The 33rd edition of the UIM Yearbook, covering the 2025/26 season, was published on Thursday, May 21, 2026. It is available to read and download free of charge via the UIM website, and printed copies can be ordered directly from the UIM at [email protected].
The yearbook runs to 55 pages and covers every discipline in the UIM family: F1H2O, Formula 2, Formula 4, XCAT, E1, MotoSurf, Aquabike, Hydrofly, the Formula Series (F125, F250, F500), GT classes, Pleasure Navigation, Jet Sprint, River Marathon, P750, and Formula Future. The UIM Trophy Ceremony in Monaco and the 2025 world and continental champions tables are also included.
Read the UIM Yearbook 2025/26
The 33rd edition is free to download from the UIM website.
Download PDFUIM Trophy Ceremony, Monaco
The annual UIM Trophy Ceremony was held at the Fairmont Monte-Carlo, with more than 250 drivers, race organisers, sponsors and families attending. Over 70 world titles and special awards were presented during a near two-hour ceremony. Shaun Torrente collected his fourth UIM F1H2O world title on the night, and also received the UIM XCAT World Championship trophy on behalf of UAE’s Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali, who were unable to attend. Massimiliano Mordenti received industry recognition for setting a new environmentally-friendly Offshore Long Distance World Record, covering 160km from the Monaco Yacht Club to circumnavigate Gallinara Island and back in 3 hours 23 minutes 29 seconds on an aquabike powered entirely by bioethanol.
UIM Driver of the Year: Mathilda Wiberg
Sweden’s Mathilda Wiberg was named UIM Driver of the Year after becoming the first woman to win a Formula class powerboat racing world championship. Her F2 title was voted the defining achievement of the 2025 season by the international powerboat racing community. “I hope my success will encourage more girls to take part,” said Wiberg in the yearbook. “Just push, go for it and never give up.”
UIM Junior Driver of the Year: Paul Richard Laur
Estonian teenager Paul Richard Laur, 16, collected the UIM Junior Driver of the Year award after winning the UIM GT15 World Championship and the Nordic Championship in 2025, adding silver at the European Championship. He moves to GT30 for 2026, with longer-term ambitions fixed firmly on F1H2O.
F1H2O: Torrente’s Fourth Title
Shaun Torrente of the Victory Team secured his fourth UIM F1H2O World Championship title in Sharjah despite retiring with a broken engine after 14 laps of the season finale. The points he had accumulated through the season, including a dominant victory in Jeddah, were sufficient to hold off Jonas Andersson, who took runner-up spot in the standings for the third time in six seasons. Torrente’s fourth title equals the championship tallies of Scott Gillman and Alex Carella, placing him joint second on the all-time list behind Guido Cappellini.
Young Estonian Stefan Arand claimed his maiden Grand Prix victory in the final race, finishing fourth in the Drivers’ Championship in only his ninth start. Rusty Wyatt finished third overall, with Grant Trask sixth. Victory Team also took the Teams’ Championship, the first in the team’s history. Twenty-three drivers from 15 nations and ten teams scored points across a five-event season that visited Lake Toba, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Jeddah, and Sharjah.
F2: Wiberg Makes History
The 2025 UIM F2 World Championship ran across five events in Italy, Lithuania, and Portugal, with the third round at San Nazzaro abandoned after debris-laden floodwater on the River Po made racing impossible. Matthew Palfreyman won the opening round in Brindisi, Wiberg won the Klaipeda round, Monaco’s Giacomo Sacchi took victory in Peso da Regua, and Wiberg then secured the title and her place in history with victory at the Vila Velha de Ródão finale. Adam Wrenkler took bronze in the final standings.
F4: Slakteris Wins Closely-Fought Title
Latvia’s Nils Slakteris was crowned UIM F4 World Champion at the season finale on Lake Viverone in Italy, edging France’s Jean-Baptiste Thomas in a straight fight that went to the final race. Thomas had won the third round of the season – the first Grand Prix victory of his 25-year career – to draw level on points heading into the decider. Norway’s William Leithe-Martinsen, who won the European Championship in his first full international season, took the final race win but Slakteris crossed the line ahead of Thomas to take the world title. Wrenkler took championship bronze. UAE’s Alia Abdulsalam made her international F4 debut as the country’s first female F4 powerboat racer.
E1: Team Brady Retain the Title
Sam Coleman and Emma Kimiläinen retained the UIM E1 World Championship for Team Brady, their second consecutive title. The pair defeated second-placed Team Rafa by just 11 points in a four-way title fight that remained alive until the final round in Miami. Team Brady also won the inaugural E1 Blue Impact Championship, recognising the team’s contribution to protecting aquatic ecosystems. For 2026, the championship expands with two new teams – Team Monaco and Sierra Racing Club – and introduces an elimination-style qualifying format with six-boat races for the first time.
MotoSurf: World Games Debut in Chengdu
MotoSurf’s inclusion at The World Games 2025 in Chengdu marked the first time a motorised sport had featured in the event’s 44-year history. Competitions used 100 per cent green biofuel across all classes. The Czech Republic dominated, with Eliška Matoušková winning the Nations Cup (alongside Lukáš Záhorský) and claiming the Single Women title, while Záhorský won Single Men. In the season-long UIM MotoSurf World Championship, Matyáš Novotný secured his second consecutive Elite crown, and Antony Squire became the first MotoSurf world champion from the Americas in the Stock class.
Aquabike: Medori’s Third Runabout GP1 Title
The Runabout GP1 world title went down to the final Moto in Qatar. François Medori won the opening four Motos in Indonesia and Italy, but a retirement in Qatar and a maximum score from Jéremy Perez brought the title fight to the wire. Mechanical failures for both riders in the finale left it open, but a drive from last place by Medori in the final Moto secured him a third world title. Oliver Koch Hansen won Ski Division GP1 by 20 points from Jéremy Poret, while Roberto Mariani won Freestyle to claim his 11th European Championship in 12 years. In the World Endurance Championship at Lake Toba, 16-year-old Indonesian student Boanerges Ratag won the title on home water.
Other Championships
In the Formula Series, Marcin Zielinski (Poland) extended his run of dominance in F500 and also won the European title. Massimiliano Cremona (Italy) won the F250 World Championship for the fourth consecutive year. Young Estonian Joonas Lember won the F125 World Championship for the second time. In OSY400, Cezary Strumnik (Poland) secured his third world title and fourth consecutive European crown.
The Hydrofly World Championship in Torre dell’Orso, Puglia saw Kirill Frolov win the Pro Men title and Zlata Talantova win Pro Women. GT30 saw Estonian Kärol Soodla claim her first world title after three European championships. The UIM Jet Sprint World Championship returned to New Zealand after a seven-year break. The River Marathon World Championship was staged in Canada across the Peace, Smoky, Wapiti and Pine Rivers, with Gord Humphrey and navigator Jason Palfy winning the Unlimited Superboats title.
Download the UIM Yearbook 2025/26
All 55 pages, free, from the UIM website. Printed copies available on request from [email protected].
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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.
