Lake Alūksne hosts the 2026 UIM F4 European Championship from Friday 3 July to Sunday 5 July. The Grand Prix of Latvia sits between the two rounds of the UIM F4 World Championship and awards a separate continental title, sanctioned by the UIM and organised with the Latvian Water Motorsport Federation.
Ardis Slakteris and Adam Wrenkler go to Alūksne level at the top of the 2026 World Championship standings on 30 points each after round one at Klaipėda. None of those points carry over. The European title is decided fresh across the weekend.
A Loaded European Field
Latvia sends five drivers into the Grand Prix of Latvia: Nils Slakteris, Roberts Minings, Renārs Spacs, Ardis Slakteris and Niklāvs Rimeicāns. Eleven more arrive from across the continent, headed by Germany’s Torsten Stangenberg, Sweden’s Adam Wrenkler and Norway’s William Leithe-Martinsen.
| Driver | Country |
|---|---|
| Nils Slakteris | 🇱🇻 Latvia |
| Ardis Slakteris | 🇱🇻 Latvia |
| Roberts Minings | 🇱🇻 Latvia |
| Renārs Spacs | 🇱🇻 Latvia |
| Niklāvs Rimeicāns | 🇱🇻 Latvia |
| Adam Wrenkler | 🇸🇪 Sweden |
| William Leithe-Martinsen | 🇳🇴 Norway |
| Torsten Stangenberg | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| Attila Horváth | 🇭🇺 Hungary |
| Paulius Stainys | 🇱🇹 Lithuania |
| Matas Kvizikevičius | 🇱🇹 Lithuania |
| Noel Vänttinen | 🇫🇮 Finland |
| Oliver Martin | 🇫🇮 Finland |
| Wilhelm Sundberg | 🇫🇮 Finland |
| Arthur Sundbäck | 🇫🇮 Finland |
| Simon Jung | 🇸🇰 Slovakia |
Nils Slakteris Returns to F4
Nils Slakteris won the 2025 UIM F4 World Championship at Lake Viverone, recovering from seventh on the grid in the finale to beat France’s Jean Baptiste-Thomas by two points. He has since stepped up to F2, making his debut for RIGA Powerboat Racing at Klaipėda in June. His entry at Alūksne brings the reigning F4 world champion back into a class he has already left, chasing a European title he has never held.
Home Water for the Younger Slakteris
Ardis Slakteris took over his brother’s #51 in F4 for 2026 and won on his World Championship debut at Klaipėda, backing it up with a second-race podium to sit level with Wrenkler at the top of the standings. Alūksne is the first time either Slakteris brother races an F4 European round in front of a home crowd since Nils’s title-winning season began.
Defending the European Crown
William Leithe-Martinsen arrives as reigning F4 European Champion, a title he won in his first full international season in 2025 alongside two race victories. He was also the fastest man on the water at last year’s Viverone finale, winning the deciding race, but an earlier engine failure at Mons cost him the world title. He starts 2026 seventh in the World Championship standings on 17 points after a disqualification and a race win at Klaipėda.
Race Weekend Programme
The weekend runs to the standard F4 format: free practice, qualifying, and four race heats across Saturday and Sunday to decide the champion. A detailed session timetable will follow closer to the event.
The Venue
Alūksne’s natural amphitheatre gives spectators clear sightlines across the course, with fan zones along the waterfront. The venue hosted last year’s F4 European Championship, where Leithe-Martinsen claimed his first title, and teams have praised its organised paddock and demanding water conditions.
More UIM F4 Coverage
Follow the 2026 season, standings and driver profiles as the championship continues.
UIM F4 Coverage
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.
