Class 1 World Powerboat Championship

Class One USA
Category	Twin 1100hp engine Catamaran
Country	Worldwide
Inaugural season	Leading classes
Engine suppliers	Mercury Marine Racing division
Teams' champion	2019 Champion Team Victory Team Driver: Eisa Al Ali Throttle-man: Salem Al Adidi
Official website	P1Offshore.com

The UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship (also known as Class 1) is an international offshore powerboat racing category organized by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM). The series features catamarans competing in multi-event seasons sanctioned by the UIM.

The championship was established in 1964, following the development of modern offshore powerboat racing in the mid-20th century.^[1] It has operated under both single-event and multi-event formats, and now runs as a season-long points competition. Class 1 boats are composite catamarans powered by standardized high-output engines and crewed by a driver and throttle man. World Championship titles are awarded based on cumulative race results across each season.

History

The earliest recorded race was held in 1887 in Nice, France, and was organized by the Paris Sailing Club.

Two further races were recorded in 1903 in France: a 62-mile race in Meulan on the River Seine, organized by the Poissy Sailing Club, and a second race covering 230 miles from Paris to Trouville.^[2]

Offshore powerboat racing expanded following the Miami–Nassau race in 1956, which led to the introduction of the Sam Griffith Memorial Trophy, and in 1964, the establishment of a UIM-sanctioned offshore World Championship for Class 1 boats.^[3]^[4]^[5]

From 1964 to 1976, the championship used a multi-race points system. From 1977 to 1991, it was decided at a single end-of-season event consisting of multiple races. In 1992, the championship returned to a multi-event format.^[3]

As of the 2019 season, a Class One USA category was introduced within the APBA Offshore Championship Series, featuring catamarans powered by twin 9.0-litre Mercury Racing 1100 Competition V8 stern-drive engines as a spec power unit.^[6]^[7]^[8]

In the inaugural 2019 Class One USA season, the Dubai-based Victory Team (Victory 3, crewed by Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali) secured the overall title at the Roar Offshore Fort Myers event, winning the APBA Offshore Championship Series crown.^[9]^[10]

Class 1 Boats

Class 1 offshore race boats are catamarans measuring between 12 and 14 meters (39.4–45.9 ft) in length, with a beam of approximately 3.5 meters (11.5 ft). They are constructed from composite materials such as carbon fiber and Kevlar, which are commonly used in marine applications for their structural strength and weight characteristics.^[11]

Under current regulations, Class 1 catamarans must meet a minimum weight of 4,950 kg (4.95 metric tons).^[12] All competing boats use twin Mercury Racing 9.0-litre 1100 Competition V8 stern-drive engines as the mandatory spec power unit, producing a combined output of 2,200 horsepower.^[13] These engines allow Class 1 boats to exceed speeds of approximately 257 km/h (160 mph) under favorable conditions.^[12]

The cockpit incorporates reinforced crash structures designed to protect the crew during high-speed impacts, and includes safety features such as canopies, impact-resistant seating, and an escape hatch in the hull. Onboard instrumentation typically includes GPS navigation, trim indicators, and engine management displays, which the crew uses to monitor performance during competition.^[11]

Two crew members operate a Class 1 race boat: a driver and a throttle man. The driver is responsible for steering the boat and selecting the racing line, while the throttleman manages engine power, trim settings, and balance to optimize performance in varying sea conditions.

Both crew members wear specialized safety equipment, including impact-resistant helmets, flotation devices, and harness systems compliant with offshore racing regulations. Safety protocols require the crew to complete approved training and demonstrate familiarity with emergency procedures before competition.

The Championship

A Class 1 season consists of a series Grands Prix, made up of three official practice sessions, one official qualifying session (known as the pole position session), and two races. The results of each race are combined to determine the winner of the World Championship. The European Championship and the Middle East Championship are defined by specific events in those geographic regions. The results in official qualifying determine the winner of the Pole Position Championship.

Eight races at four venues make up the UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship, with races run over approximately 55 or 75 nautical miles (Nm) consisting of multiple laps of approximately 5 Nm (including one or two mandatory long laps).

The World Championship title is awarded based on a cumulative points system. Points are distributed for each race as follows:

1st Place: 20 points
2nd Place: 15 points
3rd Place: 12 points
4th Place: 9 points
5th Place: 7 points

A Grand Prix weekend takes place over three days, with registration, technical scrutineering, the first practice session and driver briefings held on day one.^[14]

On day two, a practice session is run in the morning, followed immediately by the pole position session (which also counts as a separate championship), and Race 1 in the afternoon.^[15]

The pole position session, like the practice sessions, is held on the Grand Prix course. It allows teams to assess circuit conditions and make technical adjustments to their boat setup. It acts as the qualifier for the line-up for Race 1, with the pole-sitter (fastest time) lining up closest to the official start boat. The session lasts for 45 minutes; teams must complete a minimum of one timed lap and are allowed to return to the wet pits to make setup adjustments, but are limited to a total of 10 minutes of crane time.^[16]

On day three, a final practice session in the morning is followed in the afternoon by Race 2. Each race is started by an official pace boat that runs at a controlled speed and leads the boats from the wet pits into a line-abreast formation under a yellow flag or amber flashing light. A green flag denotes the start of the race. The finishing order from the pole position session determines the line-up for Race 1, and the finishing order of Race 1 determining the start order for Race 2.^[17]

