Finnish driver Oliver Martin will move up from the UIM F4 World Championship to UIM F2 in 2027. He will race a Moore F2 hull powered by a Mercury 200 OptiMax, under a new team name, Nexgen Racing.
The team will run two drivers next season, Martin in F2 and Rufus Eriksson in F4. The people behind Martin stay the same: boatbuilder Roger Lönnberg, his father Olle Martin and Tim Miilakangas, with extra help on the mechanical and media side.
Oliver Martin, speaking to Powerboat News:
“When I heard about the opportunity in F2 I grabbed onto it straight away. F4 was my first dream and now F2 is just unbelievable. 2027 was my chance and you better believe I’m taking it.”
From a Rubber Dinghy to F4
Martin first raced at the age of five, in the town races held in the Sipoo archipelago, in a small rubber dinghy with a 4hp Mercury on the back. The boat that would come next was already waiting for him.
“My father had bought me a ‘Speedrace’, the boat they use in GT10 nowadays, before I was even born, so I had an easy way into the sport.”
The Speedrace took the same engine, and the boats got bigger from there. He started in GT15 at 11, worked up through GT30, and moved into F4 in 2023. This season he finished third in the Grand Prix of Lithuania 1 at Klaipėda, after qualifying second for the Q3 shootout.
“After all my years in GT15, GT30 and F4, I think I’m most proud of the podium place in Klaipėda this year and the Finnish championship I won this year.”
The Cost of the Step Up
Martin is open about what F2 will take to fund. His aim is to contest the full season.
“The financial jump from F4 to F2 is big and it will be challenging, but my team and I have been working towards this for a long time now and I will find a way to make it work.”
The team is widening what it can offer partners, so that a deal works for both sides.
“We have already got off to a solid start and we will see how everything unfolds.”
Laps Before Results
He has already had his first run in an F2 boat. The hours in the cockpit are what he expects to be hardest to find.
“The biggest challenge for sure will be the hours and laps. I’ve got so comfortable in the F4 over the years, and now it’s about finding that same trust in the package. I’ve already been out testing and now I’m hooked, so as soon as winter ends we will be out getting those laps under our belt.”
His first target is to start and finish every race in his rookie season.
“As the season develops and the laps behind the wheel grow, I’m sure I will be competitive, maybe even reach for the podium. That certainly is the goal.”
Longer term, the aim is a world title.
“I think the Formula classes are the pinnacle of powerboat racing, and my aim is to win the world championship in at least one of them. That’s where the focus is and has always been.”
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.
