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Copies of Current and past New Zealand Hydroplane Drivers Club Newsletters can be found at the bottom of this page. The Major News from Each News Letter will be Posted here as well as any relevant News Story you care to Submit to Denise Moughan or Phillip Hoskyn for posting on the Site.
Check for past News Stories on our News Archive pages using the Links at the bottom of the Page.

22nd October - Stilwell Bro's Racing

Philip Stilwell tests at Wellington in Nelson Metals/Quantum.

The SBR Racing Team launched the new addition to the team at Porirua Harbour. Nelson Metals/Quantum hit the water after a 2 year rebuild in the SBR workshop of Peter Stilwell in Nelson. Owner/Driver Philip Stilwell was very pleased with the excellent performance and is looking forward to racing in his first race at Mangakino on the 6th December 2008. Special thanks go to the rescue offshore boat driver Tim Fellows for his help on the day.

The Boat gets Pushed out for the first time.

Tim Fellows was assisting as rescue in his Offshore Cat.

26th October - Daily Times Article
The Taranaki Daily Times has an article about GP news that you can read online at their Website

22nd October - Glenmaggie Australia

Tom Heffernan in Dragula GP7 at Glenmaggie.

Dragula Team racing kicked off last Sunday (19th Oct) at Lake Glenmaggie, Victoria. The GP's had a couple of runs on the day and all went well despite the weather being a bit gusty at times. The GP's are all looking forward to the EC Griffith Cup at the end of November.

Photos by Bindy Lewis check out her site below for more information.

Grant Harrison in the new GP1

Brett Niddrie in Warlord GP3 running with Tom Heffernan in Dragula GP7.

21st October - New Zealand Radio Control Championships

Ant Schorder recently set a New Zealand Speed Record of 138.328 kmh in the 1cu in CMB powered Waka

If you are in the Huntly district on the weekend this would be an interesting Event to attend with some very high speed classes racing. Boats range from conventional scaled down hulls to the more radical Boats as pictured above. Engines are Electric and Gas powered. Lake Hakanoa is located at the Huntly Domain on the east side of the River For More Information Click on the NZMPA Logo below

21st October - Annihilator Testing Today

Ken Lupton got in a few more runs during the Day.

Photos today were courtesy of Jeremy Ward from Shot360

Chris Picard took the wheel of Warwick's Annihilator during the day	Chris Picard at speed	Chris Picard finishes his run
Ken Lupton at Speed		Warwick Lupton with the new Cowling

19th October - Manakau/Auckland Club Day

Noeline Steiner in "Misty Blue" in Action at Lake D today.

Photos today were courtesy of Jeremy Ward from Shot360
More Images will be loaded onto Jeremy's site during the Week

18th October - Annihilators Test Day

The Kiwi Annihilator Race Team will be Testing at Lake Karapiro on Tuesday the 21st of October. This is the Second test session the team will be doing as they prep the Boats for a huge season of racing.

15th October - EC Griffith Cup
A link to the up coming EC Griffith Cup being held as part of the new and growing Lake Muwala Power event. This event is being developed to grow into a major annual event at Yarrawonga along the lines of the legendary New Years Day meetings that ran successfully for over 50years plus. Note press releases will be added to this website regularly for information regarding this event, so check up weekly for more news as we get closer to the event on the last weekend in November.
Click the following to get to the Website and the latest Press Release


Also here's Youtube clip of Grant Harrison running GP1 on the Weekend for the first time

11th October - Waikato Times Article
The Waikato Times has an article about GP news that you can read online at their Website

9th October - Wanganui Chronicle Article
The Wanganui Chronicle ran an Article on the Annihilator Test Day
Click the following to get the bigger image of the Article

8th October - Annihilator Testing

Warwick Lost his Cowling and unfortunately the rescue Boat was unable to locate it before it sank its highly unlikely to surface either with the Lake around 90 feet deep at that point, it will also be snagged in the trees that still stand at the bottom. Other than that things went fairly well. Check out the Forum Links for more Pictures as well with Ned Dawson from H20 Full Throttle on hand during the Testing.

The Boats of Ken and Warwick well now go to Tauranga for the Tauranga Boat Show this weekend Fans will have a very good view of Warwick's Engine.

