The international personal watercraft racing season is beginning to take shape as the UIM-ABP Aquabike Circuit Pro World Championship released its 2026 calendar while also honoring last season’s champions at the annual UIM Trophy Ceremony in Monaco.
Held in the motorsport capital of Monaco, the ceremony brought together more than twenty Aquabike athletes representing the sport’s major disciplines, including Circuit Pro racing, Freestyle, Parallel Slalom, Offshore and Endurance competition.
Among the biggest stories of the evening was the dominance of Francois Medori, who collected trophies for both Pro Circuit Runabout GP1 and Offshore Runabout GP1 after a remarkable season competing around the globe.
“The season was amazing for us,” Medori said during the ceremony. “The places where we raced were amazing; we loved racing in Italy this year, Qatar and Olbia, and Vichy also. We did our maximum and we won all the races we participated in.”
Other world champions honored during the evening included Oliver Koch Hansen (Ski Division GP1), Estelle Poret (Ski Ladies GP1), and Roberto Mariani (Freestyle), along with champions across the sport’s various classes and junior divisions.
One rising name recognized during the ceremony was young Finnish rider Jose Vanio, the reigning Runabout GP4 Junior World Champion, highlighting the next generation working its way through the Aquabike ranks.
2026 Aquabike World Championship Calendar Announced
Just days before the Monaco awards ceremony, Aquabike Promotion released the official schedule for the 2026 UIM-ABP Aquabike Circuit Pro World Championship, outlining a three-race calendar stretching across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Originally planned to open in the Middle East this spring, organizers opted to postpone that event due to current geopolitical circumstances. Instead, the championship will begin in Shanghai, China this October, marking Aquabike’s return to the Chinese megacity after more than a decade.
From there, the championship moves to one of the sport’s most familiar venues — Olbia, Italy — before heading to Doha, Qatar in November. The Middle East round, which will also host the Endurance World Championship, has been moved to early December with the exact venue still to be confirmed.
The Offshore World Championship will again be decided in a single European round, with that venue expected to be announced soon.
2026 UIM-ABP Aquabike Circuit Pro World Championship
Shanghai, China — October 1–2
Olbia, Italy — October 16–18
Doha, Qatar — November 19–21
Middle East (TBA) — December 1–5
2026 Aquabike Endurance World Championship
Middle East (TBA) — December 1–5
2026 Aquabike Offshore World Championship
Europe (TBA)
With champions crowned and a new calendar set, the international Aquabike scene now turns its attention toward the upcoming season — one that will once again send the world’s top riders racing across multiple continents.
See the full press releases from Aquabike Promotion below:
UIM AWARDING CEREMONY IN MONACO
Saturday, March 7: The top of the Aquabike crop gathered in Monaco for the annual UIM Trophy Ceremony, in which the 2025 Aquabike Champions were given their dues and awarded their trophies.
Over twenty riders were present at the ceremony, with some riders unfortunately unable to attend owing to geopolitical instability disrupting flight travel. The riders present represented the full breadth of Aquabike categories, including major and minor Circuit Pro categories, Freestyle, Parallel Slalom, as well as Offshore and Endurance.
The awarding ceremony therefore played host to seasoned legends of the sport, such as Francois Medori, who picked up trophies for his triumphs in both Pro Circuit Runabout GP1 and Offshore Runabout GP1, as well as to young stars coming up the talent pipeline, like Jose Vanio, the young Finn who is current World Champion in Runabout GP4 Junior.
After such a dominant season, Medori was the star of the evening, reflecting that “the season was amazing for us”. The Frenchman competed – and won – in categories that saw him race across the world, on which he reflected: “The places where we raced were amazing; we loved racing in Italy this year, Qatar and Olbia, and Vichy also. We did our maximum and we won all the races we participated in”.
Oliver Koch Hansen, Estelle Poret, and Roberto Mariani, in their respective categories Ski Division GP1, Ski Ladies GP1, and Freestyle, are the World Champions who were awarded during the gala.
Alongside the reigning champions, those who topped the podium rankings for the Runabout GP1, Ski GP1, Ski Ladies GP1, and Freestyle were celebrated in Monaco.
The calendar for the 2026 UIM-ABP Aquabike Circuit Pro World Championship season has been published, promising races that will take the sport along the length of the Eurasian continent.
The opening race of the season was set to take place in the Middle East this April. However, due to current global geopolitical circumstances, H2O Racing has opted to move the Middle Eastern Aquabike race – which will include the single-event Endurance World Championship – to 1st-5th of December. The exact race venue and dates will be confirmed in due course.
The opening race of the 2026 Championship will therefore take place in Shanghai, China on October 1st-2nd. This marks the much anticipated return of Aquabike to the Chinese megacity following a decade’s hiatus, and the first race in a constantly developing China since racing took place in Qingdao in 2019.
The Championship will then return to the familiar and much loved racing outpost of Olbia, Italy on October 16th-18th. As in recent years, the coastal Sardinian city will be the location for a range of single-event minor Aquabike categories alongside the full slate of World Championship races.
Following the successful return of the Aquabike World Championship to Qatar last year, the 2026 season will see more Aquabike action in Doha on November 19th-21st.
As with last season, 2026 will see a single-round UIM-ABP Aquabike Offshore World Championship which will take place in Europe. The race will take place at the end of September, with the venue set to be announced shortly.
2026 AQUABIKE CIRCUIT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Shanghai, China – 1-2 October
Olbia, Italy – 16-18 October
Doha, Qatar – 19-21 November
Middle East TBA – 1-5 December
2026 AQUABIKE ENDURANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Middle East TBA – 1-5 December
2026 AQUABIKE OFFSHORE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Europe TBA
