Torrente dominates Jeddah to seize 14-point championship lead

Shaun Torrente dominated the inaugural Grand Prix of Jeddah from start to finish to seize the championship lead heading into the Sharjah finale.

The Victory Team driver led all 50 laps to claim his 12th career victory and move 14 points clear at the top of the standings. Jonas Andersson recovered from early troubles to finish second and keep his title hopes alive, whilst Bartek Marszalek claimed his best result of the season in third.

Only 11 of the 20 starters completed the race following two yellow flag periods and multiple retirements on the 1.794-kilometre North Obhur Waterfront circuit.

I think I swept that (the weekend). It’s very rare to have a boat that good from the moment we put it on the water. That’s what makes me even more nervous because you want to capitalise and get the win. We did that thankfully. The guys at Victory have done an amazing job. I am so thankful. Now, we go to Sharjah with a chance to win another one (fourth world title). We are in the lead.

Torrente controls from lights to flag

Torrente made a strong start from pole position and finished the opening lap with a lead of 2.978 seconds over Andersson. He increased the advantage to over four seconds through lap two as Ferdinand Zandbergen, Peter Morin and Marszalek held their positions behind the leading pair.

Championship leader Alec Weckström started from 16th after an overnight engine change and climbed to 14th by lap three before being passed by Grant Trask. Rookie Stefan Hagin did not make the start.

By lap seven, Torrente’s advantage had grown to 8.775 seconds but his closest challenger was now Zandbergen after Andersson dramatically slowed and slipped to sixth place. Morin, Rusty Wyatt and Stefan Arand moved up to third, fourth and fifth.

Yellow flags reshape the race

The race was yellow-flagged on lap 12 when double world champion Sami Seliö barrel-rolled out of ninth place after a duel with Marszalek into a turn buoy. Duarte Benavente had already retired after lap eight.

Zandbergen was towed back to the pontoon with engine failure after 13 laps whilst Cédric Deguisne also retired with technical issues during the stoppage.

Action resumed on lap 18 with Torrente leading from Morin, Wyatt, Arand, Andersson and Alberto Comparato. Andersson re-passed Comparato but Torrente stretched his lead into lap 20.

Wyatt was on the ragged edge and almost barrel-rolled but rescued the situation to save third place. The Canadian made another mistake soon after when the nose of his boat dug into the water in a left-hander, triggering a second yellow flag with Wyatt now at the rear of the field in 13th.

Andersson fights back to second

Torrente continued to lead through the second restart after 25 laps with Morin, Arand, Andersson and Comparato trailing. Andersson made a superb restart and climbed to second with Morin slipping to fifth behind Marszalek and Arand. Wyatt leapt to 11th before overhauling Trask and Marit Strømøy to grab ninth.

Comparato hit engine trouble on lap 29 and retired, leaving just 13 racers on the circuit. Torrente stretched his lead to 7.454 seconds into lap 34 with Andersson holding second ahead of Marszalek, Arand, Morin and Erik Stark.

Arand continued to apply pressure on third-placed Marszalek as Weckström moved into the top 10 when Trask retired with damaged trim on lap 32. Wyatt followed the Australian to the pontoon with a suspected broken propeller and engine lock-up seven laps later.

Andersson had no answer to Torrente through the closing laps and the American reached the chequered flag 9.810 seconds ahead of the Swede to record his 12th career win and take the championship lead.

We need to push to the finish line. That is the beauty of this sport. It’s unpredictable and everybody enjoys that. I catch up some positions. It’s very nice to take this result for me and for the team.

Marszalek held off Arand to claim the final podium position. Morin finished fifth and Stark overcame his morning engine change to take points for sixth. Ben Jelf secured seventh for F1 Atlantic Team with Strømøy guiding the four-stroke Apex V8-engined boat to eighth.

Weckström’s engine change and struggle for pace saw him finish ninth and collect just two points, dropping him to third in the championship and 17 points behind Torrente. Alexandre Bourgeot and Mansoor Al-Mansoori, who suffered trim issues, rounded off the finishers in 10th and 11th.

Race results

Championship standings after Jeddah

Championship Odds Analysis

Probabilities calculated based on remaining points and current form

With 30 points available at the Sharjah finale (10 points maximum from two sprint races plus 20 points for the Grand Prix), the championship battle heads to the United Arab Emirates with Torrente holding a commanding position.

Shaun Torrente (1/3 favourite) – The American holds a 14-point advantage heading to Sharjah with 30 points available. He can secure his fourth world title by finishing ahead of Andersson in the Grand Prix regardless of other results. Even if Andersson wins the Grand Prix (giving him 95 points), Torrente only needs sixth place or better (96 points) to be champion. The momentum is firmly with the Victory Team driver after a dominant weekend in Jeddah.

Jonas Andersson (7/2) – The defending champion needs to outscore Torrente by 15 points across the Sharjah weekend to force a tie, or 16 points to win outright. This requires near-perfection: winning his sprint race (10 points) and the Grand Prix (20 points) for a maximum 30 points, whilst hoping Torrente finishes outside the points in the GP. Andersson’s remarkable sprint race record (8 wins from 9 starts) gives him confidence, but he faces a significant deficit.

Alec Weckström (20/1) – The Finn’s engine troubles in Jeddah have left him 17 points behind Torrente with only 30 available. Weckström would need to score maximum points (30) whilst Torrente scores 13 points or fewer to win the title. Mathematically possible but requires a catastrophic weekend for Torrente combined with Weckström’s own perfection.

Rusty Wyatt (100/1) – The Canadian sits 24 points behind with 30 available. Even maximum points would only reach 95, whilst Torrente currently has 89. Wyatt would need Torrente to score 5 points or fewer, making his championship hopes effectively over barring extraordinary circumstances.

The championship showdown takes place in Sharjah from December 12-14.