Photos today were courtesy of Jeremy Ward from Shot360

8th October - EC Griffith Cup

Lake Mulwala Power
Grand Prix Hydroplanes are like lightning- here and gone in less than a second leaving nothing but the roar of an angry engine and a massive wall of water.
The last weekend in November on Lake Mulwala will be the place to be to see some the world’s fastest power boats reaching speeds up to 270kilometers in action, contesting the 95th annual ‘E.C. Griffith Cup’.
Lake Mulwala Power is an outdoor event not to be missed featuring spectacular power boat racing and a wide range of activities on the beautiful green grass foreshore. This is an event for the entire family conducted by the Victorian Speedboat Club in conjunction with Yarrawonga Mulwala Tourism.
Feature event is boat racing and the world famous ‘E.C Griffith Cup’.
It is the oldest international motor sport trophy in the southern hemisphere and rates along side the American ‘Gold Cup’ and the British ‘Harmsworth Trophy’. It the Australasian Unlimited Unrestricted Open Inboard Championship and attracts competitors from across Australia and New Zealand, with the winning country having the right to host the event.
Along with professional powerboat racing, will be Formula Future junior boat racing for the boys and girls, boat racing's champions of the future.
On shore entertainment will be provided with a static boat show of new model ski boats and accessories, pontoon & fishing boats and displays, trade displays and stalls from wine tasting's to local produce of all styles. Children’s amusement rides will also be an attraction and there will be an abundance of food stalls and refreshments.
The weekend starts with practice on Friday and a street parade through the main street of Yarrawonga commencing at 5.00pm with the drivers and boats then available to have your photo taken at Club Mulwala and at the Mulwala Water Ski Club.
Lake Mulwala Power opens on the Yarrawonga Foreshore at 9am Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th , with presentations concluding the event at 4pm Sunday.
Club Mulwala will host the Saturday Evening Presentations of the other race winners and the E.C. Griffith Cup whilst Mulwala Water Ski Club will be hosting the Yarrawonga Gold Cup Presentation and other race winners on Sunday Evening.

More Information Email Barb Macdermid Event Co-ordinator or visit the Yarrawonga Tourism Page
or visit the following Website Link

7th October - Warlord

Warlord is a confirmed entry in the 2009 UIM World Grand Prix Hydroplane Championship. Brett Niddrie is the Confirmed Driver of the Boat. Brett took on the Driving duties at the last running of the EC Griffith Cup and won the the Cup. The Boat is a Grant Rollerson Built Supersonic Hull.

5th October - Annihilators Test Day

The Kiwi Annihilator Race Team will be Testing at Lake Karapiro on Wednesday 8th October to prepare the Boats for the trip to the EC Griffith Cup at the end of November in Australia. The Team will be testing all the gear to make sure its up to scratch for the trip. With the Cup held at the start of the Season its very important to get some Testing in. The boats are booked to leave New zealand on November 12th to Australia

Two of the top Australian Competitors Grant Harrison in GP1 and Brett Niddrie in Warlord will also be testing in Australia next Weekend. Grants Boat is brand new built by Kiwi Grant Rollerson so to test along side of warlord will be good comparison to our the Boat is Going in Preparation for the Cup

2nd October - 2009 UIM World GP

We are pleased to announce that U-13 Unlimited Hydroplane driver J Michael Kelly will be in New Zealand for the Tauranga and Lake Karapiro rounds of the UIM 2009 World Grand Prix Hydroplane Championships.
J. Michael will drive Peter Knight Snr's awesome boat The BOSS. This will be the first time Kelly has been outside of the United States and what better place to come to than God's Own country - New Zealand.
The combination of the BOSS and J Michael Kelly will be tough to beat.


J. Michael Kelly Resides in Puyallup, Washington State
After driving 2 years for U-2 owner Jim Harvey Motorsport's, J. Michael moved to the U-13 Spirit of Detroit to Assume the drivers seat in 2006, formerly occupied by veteran Terry Troxell. J. Michael is one of the young guns currently replacing many long –time veteran drivers who are stepping aside as the sport undergoes radical changes and adapts to new directions in marketing to a larger mass audience. Racing
Although only 28 years old, J. Michael is entering his 21st year of boat racing
He will be entering his 5th year in the Unlimited's
J. Michael has competed in a multitude of classes ranging from outboards to the unlimited's
At one time or another, J. Michael has held 19 World Records (6 still current)
4 National Championships
9 highpoint Championships
21 APBA Divisional Titles
2003, 2004 and 2006 Hall of Champions Inductee
2003 and 2004 APBA Babcock winner for Most Outstanding Driver
2004 Unlimited Rookie of the Year
Set 2.5 Modified Hydro record of over 105 mph average on 1 2/3 mile course
Made all Final heats last year with the U13. He finished 5th in Evansville, 3rd in Madison, 3rd in Detroit, 4th in Tri Cities, 3rd in Seattle and 5th In San Diego.
J. Michael Works in the Seattle area as a finish carpenter.

More Images can be seen on the H20 Full Throttle Forum page.

H20 Full Throttle Magazine has come on Board as a Major Sponsor of the 2009 UIM World Grand Prix Hydroplane Championships held in New Zealand with Round 1 at Tauranga January 17th - 18th and Round 2 at Lake Karapiro February 6th - 8th.
Neville Dawson and and his Staff at H20 Full Throttle bring a wealth of experience from Regattas in the Powerboat World and will be of valuable assistance and support to the Regatta.

