Hilmer Wiberg took pole position and won Heat 1 on Saturday night at the 2026 UIM F2 European Championship at Viverone.
His sister Mathilda was second, with Norway’s Andrè Solvang third.
The story of the heat was Edgaras Riabko.
The Lithuanian crossed the water in second place, 9.860 seconds behind Wiberg. A two-position penalty under Rule 307.02, governing the run from the start to the first turn, dropped him to fourth in the classification.
Wiberg’s start came down to reading the situation rather than the lights.
Hilmer Wiberg
I watched F4 and they say it will be a flag start. I just looked at the boat instead of the lights.
He held the lead into the first turn and never gave it up.
Hilmer Wiberg
It went great, you know, it’s the first time, I guess I was faster this time.
Behind him, Riabko’s race was compromised at the same first turn that decided his penalty. He described a small marker buoy lifting on the wash of the boats ahead of him as the field jumped away from the start.
Edgaras Riabko
The main problem was there were no lights, so we had to look to the right, where it was the rescue boat. I saw the flag, but the main problem was that in front of me it was a small plastic buoy, and when they jumped on the start my buoy just jumped up and I couldn’t see where it was. So I made a chicane, the start was very bad. I think I crossed his line because of this small buoy. I was very angry, because the organisers must take all this out of the start, it’s incredible.
Peter Morin, who finished fifth, described the same moment from the other side of it.
Peter Morin
It was a bit difficult, some problem with the start procedure, the engine didn’t work as it could have. Then we did what we can do, and you see the result.
Morin said he knew immediately he could not fight back for position once the contact happened, and separately described a mid-heat yellow flag warning from his radio that turned out not to apply, costing him momentum on top of the start.
Third-placed Andrè Solvang was among the happiest drivers on the pontoon.
Andrè Solvang
I’m really happy. It was a really good start. I managed to keep them behind, then I’m just super happy with the result.
Qualifying
| Pos | No. | Driver | Nat | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 70 | Hilmer Wiberg | SWE | 44.257 | 42.544 | 41.828 |
| 2 | 41 | Edgaras Riabko | LTU | 43.309 | 43.027 | 41.933 |
| 3 | 111 | Peter Morin | FRA | 44.137 | 43.252 | 42.571 |
| 4 | 3 | Owen Jelf | GBR | 44.279 | 43.776 | 42.580 |
| 5 | 5 | Tullio Abbate | ITA | 44.299 | 43.600 | 42.993 |
| 6 | 27 | Andrè Solvang | NOR | 44.583 | 43.778 | 43.528 |
| 7 | 16 | Romain Nedelec | ESP | 44.968 | 43.831 | – |
| 8 | 33 | Nelson Morin | FRA | 44.426 | 44.107 | – |
| 9 | 1 | Mathilda Wiberg | SWE | 43.004 | 44.380 | – |
| 10 | 15 | Dainis Podžuks | LAT | 44.480 | 44.448 | – |
| 11 | 11 | Bimba Sjöholm | SWE | 43.191 | 44.764 | – |
| 12 | 51 | Nils Slakteris | LAT | 45.315 | 44.896 | – |
| 13 | 4 | Jarno Vilmunen | FIN | 45.470 | – | – |
| 14 | 85 | Luca Fornasarig | ITA | 45.811 | – | – |
| 15 | 91 | Buby Bertels | BEL | DNS | – | – |
Heat 1
Heat 1 ran to a different order once Riabko’s penalty was applied.
| Pos | No. | Driver | Nat | Gap | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 70 | Hilmer Wiberg | SWE | – | 400 |
| 2 | 1 | Mathilda Wiberg | SWE | +16.032 | 300 |
| 3 | 27 | Andrè Solvang | NOR | +28.021 | 225 |
| 4 | 41 | Edgaras Riabko | LTU | +29.860* | 169 |
| 5 | 111 | Peter Morin | FRA | +30.267 | 127 |
| 6 | 33 | Nelson Morin | FRA | +33.924 | 95 |
| 7 | 15 | Dainis Podžuks | LAT | +40.468 | 71 |
| 8 | 3 | Owen Jelf | GBR | +43.620 | 53 |
| 9 | 11 | Bimba Sjöholm | SWE | +1 lap | 40 |
| 10 | 4 | Jarno Vilmunen | FIN | +1 lap | 30 |
| 11 | 16 | Romain Nedelec | ESP | +1 lap | 22 |
| 12 | 51 | Nils Slakteris | LAT | +1 lap | 17 |
| 13 | 5 | Tullio Abbate | ITA | DNF | 0 |
| 14 | 85 | Luca Fornasarig | ITA | DNF | 0 |
| 15 | 91 | Buby Bertels | BEL | DNF | 0 |
*Riabko finished second on the water, 9.860 seconds behind Wiberg. His classified gap reflects a two-position penalty under Rule 307.02.
Full entries and background for the weekend are in the 2026 UIM F2 European Championship Driver Guide. Racing at Viverone continues on Sunday.
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.
