CAGLIARI, Italy, 30th May, 2026 (WAM) -- Team Victory continued their stellar performance at the opening of the Regione Sardegna Grand Prix of Italy, the opening round of the UIM F1H2O World Championship.

Driver Shaun Torrente topped the official qualifying sessions held this evening in the Italian city of Cagliari, securing pole position for tomorrow's main race.

Torrente, piloting 'Victory 1,' clocked the fastest qualifying time of 42.533 seconds, confirming his readiness to contend for the opening round title. Meanwhile, teammate Erik Stark, commanding 'Victory 3,' finished ninth with a time of 44.191 seconds.

UAE teams delivered a strong performance across the board during the qualifiers.

Team Sharjah's Rusty Wyatt secured second place with a time of 42.727 seconds, followed closely by teammate Stefan Arand in third at 42.807 seconds. Grant Trask, also from Team Sharjah, claimed sixth place with a time of 43.297 seconds.

From Team Abu Dhabi, Jonas Andersson finished tenth, clocking 44.257 seconds, while Alec Weckstrm finished 14th at 46.645 seconds, and Rashed Al Qemzi took 15th place with a time of 46.980 seconds.

In the sprint race events, Torrente completed a double victory by winning the first sprint race, capturing his first 10 points of the new season.

Torrente successfully finished the 17-lap race in first place, ahead of Team China's Peter Morin, who finished second, while Poland's Bartek Marszalek of Stromoy Racing came in third.

Mohammed Harib, CEO of Dubai International Marine Club and head of the Victory mission, praised Shaun Torrente's outstanding performance at the season opener. He emphasised that leading the official qualifiers and winning the sprint race reflect the extensive preparation and technical readiness with which the team entered the championship.