Modified RX / Head-to-Head
Two crews, side by side, racing a gated course in a knockout bracket — the USRA’s accessible take on the sport’s premier spectator discipline.
A quick history
For most of its history the USRA competed under the International Rafting Federation (IRF), where the side-by-side discipline was the Head-to-Head (H2H) — two crews looping around buoy markers in a knockout. Separately, the World Rafting Federation (WRF) developed RX (Raft Cross), a gated version of the same idea.
When the IRF and WRF merged to form the United Rafting Federation (URF) in April 2026, both disciplines were retained and split across the two new series: RX runs in the Classic series and H2H runs in the Adventure series. RX is therefore a new category for USA crews, who previously raced H2H.
The two URF disciplines
RX — Raft Cross
Two crews start together on a short gated course. Suspended directional gates (green downstream, red upstream) must be negotiated, with a no-contact zone off the start and full contact after. Scored through a penalty-gate knockout, not on time.
Head-to-Head
Two crews start together and loop around four navigation markers (buoys or hanging markers), at least one on each bank. Ramming is allowed; scored on time with second-penalties for marker and lane infractions.
The USRA modified format
USRA events currently run a modified version that blends the two for domestic conditions and a developing field:
Exact field procedures for each event — including how a missed gate is handled and whether crews run as timed heats or paired head-to-head — are set out in that event’s bulletin.
How it’s scored
Because the modified format is run on time, a crew’s result is its course time, and teams are ranked fastest to slowest. Ranking points are awarded by finishing position, to a maximum of 100 points for the discipline (within the 300-point event maximum), on the standard URF placement scale:
| Finishing position | % of max | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 100% | 100 |
| 2nd | 90% | 90 |
| 3rd | 80% | 80 |
| 4th | 75% | 75 |
| 5th | 70% | 70 |
| 6th | 68% | 68 |
| 7th | 66% | 66 |
| 8th & beyond | −2% per place | 64, 62, 60 … |
Cross-referenced from the URF Sport Rules v. 8/02/2026 (RX: Art. 32–40; H2H: Art. 41–51; scoring: Art. 10–11), with discipline lineage from the former IRF and WRF rule sets. The USRA modified format applies at USRA-sanctioned events as specified in each event bulletin; the URF Sport Rules govern all elements not modified.