The 2026 UIM Pleasure Navigation World Championship opened at Sliema and the Grand Harbour in Malta on April 17-19, with 19 boats from Malta, Belgium, and Italy contesting two races across five classes. Organiser VOOMQUEST Limited ran the event under UIM sanction, with Enemed and VisitMalta among the principal supporters.
Full results from all five classes are below. For the full entry list and event background, see our pre-event guide.
HOCR F1 Group A
Italy’s Cinzano Sorbino crew of Gullo Claudio and Diego Testa took the round win with 700 points, finishing second in Race 1 before taking the top score in Race 2. Vanta Racing’s Dexter Bianco and Joseph Portelli won Race 1 outright but could not replicate that pace in Race 2, ending on 625 points. The British/Irish entry If Only, crewed by Robert McCarthy and Mark Power, completed the top three on 469 points. Three Maltese boats failed to score.
| Pos | Boat # | Team | Nationality | Driver | Navigator | Race 1 | Race 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Cinzano Sorbino | Italian | Gullo Claudio | Diego Testa | 300 | 400 | 700 |
| 2 | 05 | Vanta Racing | Maltese | Dexter Bianco | Joseph Portelli | 400 | 225 | 625 |
| 3 | 90 | If Only | British/Irish | Robert McCarthy | Mark Power | 169 | 300 | 469 |
| 4 | 25 | Secret Service | Maltese | Miguel Farrugia | Micah Scicluna | 225 | DNF | 225 |
| – | 555 | Boosted | Maltese | Gabriel Camilleri | Aidan Borg | DNF | DNF | 0 |
| – | 4 | Herby Racing | Maltese | Matthew Scicluna | Jeremy Galea | DNF | DNF | 0 |
HOCR Sport Group A
Poseidon Racing’s Owen Cassar and Jesorai Arapa were the standout performers of the weekend, taking maximum points in both races to finish on 800. Infinity Powerboats fielded two entries; Nigel Camenzuli and Jack Farrugia in boat #11 finished second overall on 600, while Danizio Buttigieg and Kurt Buttigieg in #69 scored 225. Three further Maltese boats failed to score across the two races.
| Pos | Boat # | Team | Nationality | Driver | Navigator | Race 1 | Race 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | Poseidon Racing | Maltese | Owen Cassar | Jesorai Arapa | 400 | 400 | 800 |
| 2 | 11 | Infinity Powerboats | Maltese | Nigel Camenzuli | Jack Farrugia | 300 | 300 | 600 |
| 3 | 69 | Infinity Powerboats | Maltese | Danizio Buttigieg | Kurt Buttigieg | 0 | 225 | 225 |
| – | 18 | Dark Secret | Maltese | Connor Field | Stephen Borg | 0 | DNS | 0 |
| – | 17 | Xkubett Racing | Maltese | Ramon Galea | Zeyon Fenech | 0 | DNS | 0 |
| – | 71 | Splendid Racing | Maltese | Miguel Mamo | Dylan German | 0 | DNF | 0 |
HOCR Supersport Group A
Two Maltese crews contested the Supersport class. El Diablo’s Clive Butler and Sammy Grima took the round win on 400 points, with Cutting Edge’s Stephen Bezzina and David Borg second on 300.
| Pos | Boat # | Team | Nationality | Driver | Navigator | Race 1 | Race 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88 | El Diablo | Maltese | Clive Butler | Sammy Grima | 0 | 400 | 400 |
| 2 | 77 | Cutting Edge | Maltese | Stephen Bezzina | David Borg | 0 | 300 | 300 |
Class B300 Group B
The B300 class featured a Maltese/British pairing against a Belgian entry. Interceptor’s Kurt Mifsud and Sam Howes took 400 points from Race 1. Belgium Offshore Racing’s Kenneth Himpe and Ignace Mesure did not finish Race 1 and did not start Race 2.
| Pos | Boat # | Team | Nationality | Driver | Navigator | Race 1 | Race 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Interceptor | Maltese/British | Kurt Mifsud | Sam Howes | 400 | 0 | 400 |
| – | 63 | Belgium Offshore Racing | Belgian | Kenneth Himpe | Ignace Mesure | DNF | DNS | 0 |
Class S450 Group B
Belgium’s Silver Racing were the most dominant crew of the weekend, sweeping both races in the S450 class. Alain Coppens and Oscar Blondeel scored 400 points in each race for a maximum 800-point total. Apex Racing’s Brandon Bonavia and Dustin Mufsud scored 300 in Race 1 but did not finish Race 2, ending on 300 points.
| Pos | Boat # | Team | Nationality | Driver | Navigator | Race 1 | Race 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 888 | Silver Racing | Belgian | Alain Coppens | Oscar Blondeel | 400 | 400 | 800 |
| 2 | 72 | Apex Racing | Maltese | Brandon Bonavia | Dustin Mufsud | 300 | DNF | 300 |
Results are as issued by VOOMQUEST Limited. The 2026 UIM Pleasure Navigation World Championship continues with further rounds to be announced.
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.
