Yesterday the UIM announced that;

A meeting took place between Raffaele Chiulli, UIM President and H.H Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Advisor to the UAE Head of State and Chairman Of Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC), at the end of which the contract for staging the 2016 UIM Class 1 World Championship in Abu Dhabi on 23rd -25th November was signed.

UIM President Raffaele Chiulli commented on the deal;

We are delighted that Abu Dhabi, has become a key venue of our Sports. The UAE has demonstrated its support for the UIM through its long-term commitment as an extremely active National Authority and outstanding host of number of Powerboating Championships. This agreement further strengthens our ties and lays the foundation for an even closer cooperation in the future.

I spoke to Saif Alqamzi from ADIMSC this morning in Mâcon, France and asked him how many races would be run?

There are two options at the moment.
The first is to run 3 races in Abu Dhabi and the second is to use Fujairah as a second venue. The idea then will be to run a couple of rounds in Abu Dhabi and two at Fujairah.

How many teams will take part?

Abu Dhabi and the Victory Team from Dubai will run 2 boats each, Zabo Racing have confirmed their entry along with an Italian team.

Our commitment to UIM Class 1 will extend to at least 2017.