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. Onboard footage from D17 shows the sequence: D8 rode up over the back of D10, knocking D10 off line and into D17.
D8, D10 and D17 are all listed as DNR, Did Not Restart, and finished the race without points.
Race 2 Result
| Pos | No | Crew | Country | Laps | Gap | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D96 | François Pinelli & Saul Bubacco | FRA | 12 | – | 400 |
| 2 | D20 | Serafino Barlesi & Joakim Kumlin | ITA | 12 | +27.456 | 300 |
| 3 | D5 | Fredrik Groth Fyrö & Fillip Eriksson | SWE | 12 | +30.756 | 225 |
| 4 | D54 | Lasse Nikolaisen & Stian Isaksen | NOR | 12 | +1:15.526 | 169 |
| 5 | D101 | Marcus Johnsson & Jussi Myllymäki | FIN | 12 | +1:28.540 | 127 |
| 6 | D55 | Erik Sundblad Johansen & Arild Nrede Magnussen | NOR | 12 | +2:19.256 | 95 |
| 7 | D8 | Fabio Magnani & Alberto Huober | ITA | – | DNR | 0 |
| 8 | D10 | Lorenzo Bacchi & Andrea Bacchi | ITA | – | DNR | 0 |
| 9 | D17 | Roberto Lopiano & Amato Alfredo | ITA | – | DNR | 0 |
Championship Standings After Four Races
Updated 3 August 2026. The UIM International Court of Appeal has upheld an appeal by Serafino Barlesi disregarding all points awarded in Race 1 at Rodi Garganico on 19 June. These standings reflect that ruling, recalculated by Powerboat News from the official race sheets, not a published UIM cumulative table. Read the full story on the ruling.
| Pos | No | Crew | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D96 | Pinelli & Bubacco | 1100 |
| 2 | D20 | Barlesi & Kumlin | 825 |
| 3 | D10 | L. Bacchi & A. Bacchi | 569 |
| 4 | D5 | Groth Fyrö & Eriksson | 545 |
| 5 | D101 | Johnsson & Myllymäki | 381 |
| 6 | D54 | Nikolaisen & Isaksen | 264 |
| 7 | D6 | Montavoci & Notschaele | 169 |
| 8 | D8 | Magnani & Huober | 142 |
| 9 | D55 | Sundblad Johansen & Magnussen | 135 |
| 10 | D17 | Lopiano & Alfredo | 53 |
Pinelli and Bubacco now lead by 275 points. The championship will conclude at Trani, Italy, on 9-13 September.
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 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.
