Racing

Formats and disciplines

What each kind of event is and how it is run, discipline by discipline. The three rulebooks name the same handful of disciplines and run them differently: a slalom is two runs against the clock in all three, and the heat size, the judging panel and the length of a freestyle routine each come out of a different sentence in a different document.

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What each body calls an event

IJSBA 2025, Competition Membership, event types, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-07. UIM 2026, 312, 313, 317, 900, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-08. IHRA 2026, C.1 and DD, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-11.

The same document defines the event types a Competition Membership entitles the holder to enter. Recorded because it is the only held IJSBA source that defines them, and every one of them states that competing watercraft must meet IJSBA class specifications.

Closed course

IJSBA: how many on a heat

The maximum number of watercraft per closed-course heat, by tier and division (GEN.1.3). Where a course uses a dual first turn, the row's restatement gives the figure for it.

Junior heats: 12 watercraft in the Ski division, 12 in Sport and 8 in Runabout. Where a dual first-turn course design is used the figures rise to 14, 14 and 12. The document says the maximum should not exceed these, which reads as a ceiling rather than a target. Beginner heats: 12 watercraft in Ski, 12 in Sport and 10 in Runabout. With a dual first-turn course design the figures are 14, 14 and 14. Novice heats: 14 watercraft in Ski, 12 in Sport and 12 in Runabout. With a dual first-turn course design the figures are 16, 16 and 16. Expert heats: 16 watercraft in Ski, 14 in Sport and 14 in Runabout. With a dual first-turn course design the figures are 18, 18 and 18. Pro heats: 18 watercraft in Ski, 16 in Sport and 16 in Runabout. With a dual first-turn course design the figures are 20, 20 and 20.

For high performance Runabout classes the IJSBA recommends, but does not require, four fewer craft than the table allows, taken as two from each side of a split start. Heat and qualifying positions are drawn; the number drawn is the position counted from the pole, which is always the spot closest to the first turn buoy. Main-event positions come from heat or qualifying finishes. At the Race Director's discretion riders may instead choose their main-event position in qualifying order.

IJSBA 2025, General Race Regulations, GEN.1.3 and GEN.1.4, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-07. Every start rule is on the race-weekend page.

UIM: duration and grid, class by class

The UIM states duration, grid size and entry fee per sporting class in its categories tables rather than in one general rule; the rows below are the classes whose record carries any of them. The eight technical classes carry none of these on their record.

IHRA

A buoy-marked track, typically half a mile to a mile, with left and right turns and a gated start of up to 25 competitors accelerating together toward the first buoy. (C.1.1, read fresh on 2026-09-26.) Heat sizes by tier and grid draws sit in sections E and G; the start procedure from section G is set out on the race weekend page.

• L: the course makes a left-hand turn round this buoy (IJSBA GEN.4.4, UIM 303.01, IHRA G.5).
• R: a right-hand turn round it, under the same three rules. Passing a marker buoy on the wrong side counts as missing it (UIM 303.02).
• P: the penalty buoy. A rider who misses a turn buoy takes this detour instead of going back for it, within limits each rulebook sets (IJSBA GEN.4.2, UIM 303.02, IHRA G.5).
• F: the finish buoys, here at the two ends of the start and finish line.
• Not drawn: merge-lane buoys, which belong to an option course (IJSBA GEN.4.2) or a split-type course (IHRA G.5), not to a single loop like this one. Crossing the line they make costs a lap under IJSBA GEN.4.3.
• Dots: craft on their start spots. Spot 1, the pole, is the one nearest the first turn buoy (IJSBA GEN.1.4).

The colours, rulebook by rulebook

• IJSBA (GEN.4.2, GEN.4.4, GEN.4.5): L red, R yellow, P usually black. Two F buoys, checkerboard or the word Finish round the middle. Blue and other colours have special jobs, given at the riders meeting.
• UIM (303.01): L red, R white or yellow, F chequered. P, and the yellow, blue or green buoys of an alternate course, as the briefing sets out.
• IHRA (G.5): L red, R yellow, P any colour the Race Director picks, as long as it stands out. F: the checkered buoy, on the start and finish line. White, blue and green buoys are explained at the riders meeting, and colours may vary by event.

