Race World Offshore has been formally confirmed as the official UIM promoter for offshore racing in the United States, with a five-race schedule announced for 2026.
The confirmation came at a UIM meeting in Lisbon today, where Jean-Marie Van Lancker, chairman of the UIM International Offshore Commission (COMINOFF), spoke exclusively to Powerboat News.
Larry Bleil, founder and president of Race World Offshore, will promote the two classes across venues that have a long association with offshore racing. Van Lancker confirmed the relationship is now fully formalised. “He is now an official promoter,” Van Lancker told Powerboat News in Lisbon. “It’s confirmed.”
The 2026 Schedule
Race World Offshore’s first UIM-sanctioned event of 2026 is the Atlantic City Sports Grand Prix, set for June 26-28 in New Jersey. The series then moves to Michigan City, followed by Clearwater, Florida, before concluding with three races at the Key West World Championships in November.
2026 Race World Offshore Schedule
Atlantic City, New Jersey — June 26-28
Michigan City, Indiana — date TBC
Clearwater, Florida — date TBC
Key West World Championships — three races, November
Van Lancker indicated the fleet numbers will be strong. “He will have also minimum 60 boats,” he said. “Because they know him. And he has several classes outside the two classes that we have official world championship.”
A Relationship Built Over Time
Van Lancker was candid about the time it took to build the working relationship between UIM and APBA. The two bodies have not always found it straightforward to align on US offshore racing, and Van Lancker acknowledged that openly.
In the beginning, you don’t know each other. It’s not a mentality, but you have to respect it. It’s not our country, not our place where we are living. So it took some time, but now we are all in one line, very good, and we found all solutions on all the problems in the past.Jean-Marie Van Lancker, UIM COMINOFF chairman
The APBA-UIM relationship has been a central issue in US offshore racing over the past year, running alongside the emergence of IHRA as a rival sanctioning body. Van Lancker made clear that the UIM’s focus is on races, not politics.
For me, it’s very important. It’s the races. I don’t care who is doing it. We are there for the sport. For more races, for more. It is for everybody, for the public, for the teams, for the pilots. For me, it’s the most important. That is my duty and my goal in my life.Jean-Marie Van Lancker, UIM COMINOFF chairman
What This Means for US Offshore Racing
Race World Offshore has organised offshore racing at Key West for a few years now, keeping it as one of the sport’s premier events. The 2025 Key West World Championships attracted 96 boats across 14 classes, with IHRA contributing a $250,000 prize fund. Bleil’s confirmed status as official UIM offshore racing promoter gives RWO’s 2026 calendar full international standing.
With IHRA also running a separate offshore calendar, the US now has two active offshore race programmes running concurrently. Van Lancker’s position is consistent: more races across more venues benefits everyone in the sport, regardless of who is organising them.
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.
