Pinelli and Bubacco Sweep Arendal

August 2, 2026 | John Moore | UIM Class 3
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François Pinelli and Saul Bubacco won Race 2 in Arendal to complete a clean sweep of both races at the venue, taking D96 to victory by 27.456 seconds over Serafino Barlesi and Joakim Kumlin. Fredrik Groth Fyrö and Fillip Eriksson were third.

According to Sørvær Media, three boats collided at the start of the race, with the engines lost to the bottom of Tromøysund.

D8 Marco, Fabio Magnani and Alberto Huober, involved in three-boat collision, Class 3D Race 2, Arendal 2026
D8 Marco in the Race 2 collision. Photo: Kristian Rønning

D8, D10 and D17 are all listed as DNR, Did Not Restart, and finished the race without points.

D10 Gasbeton, Lorenzo Bacchi and Andrea Bacchi, swamped after collision, Class 3D Race 2, Arendal 2026
D10 Gasbeton after the Race 2 collision. Photo: Kristian Rønning

Race 2 Result

PosNoCrewCountryLapsGapPoints
1D96François Pinelli & Saul BubaccoFRA12400
2D20Serafino Barlesi & Joakim KumlinITA12+27.456300
3D5Fredrik Groth Fyrö & Fillip ErikssonSWE12+30.756225
4D54Lasse Nikolaisen & Stian IsaksenNOR12+1:15.526169
5D101Marcus Johnsson & Jussi MyllymäkiFIN12+1:28.540127
6D55Erik Sundblad Johansen & Arild Nrede MagnussenNOR12+2:19.25695
7D8Fabio Magnani & Alberto HuoberITADNR0
8D10Lorenzo Bacchi & Andrea BacchiITADNR0
9D17Roberto Lopiano & Amato AlfredoITADNR0

Championship Standings After Four Races

PosNoCrewTotal
1D96Pinelli & Bubacco1500
2D20Barlesi & Kumlin825
3D5Groth Fyrö & Eriksson640
4D10L. Bacchi & A. Bacchi569
5D101Johnsson & Myllymäki508
6D55Sundblad Johansen & Magnussen435
7D8Magnani & Huober367
8D6Montavoci & Notschaele338
9D54Nikolaisen & Isaksen264
10D17Lopiano & Alfredo53

Pinelli and Bubacco now lead by 675 points. The championship will conclude at Trani, Italy, on 9-13 September.

D17 Hoses Technology, Roberto Lopiano and Amato Alfredo, damaged after collision, Class 3D Race 2, Arendal 2026
D17 Hoses Technology after the Race 2 collision. Photo: Sørvær Media

Race 1 Report

Pinelli and Bubacco’s Race 1 win and the state of the championship going into Arendal.

Read the Full Report
John Moore

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.