Our MotoSurf champion opens the UAE Motosurf Championship 2026 on the Masters podium
The Force 8 Sports family is celebrating another podium. Mike Michaelides, the 2026 MotoSurf World Champion and a rider we’re proud to support, finished third in the Masters class at Round 1 of the UAE Motosurf Championship 2026, held on 24–25 October at the Abu Dhabi Breakwater.
Racing against the best in Masters
Organised by the Abu Dhabi Marine Sports Club (ADMSC), the opening round brought together 30 riders from nine countries across five classes: Junior, Challenger, Women, Rookies and Masters. Saturday was reserved for technical inspection, practice and qualifying, with racing and the award ceremony on Sunday.
Masters is the headline class, and this year it was dominated by the strong Czech contingent, which collected eight podium places across the event. Riding #22, Mike held his own against them to finish on 32 points.
Masters Class – Round 1 Results
| Pos. | Rider | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthias Novotny | Czech Republic | 50 |
| 2 | Alex Lukschneider | Czech Republic | 40 |
| 3 | Mike Michaelides | Cyprus | 32 |
“Every podium has its own value, especially when it comes against such strong competition,” Mike said after the ceremony. “Abu Dhabi is a place that has helped me develop, and I’m happy to have represented Cyprus here once again. Our goal remains continuous improvement in every round.”
A season of firsts
This result caps a remarkable stretch for Mike. Earlier this year he made his debut in the Elite Class of the UIM MotoSurf World Championship, the sport’s top tier, racing against the world’s fastest riders for the first time. That step came after his historic 2025 season in Macau, where he won the Stock R – Merlin Plus world title and became Cyprus’s first-ever MotoSurf World Champion.
Abu Dhabi is familiar water for him: he has trained at ADMSC camps and raced the 2025 edition. Stepping back onto the podium in Masters, on different equipment from his Elite Class machine, shows exactly the adaptability and consistency we admire.
From all of us at Force 8 Sports
Congratulations, Mike. Watching a Limassol rider stand on international podiums season after season is what makes supporting Cypriot watersports so rewarding. We’ll be cheering you on in every round ahead.
