Oh Boy! Oberto’s Steve David moved a step closer to defending his national championship with a strong showing in the first two preliminary heats in Doha, Qatar.

David finished first and second in his heats to increase his lead by 115 points over FormulaBoats.com’s Jeff Bernard at the Oryx Cup UIM World Championship on Friday. David now has a 331-point lead.

With two more heats and the Final slated for Saturday, the championship is David’s to lose. Not only does he need to make sure he finishes the heats to collect valuable points but David has to make sure Bernard and Miss Elam Plus driver Dave Villwock (currently third in the points) don’t collect too many points to overtake the lead.

This is the first time the Unlimited hydroplane tour—newly renamed H1 Unlimited—has traveled outside North America.

Racing for the first time outside of North America, the Unlimited hydroplanes are making big news in Doha, Qatar.

First, the American Boat Racing Association (ABRA) announced it’s changing its name to H1 Unlimited, to reflect the sport’s expansion beyond the United States.

Second, driver David Villwock was the fastest qualifier at the Oryx Cup UIM World Championship with an average speed of 146.427 mph on the 2-mile course. Villwock is chasing his 60th Unlimited hydroplane victory, which would put him within two wins of the late great Bill Muncey.

But tour leader Steve David, driver of the Oh Boy! Oberto boat, will likely have a say before the weekend is over. David finished second in qualifying with a 145.096-mph mark and has a 250-point lead in the team and driver standings over FormulaBoats.com driver Jeff Bernard.

The Olympics may be another six years away, but Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro won’t have to wait that long for some world-class competition. The International Offshore Team Association (IOTA) confirmed that Rio de Janeiro, the city in which the 2016 Olympics will be held, will host the Class 1 offshore race teams next spring.

Set for March 26-28, the Brazilian Grand Prix will mark the first time the UIM-WPPA Class 1 World Powerboat Championship has raced in the country. The festive South American destination is the latest in a growing list of high-profile cities to host a round of the Class 1 series.

“It is with great pleasure that we welcome the news of the Brazilian Grand Prix,” said IOTA Chairman Gianfranco Venturelli. “The agreement between Class 1 and EBX Group is for a long-term collaboration. It demonstrates the continued interest from countries and commercial partners from around the world who want to become involved with our championship. We are confident that as we expand our geographic (reach) as well as our commercial reach, we will open the door to new venues, especially in this continent."