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This sport has been included in the Water Sports section, although strictly speaking it could have also been included in Motor Sports, since motors are fitted on all powerboats.
In Powerboat Racing, endurance races generally using private yachts take place on the ocean, but speed races like the UIM’s World Speed Championships are run on the open ocean or on closed circuits marked with buoys on areas of calmer water with commercial craft. In the World Speed championships, drivers accumulate points dependent on their positions in each of 8 to 10 Formula 1 Grand Prix races.
Equipment
Powerboats have anti-crash safety cells, which are protective cages (like Formula 1 automobiles), and safety cockpits (like fighter planes) in case of accidents.
Formula 1 out-based boats are powered by a 2 to 3 litre 350hp petrol engine with a top speed of over 220km per hr. They have propellers with 3 or 4 blades depending upon conditions. Self-inflating buoy balloons keep the safety cells afloat in case of collision.
Powerboats are often simple Catamaran type structures of aluminium or reinforced polymer.
Drivers of powerboats must wear a protective helmet, a life jacket and fireproof isothermal clothes. Emergency oxygen masks are also recommended.
History
Motors were first installed on boats in the middle of the 19th century, and in 1902 the sport became organised with the foundation of the Marine Motoring Association in Great Britain. During the next year, races took place on the River Seine in France and across the English Channel. However, these boats with straight bows and flat bottoms were not very hydrodynamic, and depended almost exclusively on motor power.
Major technical improvements were made following the Second World War and consequently Powerboating diversified. In 1980, the International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) was founded, and in the subsequent year the professional Formula 1 powerboat World Championship was launched. It has now grown significantly to around 40 member nations.
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