The 64th Gran Premio Motonautico on the River Po at Boretto produced one of the most dramatic rounds of the 2026 UIM Hydro GP World Championship, with championship positions overturned in all three classes across a weekend of mechanical failures, capsizes and dominant performances.
F.125: Ongari Takes the Round as Rossi’s Title Slips Away
Gabriele Rossi arrived at Boretto with the F.125 championship virtually secured. He left with the lead gone. A steering failure in Heat 1 eliminated him before a lap penalty in Heat 2 compounded the damage, and a disputed finish in Heat 3 left him with just 322 race points from a possible 1,200. His championship points tally dropped to 50, one behind new leader Andrea Ongari on 52.
Luca Finotti had been the man in form, winning the first two heats with authority. In Heat 3 his exhaust failed, handing Ongari the heat win and the round. Tobias Wahlsten scored his best result of the season with 750 aggregate points across the three heats, climbing to fifth in the overall standings. Davide Scarpa finished seventh on the day, Daniele Ghiraldi eighth, Simona Emilia Fittavolini ninth.
| Pos | Driver | Nat | Heat 1 | Heat 2 | Heat 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Ongari | 🇮🇹 | 169 | 300 | 400 | 869 |
| 2 | Luca Finotti | 🇮🇹 | 400 | 400 | DNF | 800 |
| 3 | Tobias Wahlsten | 🇸🇪 | 300 | 225 | 225 | 750 |
| 4 | Henryk Synoracki | 🇵🇱 | 71 | 127 | 169 | 367 |
| 5 | Deyan Yordanov | 🇧🇬 | 225 | 53 | 71 | 349 |
| 6 | Gabriele Rossi | 🇮🇹 | DNF | 22 | 300 | 322 |
| 7 | Davide Scarpa | 🇮🇹 | DNF | 169 | 127 | 296 |
| 8 | Daniele Ghiraldi | 🇮🇹 | 53 | 95 | 95 | 243 |
| 9 | Simona Emilia Fittavolini | 🇮🇹 | 127 | 71 | 40 | 238 |
| 10 | Nicolo Darai | 🇮🇹 | 95 | DNF | DNF | 95 |
| 11 | Martin Chlup | 🇨🇿 | – | 40 | 53 | 93 |
| 12 | Panayot Stoyanov | 🇧🇬 | DNF | 30 | DNF | 30 |
Championship standings in points: Ongari 52, G. Rossi 50, Finotti 42, Synoracki 41, Darai 30, Scarpa 25, Fittavolini 16. One round remains, at Chodziez in Poland on June 27-28.
F.250: Cremona Closes in on Fifth Consecutive Title
Massimiliano Cremona was faultless. Three heats, three wins, 1,200 race points — a perfect score at Boretto that extended his advantage over brother Alessandro to 13 championship points with one round remaining. Pasquale Contento produced his strongest performance of the season in fourth overall on the day. Wayne Turner and Joonas Lember both moved up the standings with solid scoring runs.
| Pos | Driver | Nat | Heat 1 | Heat 2 | Heat 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massimiliano Cremona | 🇮🇹 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 1200 |
| 2 | Alessandro Cremona | 🇮🇹 | 300 | 300 | – | 600 |
| 3 | Wayne Turner | 🇬🇧 | 169 | 127 | 300 | 596 |
| 4 | Pasquale Contento | 🇮🇹 | 225 | 225 | 127 | 577 |
| 5 | Joonas Lember | 🇪🇪 | 127 | 169 | 225 | 521 |
| 6 | Thomas Mantripp | 🇬🇧 | – | 95 | 169 | 264 |
| 7 | Pete Nydahl | 🇺🇸 | DNF | DNF | DNF | – |
Championship standings: Massimiliano Cremona leads Alessandro by 13 points with one round remaining at Chodziez, Poland, June 27-28. Thomas Mantripp holds third on cumulative race points.
F.500: Rossi Senior Wins the Round, Three Drivers Split by Two Points
The F.500 produced the most dramatic finish of the weekend. Giuseppe Rossi, who had scored just 340 race points from the opening two rounds, swept through Boretto with fourth, second and first place finishes to take the round win on 869 aggregate points. Erko Aabrams, who had led the championship coming into the weekend, capsized half a lap from the finish of Heat 3. Marcin Zielinski took one heat win but suffered two retirements. Attila Havas ran steadily throughout, accumulating 620 points on the day.
| Pos | Driver | Nat | Heat 1 | Heat 2 | Heat 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giuseppe Rossi | 🇮🇹 | 169 | 300 | 400 | 869 |
| 2 | Erko Aabrams | 🇪🇪 | 300 | 400 | 225 | 700 |
| 3 | Attila Havas | 🇭🇺 | 95 | 225 | 300 | 620 |
| 4 | Milen Marinov | 🇧🇬 | 127 | 169 | 169 | 465 |
| 5 | David Loukotka | 🇨🇿 | 225 | – | 225 | 450 |
| 6 | Marcin Zielinski | 🇵🇱 | 400 | 127 | – | 400 |
| 7 | Paul Hart | 🇬🇧 | – | 95 | 127 | 254 |
| 8 | Marcel Copak | 🇨🇿 | 53 | 71 | 95 | 237 |
| 9 | Ferenc Csako | 🇷🇸 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 219 |
Championship standings in points with two rounds remaining: Zielinski 48, Havas 47, Aabrams 46, Rossi 30. The next F.500 round is at Chodziez, Poland on June 27-28, with the season finale at Ruse, Bulgaria on August 22-23.
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.
