Fast acceleration, high speeds, blustery conditions and nail biting races which will have you on the edge of your seat. The UIM World Championships will take place in Jeddah next month. Balloch raised, Oban Duncan is preparing to compete there. She says she would have never believed her passion would have taken her this far.

The first exciting race will kick off in Jeddah on February 2-3, 2024. Oban will be competing with Team Drogba. She is a real example and ambassador for Scotland’s boating sector but she doesn’t deny how challenging this sport is. She says, “It’s been a bit mental. I can’t complain at all that I’m getting to travel the world racing everywhere and meeting amazing people. It’ll be amazing, but it’s been a lot of work.”

Growing up in Scotland, Oban would take her powerboat out in Loch Lomond. At only 18 years of age Oban is clearly unfazed by the riveting speeds that these boats can get to. With some boats going as fast as 160mph. Oban is also pushing boundaries by competing in an overly male dominated sport and winning high titles.

She credits her successes to her supportive parents. “My mum and dad have put so many hours and so much money into supporting my racing. I never thought I’d get a career out of it like this. It’s been really nice for them to see that all the years of work have been worthwhile. It feels like all the dedication we’ve put into it has brought these rewards. Which is lovely.”

Oban has lots of prospects for her future in this sport. She says, “Monaco has always been a dream for me. I’ve always wanted to race there. With the F1 track it’s iconic. I’m still hoping to do some F4 races this year in the middle of the season. But E1 is the focus, and it’s going be a busy year.”

With many critiquing the impact on our eco-system that high-powered motor vehicles have. E1 is the world’s first and only all-electric race boat championship. The UIM E1 World Championship was established to create a new, exciting and competitive on-water racing platform based on electric technologies to protect and restore our urban waters and coastal areas.  

The drivers race in the most remote locations on Earth, chosen by a scientific committee with the aim of raising awareness about climate change, and providing resource and funds for legacy programmes to local charities and communities. To bring this topic to the world stage, Envision Racing will have an exhibit at COP28 which will stage a Formula E racing simulator to highlight the excitement of electric racing and to showcase their power.

Many Scots will want to tune in to watch our Scottish Champion compete in this swift sport. In the UK, national broadcaster ITV will air the action across ITV4 and ITVX. YouTube will also stream the racing live from E1’s official channel for a global audience giving fans worldwide the opportunity to tune in to see who becomes Champions of the Water.

Rupert Hunter, Chief Commercial Officer of UIM E1 World Championship, says: “We are proud to be delivering a global event with two of the world’s broadcasting heavyweights that will take E1 to audiences in the UK and North America. These broadcast deals are of great strategic importance to E1 and we believe CBS Sports and ITV are perfectly positioned to deliver the drama of our World Championship racing proposition.”  

The E1 World Championship will be partnering with Aurora Media Worldwide, the multi award-winning agency, to broadcast globally to more than 500 million cumulative global audiences covering more than 22-hour time zones. The championship will see up to 10 teams and 20 mixed gender pilots racing on the water in iconic cities around the world.