Novotný tops elite class, crowned world champion

Czech rider Matyáš Novotný

Czech rider Matyáš Novotný claimed the 2024 MotoSurf World Championship (MSWC) overall title in the elite category Sunday at Hac Sa Beach in Coloane. Novotný finished the final round of the championship with 54 points, securing third place in the heats and winning the finale. This victory brought his total to 346 points, 50 ahead of his fellow Czech competitors, Alex Lukscheider, and Dominik Kadlec.

The championship was dominated by Czech racers, with the first non-Czech competitor, Slovak Marek Škamla, placing 10th.

In the Stock category, Korean racer Kim Minseong was crowned champion with 428 points after securing 72 points in the Macau round. Kim finished first in both the heats and the final, displaying complete control of the class. His victory was further aided by a mistake from Kuwaiti racer Hasan Boabbas, who miscalculated the number of “joker” laps he needed to complete during a heat Saturday, effectively handing the world title to Kim.

In the women’s category, Czech racer Eliška Matoušková outperformed her compatriots Aneta Stloukalová and Eli Charousová to claim the championship title with 428 points.

Matoušková finished 35 points ahead of Stloukalová, despite both riders earning 68 points in the final round in Macau.

This event marked the first time the MSWC was held in Macau, co-hosted by Melco Resorts & Entertainment. It attracted over 120 racers from more than 20 countries and regions, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czechia, China, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Korea, Kuwait, Poland, Romania, Russia (AIN), Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE, USA and Macau.

The Macau round was the sixth and final stop of the championship, which began in the UAE and included events in Poland, Sweden, Italy, and Croatia before concluding in Macau.

Although the MSWC has been around since 2012, it has gained greater recognition in recent years, particularly after 2019 when it was officially sanctioned by the Union Internationale Motonautique, the global governing body for powerboating sports, including Aquabike/Jet Ski and MotoSurf. MotoSurf will also debut at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, with MSWC results serving as qualifying points for the competition.