Mathilda Wiberg opened her 2026 UIM F2 World Championship title defence with a controlled victory on the Danė River in Klaipėda, leading every lap of the Grand Prix of Lithuania to win by 3.464 seconds from Peter Morin, with Edgaras Riabko third in front of his home crowd.
The defending champion, who took pole position in Saturday’s qualifying, was never seriously threatened. She managed the gaps throughout on information from her partner and Radio Man Alberto Comparato, and pulled clear again immediately after a mid-race safety period.
Wiberg said afterwards:
“Not so hard, actually. Just took it very easy out there and I heard all the time where the guys were behind me, so I just took it easy.”
She acknowledged the superstition surrounding an opening round victory:
“Last year, the first to win didn’t win the championship, so I hope it doesn’t mean anything bad, but of course the points are good.”
Riabko third on home water
Edgaras Riabko moved from his qualifying grid position of sixth to third off the start, passing Hilmer Wiberg and Nelson Morin in the opening lap to establish himself on the podium. He held the position for all 45 laps, but not without a fight.
Riabko described a race spent largely unable to see, as Peter Morin’s boat drenched his visor with spray lap after lap. His nano coating stopped working, and his engineer Darius came on the radio to warn him Morin was right behind. Talking himself through the moment, he said:
“Idiot, just hold him off, protect third place. So I held my line. Then back into the spray again, water everywhere, lap after lap. I was getting tired of waiting. It would be very hard to overtake but very easy to lose the place.”
He held on. “Those are the adventures,” he said afterwards.
Hilmer Wiberg, who had been the fastest driver in qualifying with a best lap of 38.412 seconds, started second but was unable to convert pace into position. He finished fourth, 8.432 seconds adrift, with the fastest overall lap of the race to his name but no reward to show for it.
Peter Morin, who started third after qualifying for the Q3 shootout, ran second throughout and collected valuable points. He said:
“We did not do so good in qualification yesterday. We only got position three on the pontoon, but I’m very happy that I finished second. We collect some points for the next races later.”
Nelson Morin completed the top five, 12.428 seconds behind his brother Peter.
Safety period changes the complexion
The race was neutralised on lap 18 when Mette Bjerknæs was involved in an accident on the Danė. The Norwegian driver, racing on a British licence, was extracted by Rescue Team Latvia and classified as ACC. A separate technical retirement had already accounted for Jarno Vilmunen a lap earlier.
The safety period, which ran for seven laps, compressed the field and set up a restart with Morin less than half a second behind Wiberg. She pulled away cleanly, re-establishing a gap of more than three seconds within two laps of the green flag.
Roope Virtanen, who had run sixth, retired with a mechanical problem in the closing stages after 37 laps. Dainis Podzuks, who had topped the free practice session in the morning, stopped after seven laps. Duarte Benavente did not start.
Sacchi fastest in the closing laps
Giacomo Sacchi, grandson of the legendary Italian boat builder Tullio Abbate, finished sixth but set the fastest lap of any finisher in the closing stages. He had topped warm-up that morning and his race pace confirmed the Monegasque driver’s potential, though he never threatened the top five from his grid position of eighth.
Ian Blacker scored two championship points on his UIM F2 World Championship debut, finishing ninth. The four-stroke Mercury Racing 360 APX runner improved through the race, his pace building steadily across 43 laps.
Grand Prix of Lithuania – Race 1 Result
| Pos | No. | Driver | Nat | Laps | Gap | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Mathilda Wiberg | SWE | 45 | 33:16.519 | 20 |
| 2 | 11 | Peter Morin | FRA | 45 | +3.464 | 15 |
| 3 | 41 | Edgaras Riabko | LTU | 45 | +6.056 | 12 |
| 4 | 70 | Hilmer Wiberg | SWE | 45 | +8.432 | 9 |
| 5 | 33 | Nelson Morin | FRA | 45 | +12.428 | 7 |
| 6 | 74 | Giacomo Sacchi | MON | 45 | +17.984 | 5 |
| 7 | 27 | André Solvang | NOR | 44 | +L1 | 4 |
| 8 | 2 | Johan Österberg | SWE | 43 | +L2 | 3 |
| 9 | 14 | Ian Blacker | GBR | 43 | +L2 | 2 |
| 10 | 51 | Nils Slakteris | LAT | 43 | +L2 | 1 |
| 11 | 77 | Tobias Munthe-Kaas | NOR | 42 | +L3 | 0 |
| 12 | 96 | Roope Virtanen | FIN | 37 | DNF | 0 |
| 13 | 4 | Jarno Vilmunen | FIN | 16 | DNF | 0 |
| 14 | 15 | Dainis Podzuks | LAT | 7 | DNF | 0 |
| 15 | 9 | Mette Bjerknæs | GBR | 16 | ACC | 0 |
| 16 | 45 | Duarte Benavente | POR | – | DNS | 0 |
Provisional result. Subject to official confirmation.
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.
