RX — Rafting Cross
The most spectator-friendly discipline — two crews side by side, full contact permitted, racing a short gated course in a knockout bracket.
What RX is
RX puts two teams on the water at once over a short course (maximum 300 metres) with upstream and downstream gates to negotiate. After a brief no-contact zone off the start, full contact between boats is allowed — making it the most tactical and physical discipline. Teams advance through a knockout bracket until a final.
RX runs in two phases. The timed sprint qualification sets the bracket draw; where a Sprint discipline is held in the same event, those Sprint times are used as the RX qualification. The knockout phase then pairs teams, with the faster qualifier choosing its start position. A no-contact zone runs from the start to an orange marker at least 10 metres downstream; contact is permitted only after it.
How RX is scored — Classic Format
RX is decided by the bracket rather than by combined time. The winners of the semi-finals contest Final A for 1st and 2nd; the losers contest Final B for 3rd and 4th. Teams knocked out earlier are placed against the team they lost to in the same round, with the best RX qualification time breaking remaining positions.
RX is worth a maximum of 100 points — one of three scored Classic disciplines (with Sprint and Slalom), to a maximum of 300 points per event. Final standings convert to points on the placement scale:
| Finishing position | % of max | RX 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 … |
For World Ranking, points are multiplied by an event value factor set by the event’s classification level (Annex B).
Penalties & elimination
RX is judged on gate negotiation and contact, not seconds. Penalties cannot exceed three; a fourth means elimination.
Grabbing another boat’s rope or athlete, prising apart two locked rafts by hand, or dangerous unsporting contact results in disqualification from the event.
Summarized from the URF Sport Rules v. 8/02/2026 (RX: Art. 32–40; scoring: Art. 10–11). The full rule book governs in any case of conflict.