François Pinelli and Saul Bubacco extended their Class 3D World Championship lead to 575 points winning the first of two races being held in Arendal, Norway this weekend.
They beat defending world champions Serafino Barlesi and Joakim Kumlin by 12.382 seconds, with Fredrik Groth Fyrö and Fillip Eriksson third in D5.
Barlesi and Kumlin driving Blu Banca, who sat out the first race at Rodi Garganico in protest over an engine rule dispute, moved up to third overall on today’s result.
D10 ran with a change of co-driver for this round. Giovanni Carpitella, who partnered Andrea Bacchi to the D10 Gasbeton win in the second race at Rodi Garganico, is racing in the United States this weekend. Lorenzo Bacchi took the seat alongside Andrea Bacchi in Arendal instead.
The championship was originally scheduled to continue in Öregrund, Sweden on 4-6 August, immediately after Arendal, before concluding at Trani, Italy from 9-13 September.
However, the Swedish event was silently dropped from the calendar and the final two races will be contested in Trani, Italy, on 9-13 September.
Race 1 Result
| Pos | No | Crew | Country | Laps | Gap | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D96 | François Pinelli & Saul Bubacco | FRA | 11 | – | 400 |
| 2 | D20 | Serafino Barlesi & Joakim Kumlin | ITA | 11 | +12.382 | 300 |
| 3 | D5 | Fredrik Groth Fyrö & Fillip Eriksson | SWE | 11 | +1:01.391 | 225 |
| 4 | D10 | Lorenzo Bacchi & Andrea Bacchi | ITA | 11 | +1:08.610 | 169 |
| 5 | D101 | Marcus Johnsson & Jussi Myllymäki | FIN | 11 | +1:25.275 | 127 |
| 6 | D54 | Lasse Nikolaisen & Stian Isaksen | NOR | 11 | +1:41.121 | 95 |
| 7 | D8 | Fabio Magnani & Alberto Huober | ITA | 11 | +2:32.512 | 71 |
| 8 | D17 | Roberto Lopiano & Amato Alfredo | ITA | 11 | +3:25.092 | 53 |
| 9 | D55 | Erik Sundblad Johansen & Arild Nrede Magnussen | NOR | 10 (1) | +1 lap | 40 |
| 10 | D6 | Giampaolo Montavoci & Francis Ciccio Notschaele | ITA | 9 | DNF | 0 |
(1) Race Committee penalty, missing buoy, minus one lap.
Championship Standings After Three Races
Powerboat News’s own calculation from the two official race sheets, not a published UIM cumulative table.
| Pos | No | Crew | Rodi Garganico | Arendal R1 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D96 | Pinelli & Bubacco | 700 | 400 | 1100 |
| 2 | D10 | L. Bacchi & A. Bacchi | 400 | 169 | 569 |
| 3 | D20 | Barlesi & Kumlin | 225 | 300 | 525 |
| 4 | D5 | Groth Fyrö & Eriksson | 190 | 225 | 415 |
| 5 | D101 | Johnsson & Myllymäki | 254 | 127 | 381 |
| 6 | D8 | Magnani & Huober | 296 | 71 | 367 |
| 7 | D55 | Sundblad Johansen & Magnussen | 300 | 40 | 340 |
| 8 | D6 | Montavoci & Notschaele | 338 | 0 (DNF) | 338 |
| 9 | D54 | Nikolaisen & Isaksen | – | 95 | 95 |
| 10 | D17 | Lopiano & Alfredo | 0 | 53 | 53 |
Race 2, the final race of this round, runs tomorrow, Saturday 1 August, at 16:05 CEST (15:05 BST).
Full Arendal 2026 Coverage
Dates, entry lists and the full event timetable for the UIM Offshore World Championship at Arendal.
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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.
