Racing

Riders: tiers, licences, ages

What a rider has to be, hold and have signed before entering, in the three rulebooks this site reads. The bodies do not agree on the shape of the question: IJSBA sorts riders into classifications it says it does not examine, the UIM issues a licence with no grades and gates classes by age and a Superlicence, and IHRA states its gates class by class.

What an IJSBA classification is, and is not

IJSBA does not test the skill of individual participants in sanctioned events, does not judge each competitor's competence, and states that it cannot guarantee the competency of a participant. Participants are solely responsible for their own safety and accept that other participants may have less ability, fitness or skill. These are administrative classifications that a rider or an affiliate assigns, not a graded licence earned by examination. Anything presenting them as a measured skill level says more than the document does.

A rider may hold different classifications in the Runabout/Sport and the Ski divisions at the same time. The document's own example is an Expert Runabout racer who is also a Novice Ski racer.

IJSBA 2025, MEM.1.1 and MEM.1.4, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-07. The document is the United States policy and a model for affiliates, as set out on the bodies page.

The tiers

Tier	Kind	Who it is for	Craft, limits and movement	Section
Beginner	skill	an entry level class, open to all Novice competitors who have competed in three or fewer races. In a series a rider may complete the entire series before moving up, otherwise the fourth race must be ridden in Novice.	may race Stock or Limited watercraft.	MEM.2.1
Novice	skill	minimal racing experience. A first-time competitor must enter in Novice or in Beginner.	may NOT compete in Open, Modified or GP classes where supercharged or turbocharged runabouts are allowed.a Novice may reclassify themselves as Expert at their own discretion, and IJSBA or an affiliate may reclassify them as Expert (MEM.3.2).	MEM.3.1, MEM.3.2
Expert	skill	demonstrates a skill level that has exceeded that of a Novice-class rider	may request Pro on a Change of Classification Form, and may be moved to Pro by IJSBA or an affiliate for skills superior to others in the class. May request Novice, and may be moved back to Novice if the riding skill is judged not to be Expert level. The document does NOT say that Expert is required for a forced-induction runabout entry. What it says is that Novices may not enter those classes (MEM.3.1). The positive requirement is an inference from a prohibition and is not quotable as a rule.	MEM.4.1, MEM.4.2, MEM.4.3, MEM.4.4
Pro	skill	substantial racing experience and advanced competition skills	may request Expert on a Change of Classification Form, and may be moved back to Expert if the riding skill is judged not to be Pro level.	MEM.6.1, MEM.6.2, MEM.6.3
Amateur	combined	comprised of Novice-level and Expert-level riders	IJSBA does not generally issue Amateur Class memberships. The tier is defined and then disclaimed in the same rule, so a class list naming Amateur is not evidence that a membership exists to fill it.	MEM.5.1
Pro-Am	combined	comprised of Expert-level and Pro-level riders		MEM.7.1
Veterans	age, 35 and over	the Veterans Ski class and the Veterans Sport and Runabout classes are each open to riders 35 years of age or older		MEM.8.1
Masters	age, 45 and over	the Masters Ski class and the Masters Sport and Runabout classes are each open to riders 45 years of age or older	closed-course Masters competitors may race Stock, Limited or Superstock watercraft.	MEM.9.1, MEM.9.2
Women	eligibility	Women's classes in the Novice, Expert and Pro categories are for naturally born female riders, which the document glosses as assigned the sex of female at birth, who elect to compete in them, generally for separate points, awards and/or purse	closed-course Women-class competitors generally compete in Stock Class or Modified divisions or specially constructed classes.	MEM.10.1, MEM.10.2

IJSBA 2025, COMPETITION MEMBERSHIP (MEM.1 to MEM.11), read from the rulebook on 2026-09-07. Every tier below is stated in the document, not inferred from what it leaves out.

Those words are rule words, not class names. A class can be a Stock-type class without carrying "Stock" in its name: Ski Lites is one, under the same closed-list rule the other stock classes are written to (SKL.1.1), so a Beginner may race it. Which type each class is, and what that lets you change, is set out at Classes in plain words.

