Union internationale motonautique

Poland, a leading country for Circuit racing, hosted its third and last titled event of the year last weekend in Rogozno, with the European Championships for the F125 and F250 classes.

The popular F125 class had the bigger turnout, with thirteen drivers on the starting grid representing Poland, Italy, Sweden, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Germany and the Czech Republic. In the absence of 2026 World Champion Andrea Ongari from Italy, his closest rival in this year’s World Championship and fellow Italian Gabriele Rossi made the best possible start, taking two heat wins on Saturday.

With the Championship decided over a single weekend and four heats of racing, Rossi still had to confirm his impressive form on Sunday to secure the European title. A win in the third heat was enough for Rossi to conquer his first-ever UIM title.

Consistent throughout the weekend, Sweden’s Tobias Wahlsten finished second overall, while another Italian, Nicolo Darai, took third. Local fan favourite Henrik Synoracki once again showed his speed, but was unlucky not to finish the first and fourth heats.

The other class running last weekend in Rogozno was F250. A line-up of eight drivers, including the entire top three from this year’s World Championship in the category, made their way to Poland.

Italian Massimiliano Cremona, already crowned World Champion earlier this year in Chodziez, continued to dominate on Polish waters, taking four heat wins and an uncontested overall victory in the Championship with 1,600 points.

His brother Alessandro, racing under a USA licence on his return to powerboat racing, finished second in the Championship, coming just three seconds behind his brother in Heat 2.

British driver Thomas Mantripp improved throughout the weekend and took third place in the overall rankings, resulting in a perfect match with the final World Championship rankings in the category, which featured the same three drivers on the podium.

Photos: Polish Motorboat and Water Ski Association