Every boat racing in the UIM F1H2O and UIM F2 World Championships would need an integral load-bearing canopy from January 1, 2027, under a safety proposal going before the UIM Council on Saturday, October 24, 2026. The proposal’s justification cites the serious injuries suffered by Australian F1H2O driver Damon Cohen at the Grand Prix of Sharjah last December.
The proposal was entered by COMINSAFE, the UIM’s International Medical and Safety Commission, and its author is commission member Pascal Reide of France. It amends General Rule 509.05, which covers reinforced cockpits in all Circuit classes. It is one of 44 Circuit rules proposals for this year’s Council vote, held the day before the 99th UIM General Assembly in Sintra.
What the Rule Allows Now
Rule 509.05 requires every reinforced cockpit to enclose the driver completely, including the head, with at least 10 cm of clearance above the helmet. It then sets out two routes for the canopy.
If the sides of the cockpit cover at least 50 per cent of the side of the driver’s helmet, the canopy does not have to be load bearing. It only has to be strong enough not to deform under load and become stuck under the cockpit’s supporting flanges. Where the cockpit sides fall short of that, an integral load-bearing canopy is required. That canopy must be at least as strong as the cockpit structure, and latched and hinged so that it acts as part of the structure in an accident.
What Would Change
The proposal would remove the first route for F1 and F2. The new text reads:
For all boats participating in F1 and F2 races, as well as for all new boats built from 1 January 2027 onwards, an integral load bearing canopy is required.
The non-load-bearing option would remain for other classes, but the proposal states it would be valid only until January 1, 2029. If adopted, the change takes effect on January 1, 2027. The text does not set out a transition period for existing F1H2O and F2 hulls.
The Sharjah Accident
Reide’s justification gives safety in rolls and flips as the reason for the change. It refers specifically to a 2025 accident involving Cohen and a South African driver, stating that their boat had an older cockpit without the integral load-bearing canopy structure and that they suffered serious injuries. The document does not name the South African driver or give further detail.
Cohen, driving for the Comparato F1 Team, barrel-rolled twice at turn one in Q1 at the Road to Sharjah–Grand Prix of Sharjah on December 20, 2025, on his final lap with 12 seconds of the session remaining. He was in intensive care that afternoon with water in his lungs and was struggling with leg movement. Two days later his family reported multiple vertebrae fractures, with one vertebra shattered and fragments in the spinal canal.
Cohen did not return for the 2026 F1H2O season.
Who Decides
The proposal lists five bodies as advising on it: COMINSPORT, COMINTECH, the Safety Cockpit Committee, the F1 Committee and the F2 & F4 Committee. The published document records no position from any of them.
For F2, the canopy change would sit alongside the committee’s own seven proposals, including two sprint races per Grand Prix weekend and a further extension for the SST200 engine, which the F2 & F4 Committee argues is needed largely because of the cost of the switch to the Mercury Racing 250 APX.
Reide has also authored a separate proposal that would make either a halo or an aeroscreen mandatory on GT15 and GT30 boats from 2027, raising the minimum weight of both classes by 5 kg. He is one of 11 candidates for four COMINSAFE seats in the commission elections at Sintra on October 25, the day after the Council vote.
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
