When people are asked what their favorite sport is, they always answer with the same overly popular sports. Football or basketball. Sometimes they answer with a sport that many people consider an exotic choice, like tennis, golf, or bowling. Very rarely will someone answer with a lesser-known sport, and often, those are the best ones. A month ago I was graced with the honor of learning about the greatest sport on this Earth. I will make sure that it does not stay in this lesser-known category. The sport I am talking about is Formula One Powerboat Racing.

I understand any wariness when first hearing about this sport, as the normal formula one racing is filled with long, repetitive races that are hardly interesting. However, the powerboat division is different. The most obvious difference is the fact that it’s done with boats on the water. This allows race organizers to set up the track however they want to with buoys. In the inferior, more mainstream car version of Formula One, every race has the same track and looks the same. With Powerboat racing, the track is a different shape for every race. With the car variant, once you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it all. The same is not true for this sport. Another key difference is the length. The average Powerboat race is about 45 minutes, while the boring car version has races that can last up to two hours. So do not let the name of this sport fool you, it is not like the more popular formula one racing.

Powerboat racing is divided into three divisions by the kind of boat they drive. The first is the Formula One tunnel boats. These are the fastest models in the sport and can reach speeds of almost 155 mph. Sometimes, they will go so fast the front of their boat will lift up and do a backflip in the middle of the race. This is the version of the race that is the most exciting for first-time watchers. The next is the Formula One Lite tunnel boats. For the most part, it is the same as the first, just has a slower top speed and is easier to handle. This race will have the least crashes and appeals to the fans that just want an honest and clean race. But don’t worry, if you like the chaos of a random crash, I’ve saved the best for last, and my personal favorite. The last division is the Trihull. They’re for the most part your average speedboat, and in their races, for the entire time each and every boat rocks and bounces across the water in the most chaotic way possible. Trihull has the most crashes out of any of the races, and what’s even better, is that it’s impossible to see coming. At any moment any boat in the race could crash. For example, in the 2021 World’s Finals, the two competitors for first and second were in a close battle, until one of them suddenly tipped over and crashed. The other then began to lap other opponents and take first place. That competitor turned out to be a 17 year old who was competing for the very first time.

In powerboat racing, anything can happen at any time. Whether you’re in first or last, you never have a guaranteed victory. A sport like that, topped off with the most intense crashes you’ll ever see in any sport. Powerboat racing takes the cake as the best sport for the sheer anticipation of the crashes it brings.