After two years of bitter mechanical misfortune, Good Boy Vodka finally claimed the top step at the Cowes Torquay Cowes Offshore Powerboat Race 2025, delivering the kind of hard-earned victory that the sport lives for.
Rob Lockyer, steering the 52-foot Outerlimits alongside Americans Alex Pratt, Kirk Britto and Tim Linden, crossed the line in 2h 14m 26s at an average speed of 92.5 mph. The win secured the Beaverbrook Trophy and brought to an end a sustained period of Silverline dominance over one of offshore racing's most gruelling events.
The strategy that delivered victory was measured rather than aggressive. Lockyer's crew tracked the leaders across the outward leg, conserving position and waiting for opportunity. When Airos Developments GoGPS ran into difficulties, Good Boy Vodka needed no second invitation. The team surged clear and held the advantage all the way back to Cowes. The approach drew comment from followers watching online. "Were you holding back, just waiting?" one fan asked, and the result left little doubt that the answer was yes.
Good Boy Vodka is a 2023-model Outerlimits SV52, a carbon-fibre Super Vee racing hull constructed in the United States and powered by Mercury Racing 1100 engines. Measuring 15.39m (50'6") in length with a beam of 2.79m and a draft of just 0.60m, the boat was conceived entirely around offshore performance. It tips the scales at just over 5 tonnes and carries 948 litres of fuel, pairing minimal weight with genuine long-range capacity. The SV52 features a compact layout including one cabin, two berths and a single bathroom, though any claim to comfort sits well behind the boat's primary purpose. A cigarette-style V-bottom built for competition, the model is no longer in production but remains one of the most respected hulls to have carried the Outerlimits name.
The 2025 result was the product of considerable accumulated frustration. When Good Boy Vodka first contested the race in 2023, the team were running in second place before double gearbox failures ended their day prematurely. Silverline, crewed by Drew Langdon and Miles Jennings, went on to take victory, with the win giving Jennings a record seventh Cowes triumph.
The following season brought no relief. In 2024, Good Boy Vodka made a strong start before retiring again, leaving Laa Laa to claim the overall win while Silverline returned to the podium once more. For Lockyer and brand founder Alex Pratt, two consecutive years of promise swallowed by mechanical failure had tested resolve. The frustration, though, only sharpened the crew's hunger for 2025.
In 2025, patience held firm. Good Boy Vodka stayed with the leaders, waited out Airos Developments GoGPS, and came home in just over two hours to lift the Beaverbrook Trophy. The victory capped a sustained pursuit and reversed two years of bad fortune, showing that offshore racing rewards those who keep coming back.
Gary Aldington and Tom Gardner, aboard Airos Developments GoGPS, had looked capable of challenging for top honours before their mechanical troubles intervened. They finished second in 2h 23m 03s, nine minutes behind the winners. Third place went to the familiar Silverline of Drew Langdon and Miles Jennings, who crossed in 2h 30m 03s. Consistent as ever, the result kept them near the front of the fleet, though the race's outcome prompted knowing comment among spectators. "Makes a change from Silverline winning all the time," one observer noted.
The weekend's second major event, the Cowes Poole Cowes, ran across 60 nautical miles and produced its own worthy winner. 66 Racing, with Malc Dopson and Tim Spink at the helm, took the honours in 1h 25m 13s, averaging 54.4 mph across the course.
Back Once Again, crewed by Andy Foster and Charles Morris, finished second, with Carpe Diem of James and Harry Winkworth completing the top three. Thunderstreak and Blast from the Past also made it to the finish, though several other competitors were forced to retire before the line.
Attrition was a defining feature of the main race as the English Channel made its usual demands. Defending champions Falcon Multispark were among the early retirements, joined by Smokin' Aces and Swedenalupowerboat. The Class 80 division proved equally brutal, with only Dry Martini completing the full distance, finishing in 3h 40m 34s. Piston Broke made it home in over four hours, while others did not finish at all. One spectator watching the tracking feed described it as "brutal on the tracker, you'll need weeks to get over it," a sentiment that captured the mood of exhausted crews hauling themselves back into harbour after hours of battering through difficult seas.
The British Powerboat Racing Club acknowledged both Good Boy Vodka and 66 Racing as worthy champions of a weekend that tested every crew to the limit.
For Silverline, another podium appearance confirms they remain a permanent fixture at the front of the fleet. But the story of the 2025 Cowes Torquay Cowes belongs to Lockyer and his crew. Raw horsepower gets a boat to the start line. Patience, tactical discipline, and the willingness to return after two years of heartbreak is what finally put Good Boy Vodka on top.
