On his birthday, 17-year-old William Martinsen showed the world elite in boat racing’s GT 30 class who the real champion is. Nineteen participants from nine nations competed fiercely for the prestigious gold medal. The weekend didn’t start on a high note. A modest 5th place in qualifying was not what the team had expected. However, in the first of four heats, the young man from Drammen gained great speed on his boat.

“I have worked closely with Winrace Propellers and Freddy Thompson provided me with a lightning-fast propeller. It turned out to be invaluable today. The acceleration I had was unbelievable,” smiles the newly crowned world champion.

In heat 1, he climbed two positions. In heat 2, he started in the 3rd spot on the grid. This fueled his determination, and he won the next three heats with ease. After the four heats, William Martinsen finished with a perfect score of 1200 points.

Morten Solvang, who has been assisting us this weekend, has previously won the World Championship with this boat.

I actually took over the boat

after my friend, Andre Solvang, also won the World Championship gold with this very boat in 2020.

“I wasn’t originally planning to continue in the GT30 class as I have moved up to the F4 class. However, since we hadn’t sold the boat yet, the temptation was too great. My coach and mentor, Frode Sundsdal, wasn’t exactly in favor of prioritizing this class as it can be challenging to focus on two different styles, but he is one of the proudest today, so I think I am forgiven for this endeavor,” William Martinsen laughs.

The boat is now up for sale, and next year, Martinsen is focusing on the World Championship series in the Formula 4 class.