Dylan Anderson has won the 2026 IHRA F1 Powerboat Series championship, his first title after several years finishing runner-up. He sealed it at the Alton Powerboat Nationals on Sunday, July 19, taking the lead after points leader Spencer Love retired from out front with a mechanical failure, the second time in three rounds a broken motor has cost Love a shot at the title.
What had been planned as an eight-round championship finished as five. IHRA cut its remaining 2026 schedule to a single event each across Formula 1, Offshore and Outlaw Drag Boat Racing on June 30, citing budget issues that had built through the season. Alton, already on the calendar for July 17-19, became round five and the title decider in the same weekend.
Round 1: Bradenton, February 20-21
Andrew Tate won the series’ first ever sanctioned race, leading every lap from the second lap onward at the Bradenton Area River Regatta. Jared Jensen recovered from a poor qualifying session to finish second, Jeremiah Mayo completed the podium. Tate’s win came in a DAC hull that once carried Alberto Comparato to the 2018 UIM F2 World Championship. He led the standings on 287 points, the biggest single-round haul of the season.
Full report: Andrew Tate Takes First F1 Victory at Bradenton Opener.
Round 2: Thunder on the Neches, Port Neches, May 1-3
Spencer Love won after a fumbled start from Chris Rinker handed him a clean lead he never gave up. Rinker held on for second, Jensen third. Tate did not start the final after a collision broke his sponson in qualifying, a DNS that dropped him to eighth in the standings and effectively ended his title challenge. Jensen took over the points lead.
Full report: Spencer Love’s Port Neches.
Round 3: Red River Rumble, Shreveport-Bossier, May 22-24
Jensen arrived as points leader and produced the best start of his career in Saturday’s Heat 2, only for a switch box failure to end his heat four laps later. Love won that heat and took an 18-point lead into Sunday. Anderson won Sunday’s final wire-to-wire after jump-start penalties for Jensen and Rinker reshuffled the field, with Grant Schubert, in a borrowed boat, taking a shock third. Love finished second and extended his championship lead.
Full reports: Spencer Love Takes Championship Lead After Jensen Heartbreak and Dylan Anderson Wins 2026 Red River Rumble.
Round 4: Battle on the Colorado, Marble Falls, June 5-7
Love controlled the race from pole until his motor failed on lap 14 of 29 while leading, handing Anderson a win he did not relinquish. Chris Rinker, driving through a power steering failure earlier in the weekend, closed to 1.6 seconds at the flag. The result put Anderson top of the standings for the first time, 13 points clear of Love.
Full report: Anderson Wins Battle on the Colorado as Love’s Motor Fails in the Lead.
Round 5: Alton Powerboat Nationals, July 17-19
Five drivers arrived with a mathematical chance of the title, the top four separated by 38 points. Love started the final from pole and led again, only for his boat to lose power in the closing stages for the second time in three rounds. Anderson inherited the lead and held off Jensen to the flag, Rinker third. It was Anderson’s first series championship, sealed by 45 points once IHRA confirmed the final standings.
Dylan Anderson, 2026 IHRA Formula 1 Powerboat Series champion:
I’ve had second in the championship, I don’t even know how many times, three or four. So to win a championship, finish it off on a win here too, and really happy to be able to get it done with my friends and family and all the sponsors who help us.
Full report: Dylan Anderson Wins 2026 IHRA Formula 1 Title.
The Championship Fight
The points lead changed hands four times across five rounds. Tate led after Bradenton. Jensen took over after Port Neches when Tate failed to start. Love moved ahead during Saturday’s heats at Shreveport and held it through Marble Falls, until his own motor failure there let Anderson through. Anderson never lost the lead again.
Alton also reshuffled the minor places. Chris Rinker’s strong finale lifted him from fourth to third overall, dropping Love, who had led the championship as recently as after Round 3, to fourth in the final standings.
Anderson won three of the last three rounds, the only driver to win more than once in 2026. Between them, Tate, Love and Anderson won every round of the season.
Formula 1 Final Standings
| Pos | # | Driver | R1 Bradenton | R2 Port Neches | R3 Shreveport | R4 Marble Falls | R5 Alton | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Dylan Anderson | 219 | 221 | 283 | 264 | 276 | 1263 |
| 2 | 29 | Jared Jensen | 258 | 243 | 226 | 227 | 264 | 1218 |
| 3 | 52 | Chris Rinker | 205 | 257 | 237 | 252 | 253 | 1204 |
| 4 | 24 | Spencer Love | 238 | 267 | 271 | 198 | 216 | 1190 |
| 5 | 8 | Jeremiah Mayo | 236 | 208 | 228 | 240 | 190 | 1102 |
| 6 | 13 | Grant Schubert | 187 | 208 | 225 | 220 | 221 | 1061 |
| 7 | 34 | Jeff Reno | 67 | 164 | 181 | 192 | 188 | 792 |
| 8 | 98 | Aiden Benton | 46 | 125 | 184 | 156 | 168 | 679 |
| 9 | 99 | Travis Yates | 28 | 135 | 170 | 161 | 176 | 670 |
| 10 | 14 | Andrew Tate | 287 | 84 | – | 93 | 186 | 650 |
| 11 | 1 | Dustin Terry | 194 | 231 | 102 | – | – | 527 |
| 12 | 9 | Johnny Fleming | 136 | 151 | – | 203 | – | 490 |
| 13 | 71 | Jimmy Kerr | 114 | 184 | 185 | – | – | 483 |
| 14 | 2 | John Jensen | 50 | 188 | – | – | 184 | 422 |
| 15 | 22 | Kyle Maskall | – | 131 | – | 203 | – | 334 |
| 16 | 20 | Ashton Rinker | 169 | – | – | – | – | 169 |
| 17 | 77 | Mike Quindazzi | 166 | – | – | – | – | 166 |
Source: official IHRA standings.
Three More Champions at Alton
Alton decided three other 2026 titles the same afternoon. Jake McKee won the Formula Lights championship, his first, finishing fourth in a final won by Jared Wallach; he took it by 88 points over Jose Mendana Jr. Cole Wehring took Tri-Hull with a third-place finish, holding on by 24 points over Neal Marsh after leading the points coming into the weekend. Luke Brown won the inaugural Talent Cup title in the winner-take-all final, overhauling Addy Love by the narrowest margin of any 2026 IHRA title, three points.
What’s Next
IHRA has confirmed final points across all four classes. Full standings, including Formula Lights, Tri-Hull and Talent Cup, are on the 2026 IHRA F1 standings page.
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.
