PROGRES.ID – Indonesia has made history by hosting the F1 Powerboat World Championship, the first water-based racing championship to be held in the country. The F1 Powerboat, or the World Formula 1 Powerboat Championship, is an international motorboat racing competition organized by the Union Internationale Motonautique and promoted by H2O Racing, often referred to as F1H2O.
The championship is the highest level of coastal powerboat racing in the world, and F1 Powerboat is equivalent to Formula One car racing.
From February 24-26, 2023, F1H2O was held in Lake Toba, North Sumatra, Indonesia, and was broadcast live on TVRI and RCTI.
Lake Toba, formed by the eruption of an ancient volcano, covers an area of 1,145 square kilometers and is one of the deepest lakes in the world, with a depth of up to 508 meters. For the first time since the race in 1981, Indonesia made history for the fastest jet boat race in the world.
F1 Powerboat Lake Toba attracted dozens of racers from several countries, including England, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, China, Portugal, Brazil, France, South Korea, and Qatar.
This event will be a unique attraction for tourists visiting Lake Toba. Tourists will witness firsthand the performance of racers riding boats at speeds of over 220 km/h.
In addition, the track of the F1 Powerboat Lake Toba series is the most unique circuit throughout the event’s history. This is because the 2.2 km track was formed by the geographical location of Lake Toba as a volcanic lake.
As an annual event that is regularly held periodically, F1 Powerboat Lake Toba can attract 25,000 tourists, both local and foreign.
The powerboats used for the race have a unique design. The special 6-meter-long and 2.1-meter-wide boat body is made of lightweight Kevlar material, weighing no more than 390 kg, including the engine, and of course, fire-resistant.
The racers in the World Formula 1 Powerboat Championship will compete for 40 minutes to be the best.