Slalom

IJSBA: general slalom regulations

• GEN.5.1. When applicable, Women-, Veterans- and Masters-class riders entering more than one slalom class per division must make their respective Women, Veterans- or Masters-class runs first. A Women, Veterans or Masters rider entered in more than one slalom class in a division runs the Women, Veterans or Masters class before the other.
• GEN.5.2. Each rider will be allowed two runs with a maximum of one minute between each run. The same watercraft must be used in all slalom runs per class. Two runs per rider with no more than a minute between them, on the same craft for every run in that class.
• GEN.5.3. Riders attempting to trip electronic timing systems with their hands or by any means other than the watercraft itself will be disqualified. Only the craft may trip the electronic timing. Trying to trip it by hand or any other means is a disqualification.
• GEN.5.4. A rider failing to properly negotiate a course buoy in slalom will be penalized 10 seconds for each buoy missed, unless he/she goes back to pick up the buoy in the proper direction. Each missed slalom buoy adds ten seconds unless the rider goes back and takes it in the proper direction. This differs from closed course, where the correction is the penalty buoy and going back is recommended against (GEN.4.2).
• GEN.5.5. Finishing-position tie breaker for slalom events is a rider’s second fastest run (i.e., assuming two or more riders have identical best runs), the rider with the best next-fastest run will receive the higher ranking. Identical best runs are separated by the second run: the rider whose other run is faster ranks higher.

IJSBA 2025, General Race Regulations, GEN.5, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-07, read fresh on 2026-09-26.

UIM: parallel slalom

Qualification is one test run plus 2 timed attempts where the schedule allows. Top 4 qualifiers go to the finals; 5th and below take standard UIM points. Finals are direct elimination over two rounds, one on each circuit, pairing 1st vs 3rd and 2nd vs 4th. A tie after two rounds is decided by a third round, with the fastest qualifier choosing the track and the starting position decided by coin flip. Championship status: World and Continental Championship.

UIM 2026, 313, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-08.

IHRA

Slalom is a timed competition where racers navigate a zig-zag course of five buoys. Riders run individually against the clock with two attempts; a missed buoy costs ten seconds unless the rider circles back to correct it. (C.1.4)

All three agree on two runs and, where they state a penalty, on ten seconds per missed buoy unless the rider goes back for it. IHRA fixes the course at five buoys; the IJSBA general rules do not state a buoy count.

• 1 to 5: the buoys, in the order the course takes them. IHRA sets the number at five (C.1.4). The IJSBA texts read here name no number; its membership document speaks only of stationary markers (MEM.13.1).
• Dashed line: the course swinging round each buoy, a right-hand turn and a left-hand turn in turn (IJSBA MEM.13.1). It shows the shape of the course, not a line to ride, and no text read here says which way the first turn goes.
• 2 timed runs: each rider rides the course alone against the clock, twice (IJSBA GEN.5.2, IHRA C.1.4).
• Missed buoy: 10 seconds added for each one, unless the rider turns back and takes it the proper way (IJSBA GEN.5.4, IHRA C.1.4).
• Not drawn: where the timing starts and stops, how far apart the buoys are, and any leg back to the start. None of the rulebooks read here describes them.

Endurance, offshore and jet raid

UIM

Endurance (317.03): Circuit racing over multiple laps and motos; circuit 3 km minimum to 20 km maximum; 2 to 5 motos over a minimum of 2 days; each moto 30 minutes minimum to 180 minutes maximum; departure, arrival and refuelling all at one location. The Ski division races half the time and half the track.

Offshore (317.02): sea racing, several motos on different paths; minimum 110 km per moto; departure, refuelling and finish may be at the same or different locations

Jet Raid (317.01): several motos on different paths; minimum 110 km per moto; total race distance between 250 and 1500 km; departure, refuelling and finish at DIFFERENT locations for each moto

IHRA

Long-distance races, point to point or on large multi-lap courses, for solo riders or teams with one rider aboard at a time. (C.1.2) The Runabout Endurance class is section W; a whistle and full-body waterproof clothing are required in endurance and only recommended on the closed course, as the equipment page sets out.

