Lithuania Takes the Team Title as Kaunas Crowns Six Formula Future World Champions

August 16, 2026 | John Moore | UIM Formula Future
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The XXV UIM Formula Future World Championship concluded at Kaunas Lagoon on Saturday, August 15, 2026, with six overall titles decided across four days of competition. More than 90 pilots from 13 countries had opened the week on Wednesday. By Saturday evening, 18 world titles had been awarded across the six classes.

Dolphin

Poland’s Leo Soszyński took the Dolphin title on 700 points after winning the slalom world championship. Lithuania’s Augustas Mikelaitis, the manoeuvring world champion, finished second overall on 569 after placing fourth in slalom. Latvia’s Everts Medvedevs completed the podium on 525.

Dolphin class podium at the Formula Future World Championship in Kaunas
Dolphin podium: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia.

Class 1

Izabelė Cvirkaitė of Lithuania won both disciplines and took the overall title. Poland’s Nataniel Brzeziński finished second on 395, one point ahead of Latvia’s Jekabs Kutra and Sofija Klavina, who tied on 394 and were separated by time. Kutra took third.

Class 1 podium at the Formula Future World Championship in Kaunas
Class 1 podium: Lithuania, Poland, Latvia.

Class 2

Aronas Riabko won the slalom world championship and finished third in manoeuvring to take the Class 2 overall title on 625 points, racing for Sudan’s Black Pharaoh Team. He is the son of Edgaras Riabko, the Lithuanian driver currently leading the UIM F2 World Championship, and was born in Lithuania. Croatia’s Dominykas Barkauskas placed second in both disciplines and finished second overall on 600. Lithuania’s Dovydas Pūkas, the manoeuvring world champion, was third overall on 569 after placing fourth in slalom.

Class 2 podium at the Formula Future World Championship in Kaunas, with Sudan's Aronas Riabko in first
Class 2 podium: Sudan, Croatia, Lithuania.

Class 3

Adriana Kaškauskaitė of Lithuania won both disciplines and took the overall title. Kemas Mitkus, also of Lithuania, finished second overall on 469. Germany’s Aik Finn Baumgärtner, who took silver in slalom, was third on 427.

Class 3 podium at the Formula Future World Championship in Kaunas
Class 3 podium: Lithuania, Lithuania, Germany.

Class 4

Germany’s Karl Schmarje won the manoeuvring world championship and the overall title on 625 points, finishing third in slalom. Slovakia’s Ella Jung, the slalom world champion, was second overall on 569 after placing fourth in manoeuvring. Latvia’s Alise Bundzinska completed the podium on 469.

Class 4 podium at the Formula Future World Championship in Kaunas
Class 4 podium: Germany, Slovakia, Latvia.

Class 5

The senior class drew 24 entries, the largest field of the week. Portugal’s Aurimas Raziulis won the manoeuvring world championship and the overall title on 625 points, finishing third in slalom. His brother Elimantas of Lithuania, the slalom world champion, placed second overall on 527. Latvia’s Ralfs Zaharcenoks and Lithuania’s Rokas Frejeris tied on 395 and were separated by time, with Zaharcenoks taking third.

Class 5 podium at the Formula Future World Championship in Kaunas
Class 5 podium: Portugal, Lithuania, Latvia.

Nations

Lithuania finished top of the team classification, ahead of Latvia and Germany. The championship is organised by the Lithuanian Motorboat Academy, whose youth programmes have driven much of the entry growth behind Formula Future in recent years.

Teams celebrate on stage at the close of the Formula Future World Championship in Kaunas
Nations celebrate at the closing ceremony in Kaunas.
John Moore

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.