Buby Bertels ran an F2 boat for the first time on Saturday, July 4, 2026, one of three UIM F2 drivers using practice sessions at Lake Alūksne, Latvia, to prepare for a UIM F2 World Championship campaign.
Bertels joined Formula 2 this year after building his career in UIM Pleasure Navigation, most often alongside Nico de Stoop in Bernico-built boats carrying the B91 race number. The pairing won the B300 class at the 2022 UIM Pleasure Navigation World Championship, taking rounds in both Benalmádena and Baiona that year.
He said the session at Alūksne was arranged to test whether he is ready for the step up.
Bertels on why he was there:
I joined Formula 2 just this year, and the plan is to start in the Formula 2 World Championship. They decided to let me come here to do some runs, to see how I am driving and whether I am actually capable of driving a Formula 2 boat.
He was positive about the experience regardless of how the runs went.
Just being here, the landscape, everything, the people, I really love that. I will definitely be coming back and driving on this kind of water. We do not have this at home, so it is a big experience for me, and I loved it from the first moment.
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.