Click Below to Visit The H20 Full Throttle Magazine Website

1st October - Cambridge/Lake Karapiro Accommodation
If you are looking for Accommodation for the World GP & Nationals at Lake Karapiro on February 6th - 8th then Consider Hazelbank House located 4.5km from Karapiro and Cambridge.
A nice Bed & Breakfast Establishment

Click Below to Visit The Hazelbank House Website

30th September - 6ft Radio Control GP

Kevin Gray has been working on a GP Radio Control Boat that comes in at 6ft. The boats will be made in carbon fibre pre-preg, and will be baked at 120c in an autoclave. Kevin hopes to have one or more finished or up an running, fingers crossed, for display at the UIM GP Worlds in 2009

Model Building Table

27th September - NZ Jetboat Marathon

James Murdoch in "Carlton Hotel" Winner of the Helipro 2008 Jet Boat Marathon

With The Marathon taking place this week we will keep you up to date with the Results as they are emailed at the end of the Day
The Overall Results Table will stay up the top of the Page until Sunday
The Table is a bit Large for the News page those with smaller Computer Screens may have to scroll across a bit.

HELIPRO 2008 NEW ZEALAND JETBOAT MARATHON
20th - 27th September 2008
Overall Results to 27th September 6.00pm.

Coverage can be seen on 3 News on Sunday 28th September

Final Eligible Overall Results.

Here is a PDF File of the Final Eligible Classifications
Class Sponsors
U = Edge Parts & Performance
A = SSS Engineering
B = Carlton Bar & Restaurant
C = Farrington Tavern
D = Hornit
R = Adelphi Motel
Continuous underline = penalty
Broken underline = credit.

Here is a PDF File of the Overall Classifications for all Boats Including Classes and the Retired Boats

The Marathon is a Trial run for next years World Jetboat Marathon which will be held to a similar format and time frame next year. After the Event this year the Organiser's will get together and discuss what changes will be wanted to improve the running etc. Its Hoped a large Flotilla of Overseas Boats will make the trip, Australia, Mexico, USA and Canadian Drivers have all competed here in previous Championships.

Click the Link Below to go to the New Zealand Jet Boat River Racing Association Website
They have Reports on the Racing.

Click the Link Below to go to the New Zealand Jet Boating Forum where a wide selection of Pictures from the weeks Racing can be Found

22nd September - Mark Cromie

Mark Cromie Celebrates a Birthday Today.
In 1980 on this day Mark Cromie won his First Jet Boat Marathon World Championship.
Best wishes to Mark on behalf of the New Zealand Grand Prix Hydroplane Drivers Club

17th September - Tauranga Accommodation
On January 17th - 18th 2009 the City of Tauranga hosts the first round of the UIM World Grand Prix Hydroplane Championships. Perhaps the Best Accommodation can be found at Harbourside City Backpackers which is located directly across the road from the race Venue and where the NZGP will have Security controlled Boat Parking.
Very Reasonable Rates and a Variety of Rooms. I dare say it would pay to book fast

Click Below to Visit The Harbourside City Backpackers Website

17th September - Jeff Weake Isle of Mann Honda Grand Prix

Jeff Weake Driving the NZ! boat in the Isle of Mann Races on Sunday.


Saturday Race

Jeff Weake enjoyed a weekend racing the Honda NZ! in the 150hp Class at the weekends Isle of Mann season ending race. Jeff and navigator Jack took a 2nd and 4th in the two Sunday Races.

Images provided by Jo Cowley you can view plenty more images of the racing at the following Links
Saturday Images
Sunday Images

10th September - EC Griffith Cup Competitor Entry Form
The Victorian Speed Boat Club invites you to attend Australia’s premier powerboat challenge, the 95th running of the EC Griffith Cup and 2008 Yarrawonga Gold Cup to be held over the weekend of November 29th & 30th 2008 on Lake Mulwala. It is anticipated there will be over $15,000 in prize money and driver incentives. As per APBA guidelines prize allocations will be confirmed prior to the event.
Classes to be catered for include juniors, 25HP outboard, 1.6Lt OzLites, 4.2 Displacement, 5.2Lt Displacement, 6lt Displacement, 6Lt Hydroplane, Super Stock Outboards, Unlimited Outboards, Unlimited Displacements and Unlimited Hydroplanes. Heats and final for the EC Griffith Cup will be run on Saturday and The Yarrawonga Gold Cup on Sunday.
Thank you
John Thomas
Race Secretary
Victorian Speed Boat Club

8th September - Formula One Drivers Club

At the Formula One Drivers Club AGM at the weekend Members participated in Dunk Tests using the Rotoiti Clubs Dunk Test Machine.

Dave Duthie has replaced Steve Pope as President of the Formula One Drivers Club

4th September - Peter Stilwell

Peter Stilwell will be fitting this Burgess Formula One Safety Cell into Alan Wells Modified Hydroplane "Endorphin Rush". Peter is no stranger to Building New Boats and making Repairs to Boats


"This is how South Island Boaties Treat North Island Boats".
Chain Saw operator Wayne Wells taking to his brother Alan's Boat at SBR Boat Repairs.

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All pictures in these Gallery's are either the Property of the New Zealand Grand Prix Hydroplane Drivers Club or have been Loaned to the New Zealand Grand Prix Hydroplane Drivers Club for use in the Gallery and for Promotions. Any Image or Text can not be reproduced for commercial use without the express permission of New Zealand Grand Prix Hydroplane Drivers Club