Race World Offshore has formally executed a multi-year licensing agreement with the UIM, putting the UIM Offshore Class 1, UIM Offshore Class 2 and APBA Super Cat World Championships on its calendar through 2031, with the 2026 champions to be honoured in Monaco.
Race World Offshore (RWO) confirmed on 29 April the execution of a multi-year licensing agreement with UIM Events S.A.R.L., the commercial arm of the Union Internationale Motonautique, assigning RWO the rights to run the UIM Offshore Class 1, UIM Offshore Class 2 and APBA Super Cat World Championships across the United States and Canada through the 2031 season. RWO is named the designated promoter and exclusive commercial rights holder for that territory.
"This is the moment our drivers, owners and crews have been waiting for," said Larry Bleil, RWO president. "The UIM Offshore Class 1, UIM Offshore Class 2 and APBA Super Cat are now world championships in the truest sense of the word."
Champions in all three classes will be honoured at the 2027 UIM Annual Awards Ceremony in Monaco, the same ceremony that has recognised Class 1 world champions for decades.
How the season is structured
The 2026 season runs five championship races across four markets, Atlantic City, Michigan City, Clearwater and Key West, with Key West's Offshore World Championships counting as two events toward the UIM's four event minimum.
Under the agreement, RWO keeps control of race organisation, race control, course design, logistics and safety. UIM retains responsibility for sporting integrity and championship recognition, and its branding will appear on podiums, in broadcast graphics and on trophies across the season. Championship rules also align UIM and APBA rulebooks, with APBA continuing as UIM's recognised national authority in the US.
"Bringing the UIM Offshore Class 1, the UIM Offshore Class 2 and the APBA Super Cat together on a single World Championship stage is a significant step for the Powerboating Sport in North America and on global scale," said Thomas Kurth, UIM Secretary General.
What it means for competitors
The six season term gives competitors a defined World Championship structure through 2031. For the first time in years, Class 1, Class 2 and Super Cat will compete together on a single UIM sanctioned international stage, with each class producing a recognised world champion.
