LeBron James is launching a new team in the UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF – the world’s first all-electric raceboat Championship.
Team AlUla Championed by LeBron James, is set to join the fleet for the 2025 E1 season that begins with the E1 Jeddah GP on Saturday.
The innovative Championship sees teams go head-to-head in high-energy racing in iconic global cities including Doha, Monaco, and Miami in a bid to be crowned “Champions of the Water”.
Team AlUla Championed by LeBron James, named after the ancient oasis city in Saudi Arabia – a growing luxury heritage boutique destination and home to Hegra, the Kingdom’s first UNESCO World Heritage site – will be piloted by two talented racers, Rusty Wyatt and Catie Munnings.
Wyatt, a Canadian powerboat star, is one of the sport’s most promising talents after being recognised as Rookie of the Year at the prestigious F1H20 UIM World Championship in 2024.
Alongside Wyatt is Catie Munnings – the UK’s first ever female Red Bull motorsports athlete and a previous FIA European Rally Championship Ladies’ Trophy winner – a British racer who joins from Team Brazil after securing an impressive three podium places in E1’s debut season.
“As a lifelong fan of sports and competition, the opportunity to own an E1 team that represents such a high level of innovation in sports is incredibly exciting,” said LeBron James.
“E1 is a new type of global competition that’s revolutionizing water racing and I’m proud to be at the forefront of its expansion in season two.”
James’ team joins an illustrious roster of team owners in the Championship that already includes NFL Hall of Famer Tom Brady, tennis legend Rafael Nadal, Hollywood actor Will Smith, international DJ Steve Aoki, footballing superstar Didier Drogba, philanthropist and businessman Marcelo Claure, star cricketer Virat Kohli, and Grammy award-winning musician Marc Anthony.
As the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, James’ entry into E1 extends his thirst for competition. The new team adds to his expansive investment portfolio across sport and entertainment which includes stakes in Fenway Sports Group, Beats by Dre, PGA Tour Enterprises and Liverpool FC.
Team AlUla Championed by LeBron James is led by Co-Team Principals John Marlow and Barny Whitwham, who have a combined 30 years’ experience working in commercial and technical roles across blue chip organisations, FIA Formula 1 and World Rally Championship motorsport teams. They are joined by a crew with equally strong sporting, technical and partnerships prowess across global motorsport and sports categories.
Alejandro Agag, chairman and co-founder of E1 said, “We are thrilled to welcome LeBron James and Team AlUla to the UIM E1 World Championship. With LeBron’s championship pedigree and history of excellence in globally celebrated sports, his entry into E1 sets the stage for an incredibly competitive and high-energy season on the water.
“Having a roster of team owners that includes some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment elevates the Championship to an unparalleled level of prestige. This is not just about racing; it’s about a gathering of icons redefining what’s possible in water sports. With new teams, innovative technology, and iconic race destinations, the 2025 season represents an exciting evolution of E1.”
Rodi Basso, CEO and co-founder of E1 said, “As E1 prepares for a second season that will deliver new teams, more iconic race locations, and more thrilling on-water action, it’s with immense pride and excitement that I welcome Team AlUla and LeBron to the Championship. In both of them we have found like-minded partners who will join us on our journey to take E1 to the next level and beyond.”
John Marlow, Co-Team Principal said, “Barny and I are thrilled to be leading Team AlUla and we look forward to a competitive season of racing with Catie and Rusty, as well as telling the world about AlUla’s community-focused tourism goals and bringing LeBron’s championship-winning ethos to electric boat racing.”
Team AlUla championed by LeBron James Announcement Assets
About the UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF:
E1 is the world’s first and only all-electric raceboat championship sanctioned by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), the international governing body for powerboating activities. The UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF was established to create a new, exciting and competitive on-water racing Championship using electric technologies to focus efforts on innovations that help protect and restore our urban waters and coastal areas.
The Championship sees teams featuring both a male and female pilot. Racing on the water in iconic cities around the world including Jeddah, Doha, Monaco, Lake Como and Miami, teams are owned by some of the biggest names on the planet. These already include Will Smith, Marc Anthony and Steve Aoki from the world of entertainment, Rafael Nadal, Tom Brady, Virat Kohli, Didier Drogba and LeBron James from the world of sport and Marcelo Claure from the world of business.
E1 pilots navigate tight and technical circuits behind the wheel of the electric RaceBirds. For the latest news and updates, follow us at @E1Series on Facebook, X and Instagram. #ChampionsOfTheWater
About AlUla:
Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.
The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. A 52-hectare ancient city, Hegra was the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and is comprised of 111 well-preserved tombs, many with elaborate facades cut out of the sandstone outcrops surrounding the walled urban settlement.
Current research also suggests Hegra was the most southern outpost of the Roman Empire after the Roman’s conquered the Nabataeans in 106 CE.
In addition to Hegra, AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages, which has been recently listed on the UNESCO’s memory of the World Register. Also AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes developed from at least the 12th century, which has been selected as one of the World’s Best Tourism Villages in 2022 by the UNWTO. For more information, please visit: experiencealula.com
