Class 3D: Pinelli and Bubacco world champions at Lake Como

François Pinelli and Saul Bubacco are the new UIM Class 3D world champions. On Lake Como, in the D96 Foresti & Suardi, they won both races of the final round on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October 2026, and took the European title as well, decided over the same weekend. In the published results the crew is listed under the code FRA.

A title settled with a race to spare

The championship ran to six races at three venues, Rodi Garganico, Arendal and Como, with five of them counting towards the standings. The points from the first race at Rodi Garganico were wiped for every crew after the UIM International Court of Appeal upheld Serafino Barlesi's appeal over how that race was run.

Pinelli and Bubacco arrived at Como on 1,100 points, 275 clear of the D20 Blu Banca, after winning both races at Arendal. On Friday they won the ten-lap first race by 16.8 seconds from Fredrik Groth Fyro and Filip Eriksson, taking them to 1,500 points. Blu Banca finished fifth, so the title was sealed.

They won again on Saturday, this time over eight laps, by 16.3 seconds and at an average of 175.18 km/h. Pinelli set the fastest lap in both races.

Final standings

• 1. Pinelli / Bubacco (D96 Foresti & Suardi): 1,900 points
• 2. Groth Fyro / Eriksson (D5, Sweden): 1,145 points
• 3. Barlesi / Kumlin (D20 Blu Banca): 952 points
• 4. Marcus Johnsson / Jussi Myllymäki (D101, Finland): 831 points

The Swedes, fourth before the final round and 280 points behind Blu Banca, were second in both races and climbed to second in the championship. Barlesi and Kumlin, fifth on Friday, did not start Saturday's race. Johnsson and Myllymäki were third in both races.

The European title: 400 points for Pinelli

The European championship was a single-round affair, run alongside the world races. Pinelli and Bubacco took it on 400 points, ahead of Groth Fyro and Eriksson (300) and Johnsson and Myllymäki (225).

Barlesi consoled by the Centomiglia

The day after the championship ended, on Sunday 11 October, Barlesi and Kumlin won the 77th Centomiglia del Lario in the XCat Blu Banca. It is Barlesi's 12th win in the Lake Como classic, one more than Tullio Abbate senior, and so an outright record. The seven laps took 28 minutes 57.7 seconds.

One of Blu Banca's engines would not pick up revs at the start: Barlesi shut it down, restarted it and caught the field before taking the lead. Aaron Ciantar and Jurgen Barbara (Team Chaudron, Malta) finished second, Christian Cesati and Dario Buchli third in the new Albatro 32 Evo Race.