Monaco celebrates the champions of the UIM powerboating: international recognition for the first sustainable long-distance world record in jet-ski by Massimiliano Mordenti

On March 7, the Principality of Monaco hosted the annual awards ceremony of the UIM – Union Internationale Motonautique, the international federation that governs powerboating sports. Each year, this event brings together drivers, organizers, and representatives of the major international and global federations to celebrate the champions of the sporting season.

The evening, attended by more than 200 guests – athletes, race officials, event promoters, as well as representatives from the business community – featured the presentation of awards to the leading figures of the different disciplines of world powerboating: from offshore racing to circuit competitions, from aquabike to the electric E1 series, as well as recreational navigation.

Among the most remarkable moments of the ceremony was a distinction with several unique characteristics, including the first record recognized in the long-distance jet-ski category, as well as its even greater significance in terms of sustainability.

The rider deliberately chose to use 100% ecological bioethanol rather than pursue absolute performance. This distinction was presented by the President of the UIM to Massimiliano Mordenti, rider of the Fédération Monégasque Motonautique and CEO and co-founder – together with his wife Erminia Fezia Mordenti, Chief Operating Officer of the Offroad Club Monaco, who was also present at the ceremony – for the long-distance world record achieved on September 15, 2025.

The feat, officially homologated by the UIM, saw rider Mordenti cover 160 kilometers in open sea under less-than-ideal weather conditions. Departing from the Yacht Club de Monaco, he navigated around the island of Gallinara in Liguria before returning to the Principality, completing the 160 km crossing in 3 hours, 23 minutes, and 29 seconds.

Beyond the sporting performance, what makes this record particularly significant is its strong symbolic and technological value: the entire navigation was carried out with a jet-ski powered 100% by bioethanol, in strict compliance with the required safety conditions and the governing regulations of the UIM. The achievement demonstrates concretely how innovation, performance, and respect for the environment can coexist even in motorized sports, always within the framework of discipline and safety.

This aspect was also highlighted during the evening by the UIM itself, which recognized the pioneering nature of the initiative and praised its environmental dimension.

The record, conceived and organized by the Offroad Club Monaco, with the active and essential participation of the Fédération Monégasque Motonautique and under the supervision of the UIM, also involved institutional and academic partners, with the support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the patronage of the Embassy of Italy in Monaco.

A key element of the challenge was the development of an innovative open-sea refueling system designed by engineer Andrea Pezzini of Floating Life in order to avoid any dispersion of fuel into the marine ecosystem. This technical solution was specifically conceived to support the use of bioethanol and to demonstrate how research can contribute to making the practice of water sports more sustainable.

More than a simple sporting record, this initiative represents a synthesis of the philosophy of the Offroad Club Monaco, an organization founded in the Principality with the objective of promoting a form of sport capable of going beyond performance alone and contributing to the communication of ecological values that the Principality has always promoted. The O.C.M. conceives the “off-road” adventure – at sea as on land – as a space for exploration, human relationships, and respect for the environment, inspired by the tradition of the great pioneers of Monegasque and international history, while charting new routes through the mapping of GPS points.

This spirit is also reflected in the motto “The Wake of Monaco”: a wake that begins in the Principality and reaches new horizons, embracing sporting and cultural challenges, enriched by human interactions and spreading values of passion for sport, cohesion among people of different backgrounds united in peace, and respect for the environment, before always returning home enriched – which, for the O.C.M., is Monaco.

The recognition received during the UIM ceremony therefore carries a meaning that goes beyond the simple sporting result: it represents confirmation that innovation, environmental responsibility, and sporting spirit can move forward in the same direction, charting a new path for the future of outdoor sports.

The awarded rider, Massimiliano Mordenti, interviewed after the ceremony, expressed his thanks in particular to the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation for its patronage, as well as to the Embassy of Italy in Monaco, represented by H.E. Manuela Ruosi.

He also thanked the UIM, represented by its President Mr. Raffaele Chiulli, as well as the Fédération Monégasque Motonautique, which played a central role thanks to the commitment of its President Gianfranco Rossi, Secretary General Gérard Pouget, and the commissioners present on board: Philippe Palmero, President of the Aquabike Commission, and Philippe Orecchia, Vice-President of the Federation.

This success also rests on the commitment of the working group and the team of the Offroad Club Monaco, which also thanks the mechanics, the emergency doctor, the rescue personnel, the timekeepers, as well as the support vessel.

Special thanks are addressed to Mrs. Erminia Fezia Mordenti, Chief Operating Officer of the Offroad Club Monaco, for her essential role in coordinating and monitoring all technical and administrative aspects related to the regulations of the UIM (Union Internationale Motonautique).

On behalf of the Offroad Club Monaco, deep gratitude is also expressed to the Yacht Club de Monaco, which hosted the departure and the arrival of the crossing, offering essential technical and moral support from the very first day. Special mention goes to the entire staff, and in particular to Bernard d’Alessandri, General Manager and Secretary General of the Y.C.M., as well as to Olivier Campana, Deputy General Manager of the Y.C.M., for their support and their welcome both at sea and on land upon the return of the crossing.

Massimiliano Mordenti also thanked Floating Life, the technical partner; BPM Exclusive, notably represented by its General Manager Guido Giovanelli, present in the room; as well as the brand Sundek, which supported the adventure by equipping the rider and the team.

In continuity with this multidisciplinary vision, the Offroad Club Monaco also announced an important academic event: the international scientific and cultural workshop entitled “Historical Heritage, Cultural Traditions and Environmental Heritage of the Mediterranean, from the Foundation of the Principality of Monaco to the Sporting and Technological Challenges of the Present Day,” which will take place on March 11, 2026 in the conference hall of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.

Organized by the Permanent Scientific and Academic Committee of the Offroad Club Monaco in collaboration with the Oceanographic Museum, the event will be held under the patronage of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, with the patronage of the Embassy of Italy in Monaco, and in partnership with the Municipality of Monaco.

The workshop will bring together professors and researchers from nine European and international universities in order to explore, from an interdisciplinary and “off-the-beaten-path” perspective, the historical, cultural, sporting, entrepreneurial, and environmental heritage of the Mediterranean, from the origins of the Principality to the new sporting, technological, and sustainability challenges of the present.