Marit Strømøy’s podium at the Grand Prix of Kyrgyzstan became official on Sunday, when post-race penalties for Alec Weckstrom and Bartek Marszalek promoted her from fourth to third. It is her first podium since 2019, and her first with Strømøy Racing’s new four-stroke Mercury Racing engine.
Strømøy released a single called “Thank God It’s Friday” back in April. Her breakthrough race result arrived on a Sunday instead, which rather spoils the rhyme, though a podium is a podium whatever day of the week it lands on.
How the Promotion Happened
Weckstrom crossed the line third but was handed a one-lap penalty for not being in position after the restart. The drop moved Strømøy up one place in the official classification, from fourth to third. Her team mate Marszalek, running fifth, received the same one-lap penalty for not maintaining his lane and gaining an advantage.
Shaun Torrente won the race from Erik Stark, with Grant Trask promoted to fourth. Strømøy finished 0.084 seconds behind Torrente, having run as high as third at one stage of the afternoon before the positions above her were confirmed after the fact.
Strømøy made her F1H2O debut in 2007. Sunday’s result was her 116th Grand Prix entry, her fifth career podium, and her first since Xiamen in 2019. She was the first female to ever win a race in a formula class at Sharjah in 2015.
A Weekend Building to This
Strømøy set the fastest lap of the entire weekend in Sunday’s warm-up, a 48.714 that beat pole man Jonas Andersson’s own qualifying time. She had been seeing good speed since Friday’s practice, although struggled in qualifying, 15th quickest.
Strømøy Racing fitted the new Mercury Racing four-stroke to her boat only days before the weekend.
Official Race Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Laps | Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Shaun Torrente | Victory Team | 41 | – | 20 |
| 2 | 6 | Erik Stark | Team Abu Dhabi | 41 | +0.047 | 15 |
| 3 | 50 | Marit Stromoy | Strømøy Racing | 41 | +0.084 | 12 |
| 4 | 19 | Grant Trask | Sharjah Team | 41 | +0.261 | 9 |
| 5 | 5 | Jonas Andersson | Team Abu Dhabi | 41 | +0.300 | 7 |
| 6 | 35 | Rashed Al Qemzi | Team Abu Dhabi | 41 | +0.318 | 5 |
| 7 | 17 | Rusty Wyatt | Sharjah Team | 41 | +0.333 | 4 |
| 8 | 11 | Sami Selio | Comparato Racing | 41 | +0.510 | 3 |
| 9 | 8 | Brent Dillard | China CTIC Team | 41 | +0.545 | 2 |
| 10 | 3 | Alec Weckstrom | Victory Team | 40 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 11 | 88 | Stefan Hagin | China CTIC Team | 40 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 77 | Bartek Marszalek | Strømøy Racing | 40 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 74 | Alexandre Bourgeot | Maverick Racing | 39 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 14 | 73 | Cédric Deguisne | Maverick Racing | 38 | +3 laps | 0 |
| 15 | 44 | Alberto Comparato | Comparato Racing | 40 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 18 | Stefan Arand | Sharjah Team | 18 | DNF | 0 |
| 17 | 9 | Ben Jelf | Atlantic Team | 12 | DNF | 0 |
| 18 | 10 | Duarte Benavente | Atlantic Team | 1 | DNF | 0 |
Penalties: #3 Weckstrom, one lap, not in position after restart. #77 Marszalek, one lap, not maintaining the lane and gaining an advantage. #44 Comparato, two positions, not maintaining the lane.
Championship Effect
The 12 points for third place take Strømøy to 21 for the season, level with Weckstrom, the driver whose penalty helped put her there. Torrente leads the championship on 40, with Stefan Arand second on 36.
2026 Championship Standings
Full points for every driver after the Grand Prix of Kyrgyzstan.
View Full Standings
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.