Each race consists of approximately 11–15 laps and is 55–75 Nm in length, including one or two mandatory long laps.^[18]

Winners

^[19]

Edition	Year	Driver	Hull	Motor
1	1964	Jim Wynne	Wynne	Daytona
2	1965	Richard Bertram	Bertram	Detroit Diesel
3	1966	Jim Wynne	Wynne	Daytona
4	1967	Don Aronow – Norris House	Magnum	Mercruiser
5	1968	Vincenzo Balestrieri – Don Pruett	Magnum	Mercruiser
6	1969	Don Aronow – Norris House	Cary	Mercruiser
7	1970	Vincenzo Balestrieri – Jack Stuteville	Cary	Mercruiser
8	1971	William Wishnick – Robert Moore	Cigarette	Mercruiser
9	1972	Bobby Rautbord – Robert Moore	Cigarette	Mercruiser
10	1973	Carlo Bonomi – Richie Powers	Cigarette	Aeromarine
11	1974	Carlo Bonomi – Richie Powers	Cigarette	Aeromarine
12	1975	Wallace Franz – Robert Moore	Bertram	Aeromarine
13	1976	Tom Gentry – Richie Powers	Cigarette	Aeromarine
14	1977	Betty Cook – John Connor	Scarab	Mercruiser
15	1978	Francesco Cosentino – Alberto Diridoni	Picchiotti	Mercruiser
16	1979	Betty Cook – John Connor	Cougar	Mercruiser
17	1980	Michael Meynard – Robert Idoni	Cougar	Mercruiser
18	1981	Jerry Jacoby – Keith Hazell	Cigarette	Hawk
19	1982	Renato Della Valle – Gianfranco Rossi	CUV	Mercruiser
20	1983	Tony Garcia – Keith Hazell	Cougar	Rahilly Grady
21	1984	Alberto Petri – Franco Statua	CUV	Mercruiser
22	1985	A.J. Roberts – Steve Curtis	Cougar	KS & W
23	1986	Antonio Gioffredi – Giovanni di Meglio	Buzzi	Aifo Iveco
24	1987	Steve Curtis – W. Falcon	Cougar	KS & W
25	1988	Fabio Buzzi – Romeo Ferraris	Buzzi	Seatek
26	1989	Stefano Casiraghi – Romeo Ferraris	Buzzi	Seatek
27	1990	not awarded
28	1991	Angelo Spelta – Maurizio Ambrogetti	CUV	Isotta Fraschini
29	1992	Walter Ragazzi – Jukka Mattila	Skater	Lightning
30	1993	Khalfan Harib – Ed Colyer	Victory	Sterling
31	1994	Norberto Ferretti – Luca Ferrari	Tencara	Lamborghini
32	1995	Saeed Al Tayer – Felix Serralles	Victory	Sterling
33	1996	Saeed Al Tayer – Felix Serralles	Victory	Sterling
34	1997	Laith Pharaon – John Tomlinson	Tencara	Lamborghini
35	1998	Bjørn Rune Gjelsten – Steve Curtis	Tencara	Lamborghini
36	1999	Ali Nasser – Randy Scism	Victory	Sterling
37	2000	Ali Nasser – Khalfan Harib	Victory	Steak
38	2001	Mohammed Al Marri – Saeed Al Tayer	Victory	Lamborghini
39	2002	Bjørn Rune Gjelsten – Steve Curtis	Tencara	Lamborghini
40	2003	Bjørn Rune Gjelsten – Steve Curtis	Victory	Lamborghini
41	2004	Bjørn Rune Gjelsten – Steve Curtis	Victory	Lamborghini
42	2005	Bård Eker – Steve Curtis	Victory	Lamborghini
43	2006	Bjørn Rune Gjelsten – Steve Curtis	Victory	Lamborghini
44	2007	Arif Saif Al Zafeen – Jean-Marc Sanchez	Victory	Lamborghini
45	2008	Mohammed Al Marri – Nadir Bin Hendi	Victory	Victory
46	2009	Arif Saif Al Zafeen – Nadir Bin Hendi	Victory	Victory
47	2010	Arif Saif Al Zafeen – Nadir Bin Hendi	Victory	Victory
48	2011	Arif Saif Al Zafeen – Nadir Bin Hendi	Victory	Victory
49	2012	Arif Saif Al Zafeen – M. Al Marri	Victory	Victory
50	2013	Arif Saif Al Zafeen – M. Al Marri	Victory	Victory
51	2014	Arif Saif Al Zafeen – N. Bin Hendi	Victory	Victory
52	2015	Gary Ballough – John Tomlinson	MTI	Mercury Racing
53	2016	Arif Saf Al-Zafeen – Nadir Bin Hendi	Victory Team	Victory V12
54	2017^[20]	Eisa Al Ali – Salem Al Aldidi	Victory Team
55	2018	Shaun Torrente – Faleh Al-Mansoori	Team Abu Dhabi 4
56	2019	Eisa Al Ali – Salem Al Aldidi	Victory	Mercury Racing
57	2021	Arif Saif Al-Zafeen – Nadir Bin Hendi	Dubai Police
58	2022	Travis Pastrana – Steve Curtis	Huski Racing
59	2023	Giovanni Carpitella – Darren Nicholson
60	2024	Tyler Miller – Myrick Coil