Jonas Andersson and Shaun Torrente each dominated their respective sprint races at the latest round of the F1H2O World Championship, with Sharjah Team enduring a frustrating day at both ends of the programme.
Sprint Race 1 was shaped before it began. An engine change after qualifying forced Rusty Wyatt to start from the back of the grid, handing Andersson a clear run from pole. The former World Champion made full use of it, building an early lead he never gave up.
Wyatt worked his way forward quickly, climbing from last to sixth on the opening lap. His Sharjah teammate Grant Trask had a race to forget almost immediately, the rear deck coming off his boat and dropping him to last. A yellow flag followed before the end of lap two.
Once racing resumed, Wyatt pushed through the field, picking off Stefan Hagin and then Ben Jelf to reach fourth before setting his sights on Sami Selio. The two-time World Champion proved hard to pass and held Wyatt at bay all the way to the flag. Andersson took the win ahead of Team Abu Dhabi teammate Erik Stark, with Selio rounding out the podium.
Post-race penalties made a difficult day worse for Sharjah. Wyatt received a one-lap penalty for rejoining in the wrong order after the yellow flag, dropping him to sixth, while Trask was disqualified and left pointless.
Sprint Race 2 belonged to Torrente. The American and current World Champion had clearly taken note of Andersson's start-to-finish display, and he built a lead of 3.127 seconds over teammate Alec Weckstrom by the end of the first lap. Weckstrom held second throughout without ever threatening Torrente, who collected the full 10 points.
Behind them, Rashed Al Qemzi drove one of his strongest races to date, using the power of his DAC boat to climb from seventh to third by the first lap. Stefan Arand had struggled to find his usual pace off the start and was briefly passed by Bartek Marszalek before recovering. Al Qemzi looked set for a well-earned podium, but a penalty for failing to maintain his starting lane ended that prospect, and Arand was elevated to third in the final standings.
Sprint Race 1 – Final Standings (top finishers): 1. Jonas Andersson 2. Erik Stark 3. Sami Selio 6. Rusty Wyatt (one-lap penalty) DSQ. Grant Trask
Sprint Race 2 – Final Standings (top finishers): 1. Shaun Torrente 2. Alec Weckstrom 3. Stefan Arand (elevated after Al Qemzi penalty)
