Over the weekend of August 14-15, the RYA hosted the UIM World and Continental Formula Future Championships at Carr Mill (Liverpool). This event saw some seventy children from eight different nations engaged in two days of competitive boat handling and manoeuvring exercises for the UIM Formula Future Championships.
Ages range from 8 to 18 years and all of the young competitors consistently demonstrated considerable skill and ability both on and off the water which was a credit to their team managers and their respective Nations.
The championships opened with the teams parading into the grounds of the Lancashire Powerboat Racing Club with national flags flying and anthems playing. The UIM President Dr. Raffaele Chiulli gave a short address and welcomed the competitors to the venue, the children then recited the Formula Future Olympic oath and the championships were declared officially open.
A team of RYA officials co-ordinated the activities and ensured fair competition. Action on the water was non stop all weekend with teams cheering on their respective competitors throughout, this reaching a crescendo as the Formula Future World Semi Finals and Finals played out. The overall team winners were Germany who consistently achieved great results, with Czech Republic coming in second followed by Malaysia in third place. The host nation UK took Gold in Class four with Jordan Muckles from Sunderland, who after an exceptional performance in both the manoeuvring and the slalom was crowned Class 4 World Champion in both events as well as winning Formula Future World Individual in his class.
As part of the UIM Youth Development Programme which has been designed to encourage more children into the UIM Junior racing classes, the RYA provided a full programme of training activities throughout the weekend. These activities were very well supported with more than 100 training sessions being provided. The RYA provided a range of junior training boats which included the very popular GT15 and GT30 classes. The popularity and success of this new initiative was clearly evident in the ever present smiling faces of the children especially as they got into and out of the Junior Race training boats.
The RYA representatives were delighted and honoured to host this extremely important competition and firmly believe that the future of the sport of powerboat racing lies with Formula Future and the combined training activities of the new UIM Youth Development Programme.
The UIM President thanked the RYA for having organized this event and expressed his gratitude to John Puddifoot for his much appreciated support to both UIM Formula Future and junior racing programs and to Powerboat P1 for assisting in the sponsorship and making these unique training opportunities possible.
The UIM President Dr. Raffaele Chiulli stated “Today, we all should feel proud to have succeeded to gather for this event 75 teens, from 8 to 18 years old, and in total more than 250 people who travelled from all over the world to come here to this prestigious powerboat racing club. Junior racing and training must be seen as a core activity of the UIM and fundamental to its very existence. The UIM is indeed committed to encourage new junior racers into the sport of power boating and to emphasize the fun, enjoyment, competition and teamwork involved. Today we have also an opportunity to outline the importance of safety, education and responsibility. Creating a pathway of progression for the UIM Junior Racing classes is one of the key objectives of the UIM. The existing UIM Formula Future program already provides an ideal platform from which the basic water awareness skills can be developed and we are working hard to establish a framework by which we can promote and encourage new participants into the sport of powerboat racing through a structured program of youth training and junior racing. Junior promotion, junior training and junior involvement are crucial to the ongoing success of the sport and the UIM, being part of the International Olympic Committee family, must ensure practices and activities conform with the Olympic Charter. Let’s promote our juniors and secure a bright future for our sport and for our teens. You are our future and we hope you will stay in the UIM Family for many years to come.”
