SAUNDERSFOOT’S Sam Coleman and fellow pilot Emma Kimiläinen secured fifth place overall in the latest round of the UIM E1 World Championships over the weekend.

Lake Como in Northern Italy’s Lombardy region played host to the fifth round of the electric powerboat racing series and the result sees Team Brady stay top of the standings with an 11-point lead.

The weekend kicked off with a strong performance during Friday’s qualifying sessions. Sam and Emma dominated the timesheets and celebrated their first pole position of the season.

Their momentum carried through to the semi-finals, where both pilots clinched first-place finishes, propelling the team straight into the finals. Sam’s victory in his round was particularly noteworthy, as he overcame the challenge of a second long lap due to procedural infringements.

However, the finals proved to be a tougher battle. Sam faced intense competition, being squeezed out on multiple occasions, while Emma’s encounter with a buoy inflicted damage on the RaceBird, hampering her chances.

Despite these setbacks, Team Brady’s early success ensures they remain the frontrunners in the championship race.

Welshman Sam was introduced to powerboat racing in 2013 by his sister Daisy Coleman, and has gone on to become a house-hold name in the P1 SuperStock class where he has won four World Championships.

He said: “We’ve been fast all weekend and overall, it’s been very positive.

“Securing our first pole position is something we can be proud of, and staying at the top of the championship standings is a huge achievement for the team.

“The semi-final win was particularly sweet for me, as I managed to take a comfortable lead despite the double long lap.

“It was a challenging weekend, with some uphill battles that we managed to overcome, but our luck unfortunately turned. In my final.

“I found myself stuck behind a few competitors and felt slightly trapped.

“We tried a different approach with the long lap, but the battle ahead was intense, and they managed to pull away.

“Our goal each weekend is to reach the final, and we did just that. We'll take the lessons from this race and come back stronger.”

The debut electric racing championship, which sees nine teams battle it out on the water reaching speeds in excess of 50 knots (92kph / 57 mph), visits several iconic coastal cities across the world including - Monaco, Puerto Banus and Hong Kong.

Sam added: "The locations in E1 are incredible, we've raced in Monaco, Venice and now Lake Como... but none of those are as great as Pembrokeshire!

“The water is  warmer, but the beaches aren’t as nice!"

The team is owned by seven-times Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.