More than 90 young pilots from 13 countries opened the 2026 UIM Formula Future World Championship at Kaunas Lagoon on Wednesday, with the opening day given over to the formal ceremony and practice across all six classes ahead of competition.
The championship is sanctioned by the Union Internationale Motonautique and organised by the Lithuanian Motorboat Academy, together with the Lithuanian Motorboat Federation. Kaunas last hosted the championship in 2021. Racing runs from Wednesday to Saturday, with manoeuvring on Thursday, slalom on Friday, and the finals and prizegiving on Saturday.
The Classes
Formula Future divides its entry by age, from Dolphin, the entry point for the youngest pilots, through to Class 5, the most experienced group. The overall entry spans pilots aged 6 to 18. For many in Dolphin this is a first international event, while Classes 4 and 5 bring together the most experienced pilots in the discipline.
| Class | Age Group |
|---|---|
| Dolphin | 6–7 years |
| Class 1 | 8–9 years |
| Class 2 | 10–11 years |
| Class 3 | 12–13 years |
| Class 4 | 14–15 years |
| Class 5 | 16–18 years |
Opening Ceremony
This is the XV Formula Future World Championship, the fifteenth edition of the event. It was formally opened at 9:00 with welcoming speeches from Matas Kvizikevičius, Head of the Lithuanian Motorboat Academy; Karolis Ramoška, President of the Lithuanian Motorboat Federation; UIM Commissioner Jerzy Wojewoda; and Protest Judge Martin Benne.
Practice
The opening day of every Formula Future World Championship is given over to training. Each country is allocated a specific slot for its team, sized according to how many pilots it has entered, with a maximum of two pilots per country in each class. Training is not scored, and its purpose is simply to let pilots learn the water before anything counts.
What Happens Next
Thursday brings manoeuvring and Friday the slalom, each a world championship in its own right across all six classes, feeding into Saturday’s finals, which decide the overall world champions. Eighteen titles will be awarded at the prizegiving during Saturday’s awards ceremony.
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.
