Strong Start in Saudi Arabia as Team Brady Secures P2 at Season Opener
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday 24 January: Team Brady secured a strong second place finish at the inaugural race of the 2026 UIM E1 World Championships in Jeddah. Heading into the season as back-to-back World Champions, Team Brady began the year with a target firmly on their backs but didn’t let the pressure get to them.
Set against the backdrop of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea, pilots Emma Kimiläinen and Sam Coleman delivered an impressive race weekend. This season, E1 has adopted a new three-stage qualifying format, mirroring Formula 1 and culminating in a dramatic final round known as the Pole Shootout. Sam and Emma claimed victory in the first-ever Pole Shootout, earning three valuable championship points and underlining the team’s intent from the very start.
Both pilots went on to finish second in their respective finals today, securing second place overall for the team. With a podium to open the campaign, Team Brady now turns its focus to the next round in Lake Como this April.
Sam Coleman, Team Brady Pilot, said: “I think we can be proud of what we’ve achieved this weekend. To bring home the first-ever PoleShootout is something special.
The racing today was really challenging, and all our competitors were strong. The finals were quite chaotic, so we did a great job in both races to get through the dirty water and fight our way back to second. Emma put in an incredible overtake on three boats on the first lap in the final corner, which set her up for a great result. I’m proud of the team and how we executed this weekend. There’s a lot we can learn and tidy up, but overall, we’re really happy with second place. It’s a strong start to a long season - there’s everything to play for.”
Emma Kimiläinen, Team Brady Pilot, added: “We showed great pace all weekend. It was a tough day of racing, but I’m really happy we finished in second. Huge credit to the team for making the right strategy calls throughout the weekend.
The start of my final was difficult - I got squeezed, and there was something strange with the trim settings, so I had to fight hard just to hold second place. In that sense, it felt like a victory in itself. We managed the challenges well as a team and can take away a lot of valuable learnings heading into the next race.”