IJSBA

IJSBA defines endurance as an event type only, as the first table shows, and its membership document sends endurance competition to the P1 Aqua X rules rather than writing its own. Where those rules are and who publishes them is on the bodies page.

Freestyle

IJSBA: how it is judged

judges: 3 to 7; scale: 1 to 10, 10 best; standard run length minutes: 2; under one minute: scores zero / receives no points; full routine minimum score: 6; criterion: a higher-difficulty routine with minimal mistakes outscores a lower-difficulty routine with fewer or no mistakes; tiebreak: first-place ties settled by a 1-minute playoff; other ties by re-adding discarded high/low scores, then highest single score, then next-highest, then a playoff; trick categories: not enumerated in the document

IJSBA 2025, FREST, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-07. Helmets are not required during freestyle competition, and back protection is not required for freestyle, on the same body's general rules.

UIM: format and judging

Format: 2 or 3 motos; maximum 3 minutes per rider per exhibition, exact duration fixed at the riders' briefing. Grid: 10 at International Ordinary Races. Status: World Championship class.

Judging: judges: 5; scale: 1 to 10 on each of 10 criteria; criteria: combos; variety; transitions and sequence; quality of execution; use of the water plan; crowd engagement; coordination with music; difficulty; use of time; adherence to the proposed routine; discard rule: per criterion the highest and lowest judge scores are discarded; max points: 300; difficulty ranking: barrel rolls and helicopters score above backflips and 180s.

UIM 2026, 312, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-08. Freestyle Amateur runs to the same format and judging and is confined to International Ordinary Races.

IHRA: freestyle operations

Choreographed two-minute routines of tricks such as barrel rolls, backflips and 360s, scored by a panel for difficulty, execution and originality. (C.1.3)

• H.1. Freestyle competition is an individual event, and only one watercraft is allowed per competitor during their routine. Freestyle is ridden solo and a competitor uses one craft for the routine.
• H.2. Any competitor absent during the draw will be assigned to start first. Running order comes from a draw held before the competition, or from a computerized assignment. Miss the draw and you ride first.
• H.3. Freestyle routines must be initiated by the competitor. This can be done by raising their hand above their head or by executing their first trick. The routine begins when the competitor either raises a hand overhead or performs the first trick.
• H.4. Competitors in the Pro Freestyle category must notify the head judge in advance about the first trick they plan to perform in their routine. Pro Freestyle riders tell the head judge beforehand which trick will open the routine.
• H.5. Each routine is limited to a maximum of two minutes. A signal indicating 15 seconds remaining will be given with two short horn blasts or a raised, rolled-up flag. A routine runs at most two minutes. With 15 seconds left the rider gets two short horn blasts or a raised rolled-up flag, and the end is a single long horn blast, a waved red flag, or both.
• H.6. When qualifying rounds are necessary, competitors will perform routines with a time limit of one minute to determine advancement to the final event. When a qualifying round is needed, each rider gets a one-minute routine to decide who advances to the final.
• H.7. Competitors must seek prior approval from the Race Director for any tricks, stunts, or props used during their routine. Every trick, stunt or prop needs the Race Director's approval in advance, and anything that could endanger competitors, officials, spectators or crew is refused.

IHRA 2026, C.1.3 and H.1 to H.7, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-11, read fresh on 2026-09-26. The class itself is section CC (Freestyle), the one place the IHRA book inverts its closed list.

The three judge differently. IJSBA scores one number per judge on a one-to-ten scale and drops the high and low; the UIM scores ten named criteria per judge out of ten each and drops the high and low per criterion for a maximum of 300; IHRA's scoring sheet is in section H only as the routine length and signals, and its criteria are named in C.1.3 as difficulty, execution and originality.

Drag

IJSBA defines drag racing as an event type, timed single-elimination or bracket elimination over a set distance, and publishes no drag class document in the set read. UIM has no drag discipline in the 2026 rulebook. IHRA added section DD on 2 February 2026, with 29 classes in the book of which 10 are drag classes: nineteen class sections K to CC, plus ten drag classes inside section DD. The drag numbering runs DD.1 to DD.12 and is not ten in a row. DD.8 is Drag Racing Operations and DD.9 is Speed Ally, neither of which is a class, so the ten classes are DD.1 to DD.7 and DD.10 to DD.12.