Moving between tiers, and the caps

A Novice who wins a title during the World Finals is automatically classified Expert as of 1 January the following year. The reclassification may be appealed in writing within 30 days of the last day of World Finals competition. (MEM.11.4)

Irrespective of classification, no competitor who has won three World Titles may compete in any Amateur Class or Expert Class. Such competitors are limited to Pro-Am or Pro classes only. The prohibition may be appealed to IJSBA. (MEM.11.15)

IJSBA and its affiliates reserve the right to reclassify any rider as deemed appropriate in the interest of safety, competition and/or sportsmanship, and a rider may not be reclassified during the World Finals except where IJSBA specifically notes otherwise (MEM.11.2, MEM.11.3).

Three tiers, and the Beginner class before them (MEM.1.1)

Beginner class

An optional class for Novice riders new to racing, not a membership of its own: a first-timer starts here or in Novice (MEM.2.1, MEM.3.1). Stock or Limited craft, for up to three races.
On: the fourth race is ridden as a Novice, unless the rider is finishing a series (MEM.2.1)

Novice

Kept out of any Open, Modified or GP class that lets in supercharged or turbocharged runabouts (MEM.3.1)
On: the rider's own choice, or a move by IJSBA or an affiliate (MEM.3.2). A Novice who takes a World Finals title is an Expert from the next 1 January (MEM.11.4).

Back: on request, or moved back when the riding is judged below Expert (MEM.4.3, MEM.4.4)

Expert

Nothing in the document makes those runabout classes Expert only; it keeps Novices out, and stops there.
On: a request on a Change of Classification Form, or a move by IJSBA or an affiliate for skill above the rest of the class (MEM.4.2)

Back: on request, or moved back when the riding is judged below Pro (MEM.6.2, MEM.6.3)

Pro

Classes that mix two tiers

Amateur

Novice and Expert riders racing together, a class IJSBA does not, as a rule, issue memberships for (MEM.5.1)
Pro-Am

Expert and Pro riders racing together (MEM.7.1)

Classes set by age, not a step in the column

Veterans

35 or older (MEM.8.1)
Masters

45 or older (MEM.9.1)

Rules that cut across the column

A rider holds one tier for Ski and another for Runabout and Sport, and the two need not match (MEM.1.4).
After three World Titles, only Pro-Am and Pro classes are open to a rider, whatever their tier (MEM.11.15).
IJSBA or an affiliate may move any rider for safety, competition or sportsmanship, though not in the middle of the World Finals unless IJSBA says so (MEM.11.2, MEM.11.3).

Every arrow is a rule, a request, or a decision by IJSBA or an affiliate; none is a test. The tiers are names given to riders, and nobody sits an exam to change one.

How we know: IJSBA Competition Membership MEM.1 to MEM.11, which is the policy in the United States and a model the affiliates may follow or change.

Entering more than one class

The General Race Regulations, a separate document from the membership policy, carry the rules on which classes a rider may combine. Read from the held text on 2026-09-26; the section number is as printed, and the document prints no year of its own. The full registration section is on the race-weekend page.

GEN.14.4. A rider may enter any number of classes, but only specified classes count toward an overall championship.
GEN.14.5. Veterans, Masters and Women competitors may additionally compete in the Novice, Expert or Pro classes of their own ranking. The document's example is a Novice Woman Ski rider, who may compete in Novice Ski but not Expert Ski.
GEN.15.6. Novice, Expert and Pro riders may not compete in another ranking within the same division. The document's example is that Novice Ski riders may compete only in Novice Ski classes.
GEN.15.7. A rider with a question about which class they belong in is responsible for checking with the proper official.
GEN.15.10. Nobody may enter or sign the waiver and release under an assumed or fictitious name, or give inaccurate information such as age or date of birth.

IJSBA 2025, General Race Regulations, GEN.14 and GEN.15, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-07.

