The 54th Manawatu Power Boat Club Gold Cup Regatta brought serious horsepower to Whirokino on 14 and 15 February 2026, with the Manawatu River providing the stage for two days of flat-out competition.
For Brendon Cornes, the weekend ended 15 years of waiting. His boat Total Chaos claimed the 54th Gold Cup title in a final that had the riverbank crowd gripped from start to finish. Craig Ward brought Sundance Kid across the line in second for the Ward Racing Team, while Andrea Robinson rounded out the podium in third aboard Full Circle. Steve Mathieson in Midnight finished fourth, and Luke Dunlop steered Snaggletooth home in fifth.
The result was about persistence as much as pace. Cornes has been a regular face at the Gold Cup for well over a decade, and this time he converted his contention into a win. A running thread through the weekend was the friendly rivalry between tunnel hull boats and the big V8s. Tunnel hull boats use a central air cavity between twin sponsons to generate lift, allowing them to run high on the water at speed. As one commentator put it, "It only takes one tunnel to win it."
Cornes acknowledged that rivalry when reflecting on his victory. He noted he had been the last Gold Cup finalist to lose to a V8, going down to Kent Dunlop on that occasion, and said it was "good to keep them out." Earlier in the season he had fallen short at Wanganui's King of the River, but when the comparison was put to him, his answer was straightforward. "Happy to take this one."
Andrea Robinson's weekend deserves its own telling. Finishing third overall in Full Circle was her first Gold Cup start, and stepping onto the podium at that first attempt, against a field of seasoned competitors, was no small thing. Robinson described her on-water contest with Craig Ward as a good battle and said she was pleased to see Ward back out racing. Her reaction to the podium finish was equally direct. "It's awesome," she said, adding that her son had also finished third in the Gold Cup a few years earlier, giving the result an extra layer of meaning.
Robinson also took the win in the V8 race during the regatta, making it a strong weekend across the board. Her attention now turns to the nationals in Rotorua and the King of the Lake title. Asked about that upcoming challenge, she kept it measured. "We will see how it goes."
The Gold Cup headline was just one part of a packed programme at Whirokino.
Dan Hall was the standout performer in the North Island Formula 3 title race, open to hydros up to 1650cc, outboards up to 115 hp, and flatties up to 2000cc. He took the win in Iron Maiden, with Blair Murray in On The Edge finishing second and Matty Hall third in Cost a lott.
The REDHOT Marine Racing Clubman Series Round 6 produced a win for Andrew Speedie in White Lightning. Ross Legend drove Legend into second place, and Ben Lee brought Zippy home third.
Round 3 of the REDHOT Marine Racing Formula V Series resulted in a shared top spot, with Owen Wilson in Redemption and Luke Mason in Snaggletooth tying for first. Scott Watson in Bok Choy completed that podium.
The Bob Dunlop Memorial Cup, contested by flatties and skiffs, went to Simon Watkins, known around the river as Bricky, in Typhoon. Watkins drew widespread praise for his drive. Cody Wotton in Fast Forward finished second, and Andrea Robinson in Full Circle was third once more.
In the Sally Nagel Memorial Cup for inboards up to 3000cc, Dan Hall again proved hard to beat, taking the honours in Iron Maiden. Raymond Forsythe steered Valhalla to second, and Steve Mathieson finished third in Ambush.
While high-tech foiling catamarans were capturing attention elsewhere that weekend, Whirokino offered a different kind of spectacle. From big V8 flatties to nimble tunnel hulls, the full range of New Zealand river powerboat racing was on show. A long-time contender finally lifted the Cup he had chased for 15 years, and a first-time Gold Cup starter stepped straight onto the podium. Three hard laps on a flowing river, as the Manawatu demonstrated once again, can still deliver some of the most gripping racing in the country.
