More than 200 competitors, officials and race promoters gathered at the Fairmont Monte Carlo on March 7 for the Union Internationale Motonautique’s annual awards ceremony, with over 70 drivers recognised for their achievements across the 2025 racing season.
Disciplines honoured on the night spanned offshore powerboat racing, circuit racing, pleasure navigation, XCAT, MotoSurf, Aquabike and the all-electric E1 series.
“In the high-speed world of powerboat racing, champions aren’t made in a single race – they are forged through years of discipline, resilience, and courage. As the world governing body, the UIM considers our annual awards to be the perfect opportunity to recognise the commitment and passion that drive our sport and reflect on a season where we have focused on sustainability and fair play, as well as inclusivity, equality and the development of young talent.” – UIM President Dr Raffaele Chiulli
Wiberg named Driver of the Year
Sweden’s Mathilda Wiberg collected both the UIM F2 World Championship crown and the UIM Driver of the Year award on the night – the latter presented by Chiulli on the eve of International Women’s Day. The Åkersberga-born racer, 22, became the first woman to win the UIM F2 World Championship in 2025, having competed in powerboat racing since 2016 across offshore and circuit disciplines.
“This is such an incredible honour. To win the F2 World Championship was a dream come true but to receive the UIM Driver of the Year award with my family beside me is extra special. I want to ask to all the young girls in our sport to keep on believing – anything is possible. For me, it is to go on from here and one day try to win the F1 world title.” – Mathilda Wiberg
“Becoming the first woman world champion in UIM F2 is more than a personal achievement, it is a statement. In a sport traditionally dominated by men, standing at the top of the podium as formula’s first female world champion carries profound responsibility. It also sends a powerful message to every young girl watching powerboat racing from afar – it says ‘you belong here, there are no limits’.” – UIM President Dr Raffaele Chiulli
Junior honours for Estonian teenager Laur
The UIM Junior Driver of the Year award went to Estonian teenager Paul Richard Laur, 16, whose 2025 season included winning the UIM GT-15 Junior World Championship and the Nordic Championship, as well as finishing runner-up in the UIM GT-15 European Championship.
“To get to this point takes a lot of hard work and dedication. I’ve sacrificed a lot of my social life to be the best I can be in this sport so to win the UIM Junior Driver of the Year makes it all worthwhile.” – Paul Richard Laur
Like Wiberg, Laur’s stated ambition is to ultimately challenge for the UIM F1H2O World Championship.
Torrente collects fourth F1H2O crown
American pilot Shaun Torrente was on the night to collect his fourth UIM F1H2O world title, having sealed the championship at the season finale in Sharjah. Torrente also stepped forward to receive the UIM XCAT World Championship trophy on behalf of the UAE’s Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali, who were unable to attend, joined by XCAT World Championship Sports Director Sebastiano Pellecchia.
Coleman and Kimiläinen honoured for back-to-back E1 titles
Finland’s Emma Kimiläinen and British driver Sam Coleman were recognised for securing back-to-back E1 World Championship titles for Team Brady. The pair clinched the 2025 crown at the series’ debut Miami Grand Prix in November, with the title going to the final lap of the final race.
Mullans make jetsprint history
Among the more unusual stories of the evening were Phonsy and Bastian Mullan, an Australian father-and-son pair who both claimed world titles at the UIM World Jetsprint Championship in Whanganui, New Zealand. Phonsy took the UIM Unlimited Superboat World Championship for the second time, while his son Bastian became the inaugural world champion in the new LS Class. It was the first occasion in the discipline’s history that a father and son had been crowned world champions at the same event.
Phonsy’s season also produced a jetsprint Triple Crown – the UIM Unlimited Superboat world title alongside the Australian Jetsprint Championship and the New Zealand Unlimited Superboat title, the first time that feat had been achieved in the Unlimited Premier Class.
World record for Monaco rider Mordenti
Industry recognition also went to Monaco rider Massimiliano Mordenti, who in September 2025 set a new environmentally-friendly Offshore Long Distance World Record. Running 160km from Monaco Yacht Club to circumnavigate Gallinara Island and back in 3 hours, 23 minutes and 29 seconds, Mordenti completed the run on an aquabike powered entirely by bioethanol.
Veteran sports journalist and Dubai Marathon organiser Alan Ewens compared the evening in his distinctive Scottish brogue, and kindly supplied several of the images used in this report.
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.
