Marit Stromoy set the fastest lap of the weekend so far in Sunday’s warm-up for the F1H2O Grand Prix of Kyrgyzstan, a 48.714 that beat Jonas Andersson’s pole time from Saturday’s qualifying. The Strømøy Racing driver starts the Grand Prix from 15th on the grid, 5.141 seconds off pole.
The session ran from 10:05:27 to 11:05:28 local time, with all eighteen boats completing at least four laps. Erik Stark was second fastest on 49.626, with Andersson himself down in third on 50.841, more than two seconds slower than his own qualifying benchmark.
Warm-Up Classification
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Laps | Best Lap | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 | Marit Stromoy | Strømøy Racing | 26 | 00:48.714 | – |
| 2 | 6 | Erik Stark | Team Abu Dhabi | 8 | 00:49.626 | +0.911 |
| 3 | 5 | Jonas Andersson | Team Abu Dhabi | 10 | 00:50.841 | +2.126 |
| 4 | 17 | Rusty Wyatt | Sharjah Team | 8 | 00:51.001 | +2.286 |
| 5 | 1 | Shaun Torrente | Victory Team | 10 | 00:51.021 | +2.306 |
| 6 | 77 | Bartek Marszalek | Strømøy Racing | 14 | 00:51.172 | +2.457 |
| 7 | 19 | Grant Trask | Sharjah Team | 4 | 00:51.204 | +2.489 |
| 8 | 8 | Brent Dillard | China CTIC Team | 23 | 00:51.254 | +2.540 |
| 9 | 88 | Stefan Hagin | China CTIC Team | 15 | 00:51.796 | +3.081 |
| 10 | 11 | Sami Selio | Comparato Racing | 4 | 00:51.818 | +3.103 |
| 11 | 3 | Alec Weckstrom | Victory Team | 6 | 00:51.962 | +3.247 |
| 12 | 18 | Stefan Arand | Sharjah Team | 12 | 00:52.164 | +3.449 |
| 13 | 35 | Rashed Al Qemzi | Team Abu Dhabi | 10 | 00:52.198 | +3.483 |
| 14 | 44 | Alberto Comparato | Comparato Racing | 13 | 00:52.736 | +4.021 |
| 15 | 73 | Cédric Deguisne | Maverick Racing | 19 | 00:53.460 | +4.745 |
| 16 | 9 | Ben Jelf | Atlantic Team | 6 | 00:54.642 | +5.927 |
| 17 | 74 | Alexandre Bourgeot | Maverick Racing | 6 | 00:55.135 | +6.420 |
| 18 | 10 | Duarte Benavente | Atlantic Team | 14 | 00:57.905 | +9.190 |
A Pattern Building Since Friday
Stromoy’s pace is not entirely out of nowhere. Torrente’s 48.946 in Friday’s second free practice session was the fastest of the day, with Andersson and Stromoy immediately behind him, so the Norwegian has been in the leading pace group at Issyk-Kul since the opening sessions, even if that form did not carry through to Saturday’s qualifying.
Andersson took pole on Saturday with a 48.778, beating Shaun Torrente by 0.739 seconds, and the whole Q3 top six, Andersson, Torrente, Alec Weckstrom, Erik Stark, Grant Trask and Stefan Arand, went slower this morning than their own qualifying best. Stark was the exception among that group, effectively matching his qualifying pace.
Reading the Times
Warm-up lap counts varied sharply between drivers, Stromoy’s 26 against Trask’s four and Selio’s four, which points to different programmes rather than a straight speed test. Some drivers use the session to check race set-up and fuel loads rather than chase a single fast lap, and low-grid runners have less to lose by pushing hard for a headline time.
Arand, who leads the championship after his Cagliari win and starts today’s Grand Prix from sixth, was over two seconds off his own qualifying pace in twelfth. Rusty Wyatt, who failed to complete Q2 after an engine problem on Saturday, was fourth fastest this morning, a reassuring sign for Sharjah Team ahead of the main race.
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.
