Class 1 World Powerboat Championship
| Category | Catamaran-Twin engined |
|---|---|
| Country | Worldwide |
| Inaugural season | 1964 |
| Drivers | 22 (two per boat/driver-throttleman) |
| Teams | 9 |
| Constructors | DAC, Maritimo, MTI, Outerlimits, Victory |
| Engine suppliers | Mercury, Outerlimits, SCAM, SKEMA, Victory |
| Drivers' champion |
 Gary Ballough John Tomlinson |
| Teams' champion |
 Team Abu Dhabi |
| Official website | www |
The UIM Class 1 World Powerboat Championship (also known as Class 1) is an international motorboat racing competition for powerboats organised by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM). It is the highest class of offshore powerboat racing in the world.
Class 1 is considered one of the most spectacular motorsports in the world. A Class 1 raceboat is twin-engined and can reach speeds in excess of 257 km/h (160 mph), with V12 engines limited in performance to 850 hp at 7600 rpm and V8 engines limited in performance to 850 hp at 6100 rpm. All boats are limited by a minimum weight of 4950 kg.
The sport of powerboat racing has undergone unprecedented change since early records of a race in 1887 in Nice, France, organized by the Paris Sailing Club. The French also claimed the next two recorded races in 1903, a 62-mile race in Meulan on the River Seine organized by the Poissy Sailing Club and a 230-mile race from Paris to Trouville. But the first officially recognized international offshore powerboat race was a 22-mile event from Calais, France to Dover, England.
But the modern-era of offshore powerboat racing was kick-started on 6 May 1956 with the first running of the famous Miami-Nassau race, which would ultimately lead to the introduction of the Sam Griffith Memorial Trophy and a UIM sanctioned World Championship in 1964. From 1964 to 1976 the winner of the World Championship was decided by points gained from multiple races held at venues around the world. From 1977 to 1991 the winner was decided by series of races at a single event at the end of the year. The World Championship reverted to a multi-event format in 1992.
The fabled Miami-Nassau races were hailed as the ‘the world’s most rugged ocean races’ and brought powerboat racing to the attention of the general public and signaled the beginning of modern offshore racing. These races also provided the sport with its first hero – Sam L. Griffith.
The first Miami-Nassau race, run on 6 May 1956 was the brainchild of American race car promoter Capt. Sherman ‘Red’ Crise and yacht designer, "Dick" Richard Bertram. Of the eleven intrepid pioneers who entered this now famous 184-mile race, eight went the distance to complete the race. The first boat home after nine hours 20 minutes, at an average speed of 19.7 mph, was the Griffith-Bertram entry, Doodles II, a 34 ft wooden Chris Craft with two 215 hp Cadillac Crusader engines.
...
Wikipedia