17-year-old Latvian Ardis Slakteris takes bronze in debut world powerboat championship season
Latvian powerboat racer Ardis Slakteris, 17, finished third overall in his debut season of the Formula 4 world championship, while his brother Nils placed 12th in the Formula 2 class.
Last weekend on Lake Viverone in Italy marked the conclusion of the Formula 4 (F4) powerboat world championship, held alongside the Formula 2 (F2) European championship. The team Riga Powerboat Team's representative Sanita Slaktere shared the results.
In his debut season in the F4 class, 17-year-old Latvian pilot Ardis Slakteris secured an impressive third place in the overall world championship standings. After strong performances in the first two rounds in Klaipeda, he arrived at the season finale in Viverone as one of the overall leaders, with ambitions of fighting for the championship title in his very first season.
A tight battle to the finish
Competition at both Viverone rounds proved fierce, with Slakteris posting the fifth-fastest qualifying time in both the third and fourth rounds. After the third round on August 8, Sweden's Adam Wrenkler led the 19-pilot field with 50 points, while Slakteris shared second place with Belgium's Jean-Baptiste Thomas on 43 points.
Sunday's decisive race turned chaotic, with several restarts triggered by on-track incidents, and the fight for position continued until the very last stretch. Slakteris finished fourth in the final race, earning enough points to claim third place overall and a spot on the world championship podium.
The young pilot said he had not expected such a strong start to the season and thanked his team for their work ashore. He noted the championship title had been within very close reach, but called this his best season yet.
Brother steps up to a higher class
Ardis's older brother Nils Slakteris, who won the F4 world title on the very same Viverone track last year, made his debut this season in the more powerful F2 class at the European championship. Competing against 15 pilots from ten countries, he finished 12th overall. Nils said the step up to F2 proved more difficult and technically demanding than expected, but called it a valuable learning experience for his future career. He added that his main goal for the year — winning the F4 European championship title — had already been achieved.
