François Pinelli and Saul Bubacco are the 2026 UIM Class 3D World Champions. They won both races of the final round on Lake Como in D96 Foresti & Suardi on Friday October 9 and Saturday October 10, 2026, and came away with the European title as well, which was decided over the same weekend.
They finished the season on 1,900 points. Sweden’s Fredrik Groth Fyro and Filip Eriksson were second on 1,145, and the defending champions, Serafino Barlesi and Joakim Kumlin in D20 Blu Banca, third on 952.
The championship ran to six races at three venues, Rodi Garganico, Arendal and Como, with five of them counting. Every crew’s points from Race 1 at Rodi Garganico were wiped after the UIM International Court of Appeal upheld Barlesi’s appeal over how that race was run.
Title Settled on Friday
Pinelli and Bubacco came to Como on 1,100 points, 275 clear of Blu Banca, after sweeping both races in Arendal. Their win in Friday’s ten-lap Race 1, by 16.8 seconds from Groth Fyro and Eriksson, took them to 1,500. Blu Banca finished fifth and could no longer catch them, so the title was settled with a race to spare.
They won again on Saturday, this time by 16.3 seconds over the eight laps, averaging 175.18 km/h. Pinelli also set the fastest lap in both races.
Swedes Climb to Second
The final round reshaped the rest of the podium. Groth Fyro and Eriksson arrived fourth in the standings, 280 points behind Blu Banca, and two second places lifted them to second overall.
Blu Banca’s weekend went the other way. Barlesi and Kumlin were fifth on Friday and did not start Saturday’s race, leaving them third on 952. Barlesi went on to win the Centomiglia del Lario for a record 12th time on the Sunday.
Finland’s Marcus Johnsson and Jussi Myllymäki finished third in both races and moved up to fourth overall on 831. Andrea Bacchi, Giovanni Carpitella and Lorenzo Bacchi in D10 Gasbeton, who won the counting race at Rodi Garganico, did not enter the Como round and dropped to fifth.
European Championship
The European title was a single-round affair, run alongside the world races. Pinelli and Bubacco took it on 400 points, with Groth Fyro and Eriksson second on 300 and Johnsson and Myllymäki third on 225.
Among the Italian crews, Diego Cardazzo and Gianluca Coltro in D2 Alilaguna had the best result of the weekend, fourth in Saturday’s race. Leopoldo Michele Assi and Roberto Lo Piano retired on the first lap on Friday in D17 Hoses Technology but finished sixth on Saturday.
Race 1 Results, Friday October 9, 2026
| Pos | No | Crew | Team | Nat | Laps | Time | Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D96 | François Pinelli / Saul Bubacco | Foresti & Suardi | FRA | 10 | 43’29.0 | 400 | |
| 2 | D5 | Fredrik Groth Fyro / Filip Eriksson | Groth Fyro Racing | SWE | 10 | 43’45.8 | 16.8 | 300 |
| 3 | D101 | Marcus Johnsson / Jussi Myllymäki | Johnsson Racing | FIN | 10 | 44’35.2 | 1’06.2 | 225 |
| 4 | D6 | Giampaolo Montavoci / Francis Notschaele | Tessilmare | ITA | 10 | 45’18.4 | 1’49.4 | 169 |
| 5 | D20 | Serafino Barlesi / Joakim Kumlin | Blu Banca | ITA | 10 | 45’23.2 | 1’54.2 | 127 |
| 6 | D2 | Diego Cardazzo / Gianluca Coltro | Alilaguna | ITA | 10 | 45’45.9 | 2’16.9 | 95 |
| 7 | D8 | Fabio Magnani / Alberto Huober | Marco | ITA | 10 | 47’56.7 | 4’27.7 | 71 |
| DNF | D17 | Leopoldo Michele Assi / Roberto Lo Piano | Hoses Technology | ITA | 1 | 0 |
Fastest lap: François Pinelli, D96, 4’23.0 (lap 5).
Race 2 Results, Saturday October 10, 2026
| Pos | No | Crew | Team | Nat | Laps | Time | Gap | km/h | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D96 | François Pinelli / Saul Bubacco | Foresti & Suardi | FRA | 8 | 34’00.0 | 175.18 | 400 | |
| 2 | D5 | Fredrik Groth Fyro / Filip Eriksson | Groth Fyro Racing | SWE | 8 | 34’16.3 | 16.3 | 173.79 | 300 |
| 3 | D101 | Marcus Johnsson / Jussi Myllymäki | Johnsson Racing | FIN | 8 | 34’57.1 | 57.1 | 170.41 | 225 |
| 4 | D2 | Diego Cardazzo / Gianluca Coltro | Alilaguna | ITA | 8 | 35’33.2 | 1’33.2 | 167.53 | 169 |
| 5 | D6 | Giampaolo Montavoci / Francis Notschaele | Tessilmare | ITA | 8 | 37’24.2 | 3’24.2 | 159.24 | 127 |
| 6 | D17 | Leopoldo Michele Assi / Roberto Lo Piano | Hoses Technology | ITA | 8 | 37’32.0 | 3’32.0 | 158.69 | 95 |
| 7 | D8 | Fabio Magnani / Alberto Huober | Marco | ITA | 8 | 38’04.8 | 4’04.8 | 156.41 | 71 |
| DNS | D20 | Serafino Barlesi / Joakim Kumlin | Blu Banca | ITA | 0 |
Fastest lap: François Pinelli, D96, 4’23.7, 175.72 km/h (lap 8).
2026 UIM Class 3D World Championship, Final Standings
| Pos | No | Team | Crew | Nat | Rodi Garganico | Arendal | Como | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D96 | Foresti & Suardi | François Pinelli / Saul Bubacco | FRA/ITA | 300 | 800 | 800 | 1,900 |
| 2 | D5 | Groth Fyro Racing | Fredrik Groth Fyro / Filip Eriksson | SWE | 95 | 450 | 600 | 1,145 |
| 3 | D20 | Blu Banca | Serafino Barlesi / Joakim Kumlin | ITA/SWE | 225 | 600 | 127 | 952 |
| 4 | D101 | Johnsson Racing | Marcus Johnsson / Jussi Myllymäki | FIN | 127 | 254 | 450 | 831 |
| 5 | D10 | Gasbeton | Andrea Bacchi / Giovanni Carpitella / Lorenzo Bacchi | ITA | 400 | 169 | 0 | 569 |
| 6 | D6 | Tessilmare | Giampaolo Montavoci / Francis Notschaele | ITA/BEL | 169 | 0 | 296 | 465 |
| 7 | D8 | Marco | Fabio Magnani / Alberto Huober | ITA | 71 | 71 | 142 | 284 |
| 8 | D54 | Energima Racing | Lasse Nikolaisen / Stian Isaksen | NOR | 0 | 264 | 0 | 264 |
| 9 | D2 | Alilaguna | Diego Cardazzo / Gianluca Coltro | ITA | 0 | 0 | 169 | 169 |
| 10 | D17 | Hoses Technology | Leopoldo Michele Assi / Roberto Lo Piano | ITA | 0 | 53 | 95 | 148 |
| 11 | D55 | Energima Racing | Erik Sundbland Johansen / Andre Strand | NOR | 0 | 135 | 0 | 135 |
Race 1 at Rodi Garganico carried no points for any crew following the UIM International Court of Appeal ruling. Source: UIM overall standings and FIM/FICr official timing sheets.
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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.
