Slakteris: Viverone Victory

Slakteris Seals World Championship Glory at Viverone

Latvia’s Nils Slakteris emerged victorious in the thrilling finale of the UIM F4 World Championship, held on the stunning Lake Viverone in northern Italy.

Championship on a Knife Edge

Heading into the weekend, the championship standings were delicately poised, with several drivers still in contention. With forty points up for grabs, every lap carried huge significance – and the opening day proved just how unpredictable the battle would be.

Race Day One – Baptiste-Thomas Strikes Back

Free Practice set the tone, with less than a second separating the top six drivers. France’s Jean Baptiste-Thomas edged Slakteris by just 0.02 seconds to top the session. Qualifying saw Sweden’s Adam Wrenkler on the pace, but it was Norway’s William Leithe-Martinsen who stole pole position, half a second clear of Baptiste-Thomas.

The opening race brought chaos and drama, with a collision between Frenchmen Lucas Boyard and Pierre Lambert forcing both out. Rookie Ismat Moani also suffered a dramatic hook but recovered to finish his debut race. Under a yellow flag restart, misfortune struck Leithe-Martinsen as an engine failure ended his challenge. Baptiste-Thomas seized control and stormed to victory, tying himself with Slakteris on points heading into the decisive final race. Slakteris kept his title hopes alive with second, while Hungary’s Attila Horváth continued his fine form in third.

Race Day Two – Slakteris Rises to the Occasion

Sunday dawned bright and tense, the Italian lake shimmering as fans packed the shoreline for the showdown. Slakteris topped free practice, signalling his intent, but a technical infringement in qualifying saw him disqualified from setting the fastest time. Leithe-Martinsen secured pole and powered to a commanding lights-to-flag victory, but the real story was unfolding just behind.

Slakteris, starting from seventh, knew he had to finish ahead of Baptiste-Thomas to take the title. For much of the race Baptiste-Thomas held the advantage, running fourth, but as conditions grew choppier his boat lost pace. Slakteris seized the moment, swept past his rival, and never looked back. With every lap the tension mounted until the chequered flag finally fell – sealing Slakteris’s first UIM F4 World Championship crown.

Celebrations and Reflections

Double celebrations marked the day as Leithe-Martinsen celebrated his race victory, while Slakteris and the RIGA Powerboat Racing Team revelled in their world title triumph. Baptiste-Thomas finished fifth to claim silver overall, with Wrenkler’s consistency rewarded with bronze.

“That was one of the toughest races of my life,” said Slakteris. “At the start I didn’t think I’d be standing here as World Champion. Starting in seventh, I just had to wait and see if there was an opportunity. When Baptiste slowed, I thought, ‘it’s now or never’, and I made the move. I’m so happy – thank you to my family and team for everything.”

UIM F4 Race Director Jeni Jelf praised the weekend: “What a phenomenal season and an incredible final race. There was no way of knowing who would be crowned World Champion until that chequered flag dropped. F4 is such a fantastic class with great emerging talent – the future looks bright, and next year promises to be even bigger and better.”

A Champion Etched in History