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Powerboat racing is a sport in which ocean-going powerboats races with each other. It came into existence as a sport in 1904, when a race started from the southeastern coast of England to Calais, France.

powerboat racing

A combination of private funding and some commercial sponsors sponsor this amazing adventure sport. In this sport, several powerboats take part in it from all around the world.

There are various formats of this modern era sport.

Offshore Powerboat Racing

Offshore powerboat racing is an extreme motorboat racing sport that involves the racing of powerboats on oceans. The sport originated in Great Britain in the early 20th century and is currently popular in the United States, Australia and Europe.

Offshore powerboats are divided into several classes based on engine capacity. The most powerful boats are classified as Class 1, which are about 12-14m long, 3.5m wide, with V12 engines, that can reach speeds of 160mph. Races are conducted on specially designed courses and involves completing a fixed number of laps. The number of laps for races will vary based on the class of the boats raced.

The three major competitions held for the sport are:

• UIM Class One World Powerboat Championship — A series of eight races for Class 1 boats, conducted in four different locations around the world. This series is the most popular racing event for the sport.
• P1 SuperStock Championship — A series of races conducted annually on the weekends, from May to October. Races are for boats of 250+ hp class that can reach speeds of 70mph.
• UIM Powerboat GPS World Championship — A series of races for evolution and super sport class boats.

Inshore Powerboat Racing

Another form of powerboat racing is inshore racing. In this version, the powerboats are raced in sheltered or inland stretches of water, including sheltered bays, lakes and rivers. It is often referred to as circuit powerboat racing because the races often use the format of a circuit loop, where the boats race around a circuit for a number of pre-determined laps.

Powerboating at the World Games

This sport made its debut at the 2025 Chengdu World Games with just one discipline - MotoSurf. Motorized surfing is bringing a whole new experience into the world of powerboating sport. Motorsurf racing is all about balancing on a surfboard at speeds up to 60km/h, focusing on the apex around each buoy, while navigating the waves and water spraying from the opponents.

To get ahead in this sport, you need to have agility, drive, and quick reactions. At the World Games, this sport has individual women's and men's classes, and a team event with teams of one male and one female athlete from each nation. Each race in each category lasts about 10 minutes on a slalom course with up to 12 laps. 

Here are the medalists who won gold at the 2025 Chengdu Powerboating event:

Similar Sports

• Jetsprint (Sprint Boat Racing) — a high-speed boat racing sport in which a team of two riders, race through a course by themselves in a time-trial format.
• Jet Ski Racing — a water sport similar to powerboat racing, in which riders use jet skis to compete.
• Drag Boat Racing — drag racing that is held on the water with boats.
• More motorsports

Related Pages

• Powerboat Racing was once an official sport at the Olympic Games.
• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports — a list of every sport from around the world.

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