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Erik Stark recovers for Team Abu Dhabi to finish second, while a late penalty for Alec Weckstrom promotes Marit Stromoy to the final podium spot
Sunday, August 2: The inaugural Grand Prix of Kyrgyzstan–Issyk-Kul lived up to its billing as a showdown between former World Champions, with Jonas Andersson starting from pole ahead of Shaun Torrente. That order didn't survive the start, as Torrente powered past Andersson to grab the holeshot.
Further down the field, Rusty Wyatt made up serious ground after starting eighteenth following a pre-race engine change, working his way up to thirteenth inside a lap. But the standout mover was Marit Stromoy, who climbed from twelfth to sixth in just the opening turns.
Once the early scramble settled, Torrente began pulling clear, opening a gap of over three seconds on Andersson within a lap. Behind them, Team Abu Dhabi's Erik Stark spent much of the race shadowing third-placed Alec Weckstrom of Victory Team, unable to find a way past across fourteen laps of patient racing.
A Yellow Flag for Ben Jelf's rollover reset the field just as Torrente's lead had stretched past twelve seconds, bunching the pack back together with 24 laps still to run. Torrente wasted no time rebuilding his advantage once racing resumed, while Weckstrom briefly got the better of Andersson before running wide and handing the position straight back. Weckstrom's afternoon then got harder still, with a lane infringement at the restart drawing a one-lap penalty.
Stromoy produced the race's sharpest move at the restart, picking off both teammate Bartek Marszalek and Stark to move into fourth, though Stark reclaimed the spot a lap later. Sharjah Team's misfortune continued into this Grand Prix, with Stefan Arand — a race winner last time out — retiring with engine trouble on lap eighteen.
The race's final twist came with 20 laps remaining, as Andersson lost power and dropped from second to seventh. Stark seized the opportunity to move past Weckstrom into second, while Andersson continued sliding back, overtaken by teammate Rashed Al Qemzi. Out front, Torrente managed the gap he'd rebuilt with composure, never asked to take an unnecessary risk.
Andersson salvaged something from a difficult day with a final-lap move on Al Qemzi to retake seventh, but there was no time left to recover further ground. Torrente crossed the line to win the first Grand Prix of Kyrgyzstan, with Stark 4.730 seconds behind in second. Weckstrom finished third on the water, but his penalty dropped him behind Stromoy, who claimed the final podium position.
UIM President Dr. Raffaele Chiulli said: "This was a truly memorable weekend for our sport. Issyk-Kul is one of the most beautiful settings we have ever raced in, and the warmth of the welcome we received from our hosts in Kyrgyzstan matched the quality of the racing itself. To see Shaun Torrente write his name into the history books as the winner of this first Grand Prix is a fitting way to mark the start of what I hope will be a long relationship with this region."
 
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