The 2026 UIM Offshore European Championship for Class 3J, 3B and 3C runs from Wednesday 8 to Saturday 11 July at Tvedestrand, on Norway’s southern coast. Tvedestrand Racing Klubb hosts the event under the authority of the Norwegian Motorsports Federation (NMF) and the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), with a Jollerace and Fjordløp added for the wider boating community on Sunday 12 July.
Third-party insurance cover for the event was only confirmed in the days before racing, and too late for Finland’s crews to make the trip. No Finnish boat will race at Tvedestrand as a result, a blow to a Nordic Class 3B and 3C community that has otherwise leaned on cross-border entries to keep grids healthy.
The Classes
Class 3J is the entry class, open to drivers from age 13. Class 3B and Class 3C both carry a minimum age of 16. Each class runs two races over the weekend, a short course on Friday and a longer course on Saturday, with distances set by UIM Rule 800.6.6.
Race 1 on Friday starts from Hagefjordbrygga and runs a Hagefjorden, Møkkalasset, Hummerbåen, Hagefjorden loop, with Class 3J, 3B and 3C now racing together rather than in the staggered waves set out in the original advance programme. Race 2 on Saturday still starts from Tvedestrand harbour, with 3J away first and 3B and 3C following an hour later. A 100-metre distance rule around certain islands remains in force from the advance programme; organisers will confirm exactly where at Thursday’s drivers’ briefing.
Start List: Class 3B
Eight crews are entered for the Class 3B European Championship, three Swedish and five Norwegian, all in identical Twister 20s fitted with Mercury 115 Pro XS outboards. No Finnish team made the list, the third-party insurance clearance for the event having come through too late for Finland’s crews to enter.
| No | Pilot | Co-pilot | Nat | Boat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B-3 | Thomas Braaten | Mathias Løvdal | NOR | Twister 20 / Mercury 115 Pro XS |
| B-22 | Joakim Ellingsen | Jostein Ellingsen | NOR | Twister 20 / Mercury 115 Pro XS |
| B-32 | Rasmus Hamrén | Madeleine Samuelsson | SWE | Twister 20 / Mercury 115 Pro XS |
| B-57 | Oline Nordli | Andrine Goderstad Hirschel-Haag | NOR | Twister 20 / Mercury 115 Pro XS |
| B-62 | Lovisa Sahlén | Mattias Lind | SWE | Twister 20 / Mercury 115 Pro XS |
| B-65 | Adrian Østby | Mina Engebretsen | NOR | Twister 20 / Mercury 115 Pro XS |
| B-69 | Mats Jensen | Carl Fredrik Jensen | NOR | Twister 20 / Mercury 115 Pro XS |
| B-85 | Max Samuelsson | Joel Schöneberg | SWE | Twister 20 / Mercury 115 Pro XS |
Norwegian crews carry home advantage in numbers, with Energima among the local outfits who have spent the year testing at the venue.
Tvedestrand’s Offshore Pedigree
Tvedestrand is no stranger to championship offshore racing. The town hosted the Class 3D World Championship final in 2022, and the 2012 Class 3B World Championship there attracted 23 registered teams, among the strongest fields the class has drawn. Energima have been running their Mercury 200R ROS-powered D55 out of Tvedestrand since April, giving the home team a head start on local conditions.
File photo: Energima’s D55 during Class 3D testing at Tvedestrand earlier this year. The venue now hosts this week’s Class 3J, 3B and 3C European Championship.
Schedule
| Session | Local Time (CEST, UTC+2) | Your Time |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 8 July | ||
| Pit ERA open | 17:00-21:00 | 16:00-20:00 BST |
| Thursday 9 July | ||
| ERA open | 09:00 | 08:00 BST |
| Registration and technical scrutineering | 11:00-17:30 | 10:00-16:30 BST |
| GT10 race, Tjenna | 17:00-20:00 | 16:00-19:00 BST |
| Drivers’ briefing | 19:00 | 18:00 BST |
| Friday 10 July | ||
| ERA open | 08:00 | 07:00 BST |
| Official practice session | 10:30-11:30 | 09:30-10:30 BST |
| Weather briefing | 13:00 | 12:00 BST |
| Race 1, Class 3J, 3B & 3C, Hagefjordbrygga | 15:30 | 14:30 BST |
| Saturday 11 July | ||
| ERA open | 08:00 | 07:00 BST |
| GT10 race, Tjenna | 09:30-12:00 | 08:30-11:00 BST |
| Weather briefing | 10:30 | 09:30 BST |
| Race 2 (long course), Class 3J, Tvedestrand harbour | 13:00 | 12:00 BST |
| Race 2 (long course), Class 3B & 3C, Tvedestrand harbour | 14:00 | 13:00 BST |
| Post-race technical inspection | 14:00 | 13:00 BST |
| Prize ceremony, Tvedestrand Town Hall | 17:00 | 16:00 BST |
| Sunday 12 July | ||
| Jollerace registration, Østerå | 10:00-12:00 | 09:00-11:00 BST |
| Fjordløp registration, Østerå | 12:00-13:30 | 11:00-12:30 BST |
| Jollerace start | 13:00 | 12:00 BST |
| Fjordløp start | 15:00 | 14:00 BST |
| Prize ceremony, Tvedestrand Town Hall | 17:00 | 16:00 BST |
All times shown in CEST (Central European Summer Time, UTC+2). Times will convert automatically to your local time zone where supported.
GT10 at Tjenna
A GT10 class also races across the weekend, but at Tjenna rather than Østerå, with heats on Thursday evening and Saturday morning that run entirely outside the European Championship programme.
Sunday: Jollerace and Fjordløp
Sunday’s programme has grown since the original advance programme. A Jollerace, open to the wider Tvedestrand boating community, gets underway at 13:00, followed by the Fjordløp, for anything capable of exceeding 30 knots, at 15:00, with spectators directed to the TeamTec area for both. Entry to the Fjordløp remains free for teams already competing in the European Championship. Neither event counts towards the championship points, and a shared prize ceremony follows at Tvedestrand Town Hall.
Getting There and Staying
The event runs from Østerå Marina, Østeråveien 480, 4904 Tvedestrand, with the competitor depot also based there. A kiosk operates at Østerå on Friday and Saturday, moving to TeamTec on Sunday for the Jollerace and Fjordløp. By road, Dry Pit sits roughly 70km from Kristiansand, 80km from Brevik, 100km from Larvik, 110km from Sandefjord and 200km from Oslo. DFDS runs Immingham to Brevik, Fjordline runs Hirtshals to Kristiansand, and Color Line covers Hirtshals to Larvik or Kristiansand, Kiel to Oslo, and Strømstad to Sandefjord.
Tvedestrand Fjordhotell is closest to the venue at around 10 minutes’ drive, though only 22 rooms are available on a first-come basis. Bokhotellet Lyngørporten sits around 20 minutes away, with Clarion Hotel Tyholmen and Thon Hotel Arendal both around 25 minutes away in Arendal.
Officials
Jarle Hagane serves as Chief Executive Officer and Officer of the Day, with Camilla Knutsen heading hospitality and events and Roger Mathisen responsible for security and safety. Dennis Dillon is the UIM Sport Commissioner and Pascal Reide the UIM Technical Commissioner, with Per Christian Skoglund chairing the Race Jury.
Follow the 2026 Season
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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.
