ROAD TO MONACO: RWO LANDS HISTORIC UIM AGREEMENT

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By: Dana Potts | Marketing Director | May 6, 2026

Photo: OFFSHORE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, April 29, 2026

ROAD TO MONACO: RACE WORLD OFFSHORE LANDS HISTORIC UIM AGREEMENT TO PROMOTE UIM OFFSHORE CLASS 1, UIM OFFSHORE CLASS 2 AND APBA SUPER CAT

World champions of all three classes will be honored at the 2027 UIM Annual Awards Ceremony in Monaco

KEY WEST, Fla. — The road to Monaco officially begins in 2026. Race World Offshore, LLC (RWO) on Wednesday confirmed the execution of a multi-year licensing agreement with UIM Events S.A.R.L., the commercial arm of the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), assigning RWO the rights to conduct and operate the World Championship Series of the UIM Offshore Class 1, the UIM Offshore Class 2 and the APBA Super Cat across North America for the 2026 through 2031 seasons.

The series will be promoted as offshore racing comprising the UIM Offshore Class 1, UIM Offshore Class 2 and APBA Super Cat World Championships. Under the contract, Race World Offshore is the designated “Promoter” and exclusive commercial rights holder for the championship territory, defined as the United States and Canada.

The UIM, recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the world governing body of motorized water sports, is the international organization responsible for the administration, recognition and development of every form of powerboating. Headquartered in Monaco, the UIM owns the “UIM World Championship” and “UIM Continental Championship” titles and the rights connected to them — a level of international recognition no other governing body in the discipline holds. The American Power Boat Association (APBA) serves as the UIM’s national authority in the United States, and championship rules under the agreement align UIM and APBA rulebooks for technical compatibility and competitive integrity.

For the first time in years, three of North America’s premier offshore racing classes — the UIM Offshore Class 1, UIM Offshore Class 2 and APBA Super Cat — will compete on a single, fully sanctioned international stage, and the world champions crowned in each class will join the UIM’s global honor roll in Monaco.

“This is the moment our drivers, owners and crews have been waiting for,” said Larry Bleil, president of Race World Offshore. “The UIM Offshore Class 1, UIM Offshore Class 2 and APBA Super Cat are now world championships in the truest sense of the word, and the champion of each class will be recognized at the 2027 UIM Annual Awards Ceremony in Monaco — on the same stage as the best powerboat racers on the planet. That kind of recognition is what this sport deserves, and what our community has earned.”

"The UIM is proud to partner with Race World Offshore and to welcome Larry Bleil as the promoter of what is now a fully sanctioned international Championship Series," says Thomas Kurth, Secretary General, UIM. "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, and ensuring that the champions of each of these three Offshore classes shall be recognized at the UIM Annual Awards Ceremony in Monaco is what this level of Powerboat Racing deserves. We also wish to thank our American Member Federation APBA for their continued support in making this possible. We look forward to a strong season and to a defining Finale in Key West."

The 2026 RWO season runs five championship races across four host markets. The series opens in Atlantic City, N.J., before stops in Michigan City, Ind., and Clearwater Beach, Fla. It closes in Key West, Fla., where the Key West Offshore World Championships count as two events for the purpose of calculating the four-event minimum required by the UIM.

Operationally, RWO retains full responsibility for race organization, race control, course design, event logistics and safety coordination. The UIM retains responsibility for sporting integrity and championship recognition. The UIM logo will appear on the podium at every event and be integrated into broadcast graphics, official event materials and championship trophies.

Race World Offshore, LLC is a Key West, Fla.–based offshore powerboat racing promoter and the home of the Key West Offshore World Championships.

The Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), founded in 1922 and headquartered in Monaco, is the world governing body of motorized water sports, recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Media Contact:

Race World Offshore, LLC

admin@raceworldoffshore.com

PO Box 2246 • Key West, FL 33045