The January plan was a Bernico 52R HYBRID in Class 1 – the world’s fastest RIB, 3,100 combined horsepower, and a man with an F1 test to his name at the wheel. Dean Stoneman decided against it. He found a Donzi instead, and then had to get it home from Italy. That last part took some doing.
After two months negotiating the purchase with an Italian seller, Stoneman collected the boat and headed north. The Donzi was on its trailer cradle, sitting on wooden blocks. Somewhere near Milan, he pulled into a truck stop.
“As I pulled in, the cradle slipped off the blocks on the trailer, wedging the mudguard against one of the rear tyres. I was stranded in a truck stop on the side of the road near Milan.”
– Dean Stoneman
With the boat wedged against the wheel and the trailer going nowhere, Stoneman spent an hour and fifteen minutes working the cradle free through a combination of improvisation and persistence. He got there.
“I managed to get the cradle back, central to the trailer – but it was about 15 to 20 millimetres from the tyres.”
– Dean Stoneman
During the ordeal, Italian police pulled into the truck stop. They assessed the situation. They drove away.
“The police pulled into the truck stop while I was in this debacle. They looked at me, just drove off, and left me there all on my own.”
– Dean Stoneman
The remainder of the journey north was rather more straightforward. Stoneman took a detour to go skiing in the mountains before crossing back to the UK. The boat is now in the yard.
Class 2 Entry
The 2026 UKOPRA entry list shows Stoneman under number 2-69 in Class 2, with a blue and white Donzi powered by 998hp of Mercury. The boat name is yet to be confirmed. Class 2 covers boats between 7.50 and 12.80 metres with a maximum of 1,000hp.
The move from Class 1 – where Stoneman finished third in both 2024 and 2025 racing a Fountain hull – to Class 2 represents a change of machinery rather than a step back. Donzi has a long history in American offshore racing, and the hull brings its own competitive heritage to the UKOPRA grid.
The five-round season opens at Shamrock Quay, Southampton on May 15-17.
The Background
Stoneman won the 2010 FIA Formula Two Championship and tested with the Williams F1 team at Abu Dhabi. A testicular cancer diagnosis in January 2011 interrupted his motor racing career, and he spent 2012 competing in powerboat racing while recovering, winning the P1 SuperStock UK Championship that year.
His motor racing career subsequently included GP3, Formula Renault 3.5, Indy Lights, GT racing, and the 2020 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe championship. Away from racing, he co-founded Falcon Tenders with Mark Pascoe, producing luxury yacht tenders from a 2,300 square metre composites facility in Southampton. The company marked its fifth anniversary in 2025 with five custom deliveries.
The original Bernico entry announcement is on Powerboat News.
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.
