Round three of the 2025–2026 Hydro Thunder series heads south to Twizel this weekend, carrying more than sixty years of Australasian hydroplane history and a family rivalry that promises to define the contest for the AE Baker Cup at Lake Ruataniwha. Testing is pencilled in for Friday afternoon, with racing running across Saturday and Sunday.
The cup itself has a story worth knowing. In 1964, Arthur Baker Senior was serving as Commodore of the Illawarra Motorboat Club when he donated the AE Baker Cup as an Australian trophy for unlimited inboard hydroplanes, and the first race under that banner followed in 1965. For just over thirty years, the trophy stayed on Australian soil, with names such as Ernie Nunn and Ron Burton appearing regularly on the winners list. That changed in 2001, when Warwick Lupton made the trip to East Gippsland with his Annihilator and returned to New Zealand with the cup in hand.
The first New Zealand race for the trophy was held the following year at the New Brighton Powerboat Club in Wellington, where Greg Orange took victory aboard G.I.B. Pacemaker. Since that day, the AE Baker Cup has not left New Zealand shores. Now more than six decades on from its inauguration, it remains one of the most respected prizes in Australasian hydroplane racing.
New Zealand's leading drivers have made their mark on the winners list over the years, among them Peter Knight, David Alexander, Scott Coker, and Ken Lupton. None, though, has matched Warwick Lupton's record since the cup relocated across the Tasman. He has lifted the trophy six times in New Zealand.
Ken Lupton arrives in Twizel this weekend as the defending champion, having retained the AE Baker Cup in 2025. That victory came at the end of a closely fought final in which Jack Lupton won the opening heat before Ken responded decisively in the second.
2025 AE Baker Cup Final results
GOLD: Ken Lupton – 2025 AE Baker Cup Champion SILVER: Jack Lupton BRONZE: Scott Coker
The move to the South Island brings a strong local contingent into the mix. Invercargill driver Jason Haggerty returns after performing well at Lake Ruataniwha last season. Andy Knight carries on a third-generation family involvement in hydroplane racing, and Raymond Hart rounds out the southern group, racing Ken Lupton's former 2019 Henderson/Auld Hydroplane, a boat with its own AE Baker Cup pedigree.
The broader field adds further intrigue. Both Luptons are back on the grid alongside former champions David Alexander and Scott Coker, and the margins between them are unlikely to be wide. Jack Lupton arrives in particularly sharp form, having won the past two events at Mangakino, a run of results that suggests his decision to make New Zealand his permanent base has been a sound one. Ken Lupton, for his part, will not surrender his title without a fight.
Lake Ruataniwha has established itself as a reliable venue for the Hydro Thunder series, offering consistent conditions and good sight lines for spectators. A full field, a historic trophy, and a rivalry with genuine edge make for a compelling weekend on the water at Twizel.
