Solidifying her place in history, Norway’s Marit Strømøy has been crowned as the first woman to win an F1 H2O Grand Prix.
Strømøy clinched her historic victory at this year’s Union Internationale Motonautique while driving for the EMIC Team. She outran 17 men from 10 other nations to secure her win on Khaled Lagoon at the 16th Annual Grand Prix of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Not only was this a win for the record books, it also marked her first time on the podium in her eight year career. Clearly a joyous moment as she held off both three-time world champion Alex Carella of Italy and U.S. standout Shaun Torrente, Strømøy has set a new course for her team and expectations are high for the coming year.
“Going into this race, my goal was a podium finish. But here I am fulfilling a dream that I have had in my 26 years of powerboat racing,” a beaming Stromoy told Gulf News.
“I could feel the heat behind me with Carella breathing down my neck for the final 20 laps—however, we were able to pull away a few more seconds in the final laps to secure the win,” Strømøy continued. “What a great feeling. This is what makes all the hard work and patience pay off with a race team and I have a great group of people who believe in me as well and that makes all the difference. It was a great way to end the season that’s for sure.”
With a continually growing fan base and loyal supporters, the EMIC Team and Strømøy will surely make an impact in the coming year and we look forward to seeing them out on the water!
