Alec Weckstrom, representing the Dubai-based Victory Team, solidified his mastery in Chinese waters by clinching the Grand Prix of Shanghai-China. This victory follows his maiden career win in Zhengzhou last season, marking a successful return to the country where he continues to thrive. Weckstrom’s weekend was near-perfect, as he secured pole position during qualifying and dominated the Sprint Race 1 held the day prior. This year, at the Grand Prix of Shanghai-China, Weckstrom’s Chinese fortunes looked set to continue going into the race, after he claimed pole position in qualifying and cruised to victory in yesterday’s Sprint Race 1.
The main event saw Weckstrom capitalize on his pole start, leading the pack into the first turn with his teammate, Shaun Torrente, trailing in second and Sharjah Team’s Stefan Arand close behind in third. Meanwhile, Jonas Andersson, the multiple-time world champion, demonstrated remarkable speed despite starting at the back of the grid following an emergency engine change. His aggressive opening lap maneuvers nearly caused a collision with Ben Jelf, highlighting the high stakes of the competition.
Race dynamics shifted early when Brent Dillard, struggling with visibility due to water spray while trailing Rashed Al Qemzi, lost control of his China CTIC Team catamaran. The boat failed to trim properly while exiting a turn and flipped, triggering a Yellow Flag on the second lap. This stoppage erased the three-second lead Weckstrom had painstakingly established.
Disaster struck for the Victory Team during the subsequent restart. Shaun Torrente attempted an ambitious maneuver to overtake Weckstrom on the right-hander, but the gap proved insufficient. Torrente collided with his teammate, resulting in a spin that ended his race and severely compromised his hopes of defending his world title. Weckstrom, remarkably, emerged from the contact with an intact boat and maintained his lead.
As the race progressed, Stefan Arand applied constant pressure, chasing Weckstrom through the remaining laps. Despite facing mechanical challenges—including a damaged propeller—Weckstrom successfully defended his position. A collision with lapped traffic involving Ben Jelf with 16 laps remaining nearly cost him the lead, but the Finnish driver managed to hold his ground as the two boats bounced apart without causing a terminal spin. After the Finn struggled to control his turn and slip wide, colliding with lapped traffic in the form of Atlantic Team’s Ben Jelf, it was with 16 laps to go that Weckstrom almost dramatically lost his lead. Blocking potential overtakes, and wearing down Arand, weckstrom managed to hold his own. The two were never separated by more than three seconds throughout the remainder of the race, but even though Weckstrom put some distance between himself and Arand.
The field thinned significantly in the closing stages due to a series of mechanical failures. With less than a third of the 45 laps remaining, Rusty Wyatt was forced to stop in the center of the course, necessitating another Yellow Flag that also saw the exits of Ben Jelf and Rashed Al Qemzi. When green flag racing resumed with 11 laps to go, only nine boats remained on the water.
The final restart allowed Grant Trask and Jonas Andersson to execute a tactical masterclass, performing a triple overtake on Alberto Comparato, Stefan Hagin, and Sami Selio to claim third and fourth positions respectively. Despite a frantic final push from Arand, who stayed within 1.096 seconds of the leader on the final lap, Weckstrom held firm to claim victory. Arand’s second-place finish propelled him to the top of the Drivers’ World Championship standings, while Trask rounded out the podium in third.