• Drag, Yamaha Pro Stock (DD.1)
• Drag, Sea-Doo Pro Stock (DD.2)
• Drag, Yamaha Spec (DD.3)
• Drag, Sea-Doo Spec (DD.4)
• Drag, Super Stock (DD.5)
• Drag, Unlimited (DD.6)
• Drag, Turbo No Nitrous (DD.7)
• Drag, Stand Up Unlimited (DD.10)
• Drag, Sea-Doo vs Sea-Doo (DD.11)
• Drag, 2 Stroke Unlimited (DD.12)

The drag section is not written like the rest of the book

Section DD is not written like sections K to CC. It arrived on 02.02.2026 as bullet lists, three of its classes are four bullets long, and none of the ten states a hull dimension, a displacement ceiling or a sound limit. Its own governing sentence is the strictest in the rulebook, which together with those bullet lists describes classes in which almost nothing would be legal. Every drag class record carries that contradiction as an open question rather than resolving it.

Hydro-fly

Only the UIM runs it, as section 900. Format: qualification: 1 minute 30, preceded by a 30-second warm-up; mandatory tricks - one spin, one flip, one dolphin/slalom, one superman, one combo; round of 16: 16 riders, 2 minutes; quarter finals: 8 riders, 2 minutes; semi finals: 4 riders, 2 minutes 30; final: 2 riders, 2 minutes 30.

Judging: judges: 3; scoring model: fixed point values per trick, from 2 (three-slalom sequence) up to 120 (double front flip, dimensional flip); combos: two or more tricks linked with no water contact add 2 points to each manoeuvre; deductions: 5 points each for poor technique, poor combo execution, or inadequate manoeuvring; tiebreak: sudden death, a 30-second single combo.

UIM 2026, 900, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-08.

Every class that states a duration, grid, fee or status

The same fields as the "Running the class" block on each class page, gathered on one page; the formats are in the sections above. 12 of the 73 class records carry at least one of these; the rest are technical classes whose sections say nothing about how the race is run.

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Documents cited on this page

Source: IJSBA General Race Regulations (section 6 of the rule book set), published by International Jet Sports Boating Association

Published by

IJSBA General Race Regulations (section 6 of the rule book set), published by International Jet Sports Boating Association ijsba.com

Read on

2026-10-02

Worth knowing

The GEN.1 to GEN.15 document: pre-start, starts, restarts, buoys and the finish, slalom, competition rules, addenda, flags, pits, registration. Held here as text. The document prints no year of its own; the edition is the rule book set it was downloaded with.

Source: IJSBA Competition Membership (MEM.1 to MEM.11), published by International Jet Sports Boating Association

Published by

IJSBA Competition Membership (MEM.1 to MEM.11), published by International Jet Sports Boating Association ijsba.com

Read on

2026-10-02

Worth knowing

Rider classifications, the minimum age, the junior classes and the advancement caps. The document states itself to be the United States policy and a suggested model for affiliates, which every page citing it repeats.

Source: 2026 UIM Aquabike Rulebook, published by Union Internationale Motonautique

Published by

2026 UIM Aquabike Rulebook, published by Union Internationale Motonautique uim.sport

Read on

2026-10-01

Worth knowing

One 189-page document covering every class, so cross-class comparisons are same-season. Read straight from the PDF; the text is not held here and page numbers were not recorded, so a reference from this document cannot yet be followed to a page. Held here as extracted text from 2026-10-01, the same text the rule rows were read from on 2026-09-26.

Source: IHRA Pro Watercraft Racing Competition Rulebook, version V.20260603, published by International Hot Rod Association (Cuttell Motorsports, LLC)

Published by

IHRA Pro Watercraft Racing Competition Rulebook, version V.20260603, published by International Hot Rod Association (Cuttell Motorsports, LLC) ihra.com

Read on

2026-09-07

Worth knowing

Sections A to EE, 95 pages. The URL is the rules page rather than the PDF, because the PDF is served from a signed link that expires. The version string is the figure to cite; the rulebook changed four times between February and June 2026.