Shaun Torrente and Rusty Wyatt shared the Sprint Race points at the Regione Sardegna Grand Prix of Italy on Saturday afternoon, with Torrente dominant in the first heat and Wyatt claiming his first Sprint Race victory in over a year in the second. Both drivers go into Sunday’s Grand Prix on 10 points apiece.
The two races produced very different stories. Torrente’s was one of controlled authority from pole to flag. Wyatt’s featured a strong charge from Jonas Andersson and ended with Stefan Arand classified third despite stopping on circuit in the closing stages.
Sprint Race 1: Torrente Leads from Start to Finish
Torrente led from the moment the lights went out and was never seriously challenged. Peter Morin gave chase throughout but crossed the line just 0.028 seconds behind after 17 laps, a gap that understates how complete Torrente’s control of the race was. Bartek Marszalek held third, treating the race largely as a test session for his new, shorter boat and finishing 0.253 seconds behind Morin.
Alec Weckstrom finished fourth, having moved up a place at the start. Brent Dillard was fifth in his return to the championship after missing most of 2025 with a back injury, with Alexandre Bourgeot sixth. Marit Stromoy and Duarte Benavente were classified seventh and eighth, each a lap down. Alberto Comparato was ninth, two laps down.
| Pos | Boat | Driver | Laps | Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Shaun Torrente | 17 | 10 | |
| 2 | 7 | Peter Morin | 17 | +0.028 | 9 |
| 3 | 77 | Bartek Marszalek | 17 | +0.253 | 8 |
| 4 | 3 | Alec Weckstrom | 17 | +0.321 | 7 |
| 5 | 8 | Brent Dillard | 17 | +0.361 | 6 |
| 6 | 74 | Alexandre Bourgeot | 17 | +0.496 | 5 |
| 7 | 50 | Marit Stromoy | 16 | +1 Lap | 4 |
| 8 | 10 | Duarte Benavente | 16 | +1 Lap | 3 |
| 9 | 44 | Alberto Comparato | 15 | +2 Laps | 2 |
The win was Torrente’s fifth from six Sprint Race starts. Everything at the Victory Team this weekend has gone to plan: pole position this morning, 10 points this afternoon.
Sprint Race 2: Wyatt Wins, Andersson Impresses
All three Sharjah boats lined up on the front two rows of Sprint Race 2: Wyatt from pole, Arand alongside, Trask in third. Wyatt made a clean getaway and led throughout, building a gap of nearly four seconds on his teammates through the middle laps.
The story of the opening lap was Jonas Andersson. Starting fifth, the three-time world champion was up to third before the field had completed a lap, cutting inside at the tight right-hander to find space that others had not seen. He settled there and held on to finish second, 0.191 seconds behind Wyatt.
Stefan Arand was classified third, 0.340 seconds behind Wyatt, having completed 17 laps. Sami Selio finished fourth, a lap down. Grant Trask was fifth, also completing 17 laps. Ben Jelf, Rashed Al Qemzi and Erik Stark rounded out the points, each a lap behind the leaders. Cedric Deguisne did not finish, completing just one lap in his new David Moore-designed boat with the Mercury V8 four-stroke engine.
| Pos | Boat | Driver | Laps | Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Rusty Wyatt | 17 | 10 | |
| 2 | 5 | Jonas Andersson | 17 | +0.191 | 9 |
| 3 | 18 | Stefan Arand | 17 | +0.340 | 8 |
| 4 | 11 | Sami Selio | 16 | +1 Lap | 7 |
| 5 | 19 | Grant Trask | 17 | +0.202 | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | Ben Jelf | 16 | +1 Lap | 5 |
| 7 | 35 | Rashed Al Qemzi | 16 | +1 Lap | 4 |
| 8 | 6 | Erik Stark | 16 | +1 Lap | 3 |
| 9 | 73 | Cedric Deguisne | 1 | DNF | 0 |
Wyatt’s win was his first Sprint Race victory in over a year. He and Torrente lead the championship on 10 points each going into Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Championship Standings After Sprint Races
| Pos | Driver | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaun Torrente | 10 |
| =1 | Rusty Wyatt | 10 |
| 3 | Peter Morin | 9 |
| =3 | Jonas Andersson | 9 |
| 5 | Bartek Marszalek | 8 |
| =5 | Stefan Arand | 8 |
| 7 | Alec Weckstrom | 7 |
| =7 | Sami Selio | 7 |
| 9 | Grant Trask | 6 |
| =9 | Brent Dillard | 6 |
| 11 | Alexandre Bourgeot | 5 |
| =11 | Ben Jelf | 5 |
| 13 | Marit Stromoy | 4 |
| =13 | Rashed Al Qemzi | 4 |
| 15 | Duarte Benavente | 3 |
| =15 | Erik Stark | 3 |
| 17 | Alberto Comparato | 2 |
| 18 | Cedric Deguisne | 0 |
The Regione Sardegna Grand Prix of Italy starts at 15:05 local time on Sunday. Torrente starts from pole position.
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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.