Minimum ages, side by side

Body	General minimum	Higher floors	Juniors	Age tiers	How age is proved or reckoned
IJSBA	16. 16 years or older for all competition classes except Junior 10-12 year old Ski, Junior 13-15 year old Ski, and other categories specifically mentioned for under 16 years of age. (MEM.1.2, MEM.1.3)	None stated as an age; the forced-induction runabout gate is a tier rule, not an age rule.	Junior 10-12 year old Ski and Junior 13-15 year old Ski. MEM.1.2 names these two, and other categories specifically mentioned for under 16 years of age, as the exceptions to the 16 year minimum. It does not define them, and this section carries no technical requirement for either.	Veterans 35 and over; Masters 45 and over	a birth certificate and/or passport shall be presented to substantiate age; IJSBA and most affiliates require a waiver of liability signed by a parent or legal guardian for a competitor under 18 (MEM.1.3). Boating laws in some countries require higher age minimums or allow lower age limits, so the affiliate governs, not this figure.
UIM	15 (203.01.01)	17 for GP1. A 16-year-old who finished 1st, 2nd or 3rd in Ski GP2 or Runabout GP2 at a World or Continental Championship may enter the corresponding GP1 championship.	7 to 15 years (315.01)	Veterans: 40 or more years old in 302.01.05, but over 40 years in 302.01.07	age is taken as at 31 December of the year concerned; riders under 15 require a Minor Release Form signed by a parent or guardian, one per season
IHRA	None stated in general; the floors below are per class (section C.2)	16 for Ski GP and any forced-induction runabout. An exception may be granted at 14 or older with prior written approval from the local regional promoter and IHRA, requested no less than five days before the event.	Junior Ski 8 to 15; Junior Runabout 12 to 15	Veteran: 35 or older as of the event date	Not extracted

Two things the age rules do not settle

IJSBA. MEM.1.2 reads "IJSBA may allow competitors as young as 8 years of age in 10-12 Refer to Section 23". Two sentences have run together in the source and the reference is to a Section 23 not held here, so the youngest permitted age and the conditions on it are NOT established here. Do not publish an 8 year old minimum off this sentence.

UIM. 315.01 says juniors are 7-15, but the 302.01 categories table gives Ski Future Electric as ages 5-7. Both were read directly. The rulebook is internally inconsistent.

Searched for specifically in this document and confirmed absent: any restrictor plate requirement for a junior class, any junior displacement cap, any junior band other than the two named above, and any "Junior 8-13" class. A supplied reference pack asserted all of these; none of them is in the held document and the pack sourced them to a World Finals class release not held here.

Licences

Union Internationale Motonautique

Compulsory: an International licence issued by the rider's National Authority, plus a signed risk disclaimer. Valid 1 January to 31 December. Cost: set by each National Authority; no amount published. a National Authority may refuse to issue a licence without stating a reason. a registered pseudonym is permitted.

Rule 107 does NOT define licence grades or tiers and does NOT map a licence to particular classes. Class access is gated by AGE (203.01.01) and by the Superlicence (203.02), not by licence grade. no medical certificate or examination requirement was found in 107.

UIM 2026, 107, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-08.

The Superlicence

Applied for 4 weeks ahead. Criteria: 4 national or international ordinary races completed, a sports CV with official results, and Civil Responsibility insurance of at least 1,000,000 EUR. Fees: 150 EUR a year for a World Superlicence and 75 EUR for a Continental one, or 50 EUR and 25 EUR by the day. Rights: proportional travel money (first 10 at World, first 3 at Continental), trophies for the top 3, UIM points for the top 15. a World or Continental Superlicence holder cannot be refused by the organising National Authority except in the case of serious fault during the season.

UIM 2026, 203.02.01, 203.02.02, 203.02.03, 203.02.04, 203.02.05, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-08.

Insurance

Rider: a valid attestation covering medical treatment, hospitalisation and repatriation for accidental injury. Organiser: third-party liability insurance, minimum 100,000 EUR per single claim. (203.01.02, 205)

International Hot Rod Association, Pro Watercraft Racing

Runabout GP and Ski GP are restricted to Expert and Pro level competitors. On that book Ski GP is section K, the class with the 1500cc and 1100cc four-stroke caps; Ski GP2 (section L) and Ski GP3 (section M) are separate classes whose criteria carry no tier rule of their own, which is why their class pages say none is stated. Novice competitors are prohibited from Open/GP classes with supercharged or turbocharged runabouts. Beginner: first-time racers on stock equipment only, limited to three or fewer race events, after which they advance to Novice.

