Return to Shanghai After 20 Years: UIM F1H2O World Championship

On October 6th, the 2024 UIM F1H2O World Championship Grand Prix of Shanghai, China, came to an end. Rusty Wyatt from the Sharjah Team won the championship, while Eric Stark from the Victory Team and Jonas Andersson from the Vietnam Team secured the second and third places, respectively.

Twenty years ago, the UIM F1H2O World Championship was held on the Huangpu River. Now, after two decades, the event has returned to Shanghai, choosing the Baoshan Wusongkou International Cruise Port—the largest cruise port in Asia—as the venue. Nine top-tier teams and 19 elite drivers from 13 countries competed here, driving boats with a top speed of 266 kilometers per hour, challenging the limits of speed.

Wet and murky conditions and gusting winds were prevalent at the start of the UIM F1H2O World Championship. Race officials switched to a rolling start rather than a blast from the pontoon on safety grounds. This allowed Rusty Wyatt, who was in the pole position, to maintain his leading advantage until the end. The most intense competition occurred between Eric Stark and Jonas Andersson. Stark, who started in the third position, capitalized on Anderson’s mistake on the eighth lap to overtake him and finished the race in second place.

The race was red-flagged on lap 11 when a turn buoy became detached. Race officials had decided that the conditions were not ideal for racing safely and drivers were instructed to return to the pontoon. Confirmation came through that racing had officially stopped with half points awarded to the drivers because only 11 laps of the race had been completed.

The China CTIC Team is a three-time consecutive world champion from the 2014-2016 seasons. This time, Peter Morin, was hoping to stand on the podium in Shanghai. However, he encountered engine trouble during the qualifying race, which put him at a disadvantage at the start of the grand prix. Despite this, Morin managed to overtake his opponents throughout the race and finished in sixth place. Currently, he ranks fourth in the individual overall standings, still holding out hope for a chance to break into the top three.

The UIM F1H2O World Championship is an international top-tier sports events initiated and hosted by the Union Internationale Motonautique in 1981. It is the highest-level, most spectacular, and influential cityscape powerboat event in the world.

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