The Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) is the world governing body for powerboating, recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the sole competent international authority for the sport. Founded in 1922, it governs every major powerboat racing world championship on the planet.

What Does the UIM Do?

The UIM sets the rules and technical regulations for all forms of competitive powerboating worldwide. It sanctions world championships, approves race circuits and offshore courses, certifies officials and safety standards, and manages the international calendar across all disciplines. National federations, such as the British Power Boat Racing Club or the American Power Boat Association, affiliate to the UIM and operate under its framework within their own countries.

The UIM is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the sole competent authority for powerboating and aquabike/jet ski. It is also a full member of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF). UIM President Dr. Raffaele Chiulli has served concurrently as ARISF President.

World Championships Governed by the UIM

Circuit Racing

The UIM’s circuit racing programme covers inshore closed-circuit racing across multiple classes, from the premier F1H2O championship down through a full development ladder.

UIM F1H2O World Championship

The premier single-seater inshore circuit series. Closed-cockpit tunnel hulls, 400hp Mercury Racing engines, speeds above 220 km/h. The pinnacle of circuit powerboat racing.

UIM F2 World Championship

The second tier of UIM circuit racing, producing the majority of F1H2O world champions. Raced across Europe and beyond, with a 2026 calendar covering six rounds.

UIM F4 World Championship

The entry-level UIM circuit world championship. Affordable, competitive and the traditional first step on the ladder toward F2 and F1H2O.

UIM Hydro GP World Championship

Stock outboard hydroplane racing at world championship level. A growing series raced primarily across central Europe, with rounds in Poland, the Czech Republic, France and Italy.

The UIM also governs F500, F350, F250, OSY400, GT-15, GT-30, FR1000 and Formula Future at world championship and international level.

Offshore Racing

The UIM Offshore World Championship Series covers multiple classes of open-water racing, from the elite Class 1 catamarans to production-based classes raced across Europe and North America.

UKOPRA Offshore Championship

The UK’s premier offshore series, raced across the open coastal waters of the British Isles. A UIM-affiliated championship with rounds from the South Coast to Scotland.

IHRA Offshore Powerboat Series

North America’s premier offshore series, raced across the United States with UIM world championship status in key classes. Six rounds in 2026 from Florida to Wisconsin.

The UIM Offshore World Championship Series also covers XCAT, Class 2, Class 3 (multiple sub-classes), V1, V2, Powerboat P1 SuperStock, and Sport categories. In 2026 the UIM announced a new partnership with Race World Offshore for North American promotion of Class 1 and Class 2 titles.

Aquabike and Jet Ski

The UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship is one of the organisation’s largest and most commercially developed series, promoted under a long-term partnership with H2O Racing renewed for ten years. It covers Ski, Runabout and Freestyle disciplines across a global calendar.

Pleasure Navigation and Endurance

The UIM governs world and European championships in pleasure navigation, long-distance passage racing, across multiple classes. The Raid Pavia-Venezia, run annually along the Po and through the Venetian lagoon, is the world’s longest-running motorboat race and operates under UIM sanction.

MotoSurf

The UIM MotoSurf World Cup, launched in 2021, covers Electric Challenge, Juniors, Open, Rookies, Stock and Women classes. It is among the fastest-growing disciplines in the UIM portfolio.

History of the UIM

The UIM was founded in Belgium in 1922 as the Union Internationale du Yachting Automobile. Its founding membership of 12 nations reflected the sport’s early concentration in western Europe. By 2017 membership had grown to around 60 affiliated nations across five continents.

The post-war decades saw the formalisation of international technical regulations and the establishment of the main circuit and offshore class structures still in use today. The expansion of offshore racing through the 1970s and 1980s, the development of the F1H2O series in its current form, and the growth of aquabike through the 1990s and 2000s progressively broadened the UIM’s scope.

Dr. Raffaele Chiulli of Italy has served as UIM President since 2007. He was re-elected unopposed for a fifth term in October 2025, extending his presidency through at least 2029. Under his tenure the UIM has pursued modernisation, environmental initiatives, and the addition of new disciplines including MotoSurf and the sanctioning of electric racing through the E1 series.

The UIM celebrated its centenary in 2022.

UIM Headquarters

The UIM is headquartered at the Stade Louis II in the Principality of Monaco. Monaco’s status as the historic home of motorsport and marine sport made it a natural base for the federation, which has been located there for decades.

Coverage on Powerboat News

Powerboat News covers all major UIM world championship series. Follow the links below for full 2026 season guides, results and standings.