Rasmus Hamrén and Madeleine Samuelsson crashed out of Race 1 of Class 3B at the UIM Offshore World Championship in Arendal, Norway, on Thursday. Hamrén escaped with heavy bruising. Samuelsson has been taken to hospital, where she is expected to remain under observation for at least a day. Further updates are expected from the team.
Racing B-32 for Smuggler Racing, the Swedish pair ran with the lead group from the start. Adam Wrenkler and Mathilda Wrenkler set the early pace, with Max Samuelsson and Joel Schönerberg pushing to pass them and go for the win, and Hamrén and Samuelsson right on Max’s tail after a strong start from all three crews. Speaking to Powerboat News, Hamrén described the opening laps:
Rasmus Hamrén, driver, B-32
We had amazing results in testing and on the first lap. We even said this would be easy to pass, we’re really fast now. Then this happened.
Attempting to pass as Samuelsson and Schönerberg defended their position, the boat took on water under the hull and flipped.
Rasmus Hamrén, driver, B-32
We were about to pass Max, but due to hard race conditions, he wanted to protect his position. We gained water under the hull once very close to him, and from that we flipped.
Hamrén said he initially feared a broken arm but escaped with what he described as a heavy bruise.
Race 1, Class 3B
| Pos | No. | Crew | Country | Laps | Gap | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B85 | Max Samuelsson & Joel Schönerberg | SWE | 8 | 400 | |
| 2 | B62 | Lovisa Sahlén & Mattias Lind | SWE | 8 | +39.215 | 300 |
| 3 | B13 | Lauri Landen & Ilkka Landen | FIN | 8 | +51.378 | 225 |
| 4 | B3 | Thomas Braaten & Mathias Løvdal | NOR | 8 | +1:15.307 | 169 |
| 5 | B30 | Ari Pöntinen & Joona Kummala | FIN | 8 | +1:31.677 | 127 |
| 6 | B17 | Janne Pirhonen & Joha Pirhonen | FIN | 8 | +1:41.654 | 95 |
| 7 | B65 | Adrian Østby & Mina Engebretsen | NOR | 8 | +1:44.435 | 71 |
| 8 | B54 | Johan Kurtén & Alex Lundström | SWE | 8 | +2:09.773 | 53 |
| 9 | B61 | Adam Wrenkler & Mathilda Wrenkler | SWE | 7 (1) | +1 lap | 40 |
| 10 | B32 | Rasmus Hamrén & Madeleine Samuelsson | SWE | DNS | 0 |
(1) Race Committee penalty, §303.01, missing buoy.
Powerboat News wishes both drivers a speedy recovery. Rasmus Hamrén contributes Scandinavian race coverage to Powerboat News.
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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.
