IHRA chose to announce their Miami World Powerboat Grand Prix on Sunday, posting a promotional video to social media as the Formula One Miami Grand Prix was held at Miami International Autodrome.
The event runs over October 20-26, with F1 powerboats and personal watercraft competing at Miami Marine Stadium while the offshore boats race in the waters off Miami. All four of IHRA’s disciplines will appear on the same programme for the first time. The event will crown the first-ever IHRA World Powerboating Champions.
IHRA’s promo styled the event as the Miami Powerboat Grand Prix World Championship, framing it as a single global showdown for one title. The video’s soundtrack was Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice, who was raised in Miami.
Leah Martin, President of the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), said:
This is the moment the sport comes together. We’re bringing the sport’s premier powerboating disciplines, teams, and athletes into one championship environment and putting them on a stage that matches their level. Miami gives us the global platform to do it right – at scale, with purpose, and for the future of the sport.
Miami Marine Stadium
Miami Marine Stadium on Virginia Key was designed by Cuban-American architect Hilario Candela and opened in 1963 as the world’s first purpose-built powerboat racing stadium. Its cantilevered concrete grandstand faces the water directly, purpose-built for spectators watching fast boats on an open stretch of Biscayne Bay between downtown Miami and Key Biscayne.
The stadium hosted major offshore and circuit racing alongside concerts for nearly three decades before Hurricane Andrew in 1992 caused severe structural damage and ended competitive use. P1 AquaX and P1 SuperStock returned for a round there in April 2018 – the first racing at the venue since its post-hurricane closure – though the stadium continues to await full structural restoration and has otherwise remained out of regular use. Listed as a Miami city landmark, it has been subject to restoration campaigns by the Friends of Miami Marine Stadium and the City of Miami for more than 30 years. IHRA’s October event would represent the largest return to the venue since those 2018 races.
One Week Ahead of Key West
The October dates sit one week ahead of Race World Offshore’s Key West event, which runs November 1-8. Key West has served as the traditional close of the American offshore season for as long as most competitors can remember, and the proximity creates a straightforward late-season choice for teams and boats.
The 2026 Season
Two rounds of the IHRA Offshore National Championship have been completed: St. Petersburg in March and New Orleans in April, with five further rounds scheduled before Miami. The IHRA F1 Powerboat Series is also two rounds in, with Andrew Tate winning the opener at Bradenton in February and Spencer Love taking Round 2 at Port Neches on Sunday.
The History Behind the Venue
Miami Marine Stadium opened in 1963 as the world’s first purpose-built powerboat racing stadium and has been closed since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. We have the full story.
Read: Miami Marine Stadium History
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.
