 4 |
| 16 | Mansoor Al-Mansoori | Team Abu Dhabi | 51.594 | 8 |
| 17 | Duarte Benavente | F1 Atlantic Team | 52.433 | 3 |
| 18 | Alexandre Bourgeot | Maverick Racing | 52.537 | 12 |
| 19 | Cédric Deguisne | Maverick Racing | 53.332 | 4 |
| 20 | Damon Cohen | Comparato F1 | 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.
