Alec Weckström produced a stunning late surge to snatch second place in final practice, the Victory Team driver finding nearly three seconds of improvement to post a 45.848-second lap and transform his qualifying prospects.
Rusty Wyatt maintained his position at the top of the timesheets with a 45.753-second lap, but the session belonged to Weckström, who had languished in 14th and 16th during the opening two sessions with just two laps completed in second practice.
The Finn completed 19 laps to finish just 0.095 seconds behind Wyatt, offering Victory Team crucial encouragement after a difficult practice day. Championship leader Jonas Andersson, Ben Jelf and Sami Seliö elected not to run, choosing to preserve equipment ahead of Saturday’s qualifying.
Strømøy Finds Form
Marit Strømøy emerged as another late improver, vaulting from 11th to eighth with a 46.342-second lap after completing 21 laps. The Norwegian’s dramatic improvement mirrored Weckström’s breakthrough, finding over a second from her earlier efforts.
Shaun Torrente held third ahead of Stefan Arand, with the Sharjah Team duo completing a strong practice programme. Bartek Marszalek maintained fourth position for Strømøy Racing, whilst Peter Morin claimed sixth for China CTIC Team.
Erik Stark rounded out the top seven for Team Abu Dhabi, ahead of Strømøy and Grant Trask. Kyle Maskall completed the top ten for China CTIC Team.
Comparato Shows Improvement
Alberto Comparato found significant pace to claim 11th with a 47.429-second lap after completing 29 laps, ahead of Ferdinand Zandbergen and Mansoor Al Mansoori. Alexandre Bourgeot, Duarte Benavente and Cédric Deguisne completed the order.
Qualifying begins at 09:00 local time on Saturday morning (01:00 GMT), followed by the two sprint races in the afternoon.
Free Practice 3 Results
POS |
# |
DRIVER |
LAPS |
BEST LAP |
GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
17 |
Rusty Wyatt |
12 |
45.753 |
— |
2 |
3 |
Alec Weckström |
19 |
45.848 |
+0.095 |
3 |
4 |
Shaun Torrente |
20 |
46.004 |
+0.250 |
4 |
18 |
Stefan Arand |
22 |
46.050 |
+0.296 |
5 |
77 |
Bartek Marszalek |
24 |
46.177 |
+0.424 |
6 |
7 |
Peter Morin |
18 |
46.208 |
+0.454 |
7 |
6 |
Erik Stark |
20 |
46.282 |
+0.528 |
8 |
50 |
Marit Strømøy |
21 |
46.342 |
+0.589 |
9 |
2 |
Grant Trask |
19 |
46.520 |
+0.767 |
10 |
22 |
Kyle Maskall |
17 |
47.175 |
+1.421 |
11 |
97 |
Alberto Comparato |
29 |
47.429 |
+1.675 |
12 |
12 |
Ferdinand Zandbergen |
24 |
47.588 |
+1.834 |
13 |
5 |
Mansoor Al Mansoori |
27 |
48.313 |
+2.559 |
14 |
74 |
Alexandre Bourgeot |
24 |
48.368 |
+2.614 |
15 |
10 |
Duarte Benavente |
4 |
49.372 |
+3.618 |
16 |
73 |
Cédric Deguisne |
7 |
51.623 |
+5.869 |
17 |
1 |
Jonas Andersson |
0 |
— |
DNS |
18 |
9 |
Ben Jelf |
0 |
— |
DNS |
19 |
11 |
Sami Seliö |
0 |
— |
DNS |
Combined Practice Times – Top 10
POS |
# |
DRIVER |
BEST LAP |
SESSION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
17 |
Rusty Wyatt |
45.366 |
FP2 |
2 |
1 |
Jonas Andersson |
45.527 |
FP1 |
3 |
4 |
Shaun Torrente |
45.585 |
FP2 |
4 |
18 |
Stefan Arand |
45.590 |
FP2 |
5 |
6 |
Erik Stark |
45.636 |
FP2 |
6 |
3 |
Alec Weckström |
45.848 |
FP3 |
7 |
77 |
Bartek Marszalek |
46.177 |
FP3 |
8 |
7 |
Peter Morin |
46.208 |
FP3 |
9 |
50 |
Marit Strømøy |
46.342 |
FP3 |
10 |
2 |
Grant Trask |
46.425 |
FP1 |
John Moore’s 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 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