IHRA 2026, section C.2, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-11.

International Jet Sports Boating Association

IJSBA issues a Competition Membership rather than a graded licence, and the tiers above are the classifications attached to it. Its General Race Regulations carry no licence requirement and no age threshold, a targeted read confirmed; both live in the membership document.

The rule on each class

Every class whose record carries a licence or tier rule, or a rider requirement, in the words each class record holds. A class not listed has neither on its record; that is the class section's silence, not a permission. Links go to the class's legality page.

IJSBA: 4 distinct rules across 4 classes

Licence or tier	Rider requirements	Classes carrying this rule
Expert or Pro. See uncertainties - passes disagreed on mandatory vs recommended.	none on the record	Ski Superstock
Expert or Pro recommended	none on the record	Ski Grand Prix
Competitors must possess an Expert or Pro licence to compete in this category (RSS.1)	none on the record	Runabout Superstock
Competitors in classes with turbocharged or supercharged runabout PWC must possess an Expert or Pro licence	none on the record	Runabout Open / GP

UIM: 9 distinct rules across 11 classes

Licence or tier	Rider requirements	Classes carrying this rule
none on the record	female; minimum age 17, with the same 16-year-old GP2-podium exception	Ski Ladies GP1
none on the record	riders 40 or more years old under 302.01.05, or over 40 years under 302.01.07	Ski Veterans GP1
none on the record	ages 10-12, reckoned at 31 December; Minor Release Form signed by parent or guardian	Ski Juniors GP3.2
none on the record	ages 13-15, reckoned at 31 December; Minor Release Form	Ski Juniors GP3.3, Ski Juniors GP4, Runabout Juniors GP4
none on the record	ages 5-7 per the 302.01 categories tables	Ski Future Electric (SFE)
none on the record	female; minimum racing age 15	Runabout Ladies GP4
none on the record	riders 40 or more years old under 302.01.05, or over 40 years under 302.01.07, which also asks for a minimum of one year's experience in a national or international championship	Runabout Veterans GP1
none on the record	no age stated; the general 203.01.01 floor of 15 would apply by default	Freestyle Free
a valid international hydro-fly licence from the rider's National Authority, plus proof of insurance	none on the record	UIM Hydro-Fly

IHRA: 3 distinct rules across 3 classes

Licence or tier	Rider requirements	Classes carrying this rule
Expert or Pro required (C.2). Minimum age 16 (C.2.2), with a written exception possible at 14 or older.	none on the record	Ski GP
Expert or Pro recommended rather than required.	none on the record	Sport GP
Expert or Pro required (C.2). Minimum age 16 for any supercharged or turbocharged runabout (C.2.2).	none on the record	Runabout GP

Where the IJSBA membership document numbers itself wrongly

The held document numbers itself inconsistently, so a MEM citation is not always unambiguous. Recorded rather than silently tidied, because a rider quoting a number at scrutineering needs to know which ones are safe. The article numbers used above are the ones the headings establish.

The Expert heading reads "MEM.4 EXPERT 5.4.1" and the Amateur heading reads "MEM.5 AMATEUR 5.5.1", carrying a stray 5.x.x number where MEM.4.1 and MEM.5.1 belong. Both are cited above as MEM.4.1 and MEM.5.1 on the strength of the MEM headings and the sibling numbering.
MEM.11.15 follows directly after MEM.11.4. There is no MEM.11.5 through MEM.11.14.
MEM.12 is used twice, once for SAFETY and once for CLOSED-COURSE EVENT, each with its own numbered sub-items. An unqualified "MEM.12" cites two different rules.
The heading "MEM.6 DRAG-RACING EVENT" sits between MEM.15 and MEM.17 and its body is numbered MEM.16.1.

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.

3 rulebooks · 9 IJSBA tiers · 18 classes with a rider rule