With the Australian Offshore Superboat Championship's opening round set to thunder across Lake Macquarie this weekend as part of the Lake Mac Action Fest, the trans-Tasman offshore scene is alive on both sides of the water. Back home, the New Zealand Offshore Powerboating season has already completed its first meet, with the next round due at Taupō in mid-November. Right now, though, the spotlight belongs to Australia, where two days of racing promise shoreline noise, open pits, and all the burnt fuel and spray that offshore powerboat fans live for.
*A stacked field for 2025/26*
The entry list for the opening round is among the most competitive assembled in recent years. At the top of the pyramid sits the Supercat Extreme division, the outright premier class of Australian offshore racing, and six boats have lined up to contest it.
Darren Nicholson will pilot 222 Offshore & 222 Marine, an MPYD Boat Design driven by twin Mercury V8 750hp engines. Tom Barry Cotter steers Acme Racing Pty, a 36ft Maritimo running a V8 Racing inboard. Newcomers Venturi Offshore Racing, crewed by Antony De Fina and Matt Kell, arrive with little known about them beyond the names on the entry sheet. Michael Kelly heads out in Colonel Offshore Racing, a 24ft Skater fitted with twin Mercury Racing outboards. Darren Apps will helm Team Australia Powerboat Racing, a Maritimo Boat Design 42 powered by twin Mercury V8 750hp engines. Rounding out the class is MOJO, a Maritimo running twin Mercury 750hp V8 inboards, with former Supercars driver Todd Kelly at the controls.
Each of these twin-engine cats produces roughly 1,500 horsepower, with top speeds approaching 230 km/h on the straights. When the throttles open at Lake Macquarie, the sound carries right around the lake, addictive, deafening, and entirely unlike anything else in motorsport.
*Classes and contenders*
Three further categories sit beneath the Extreme class, collectively guaranteeing non-stop racing across the two-day event.
Supercat Outboard is no less fiercely contested, with TCR Offshore, KESS Motorsports, The Sting, and DLR (Dove Logistics Racing) set to trade paint at speeds near 185 km/h.
SuperSport 85 brings together RS Motorsports, Special Edition, The Colonel, and Action Property Management, blending seasoned competitors with fresh challengers eager to make their mark.
The SuperSport 65 class gives the event its family-friendly energy, with The Villain, Risky, Nut Case, Slick Racing, Valentus Offshore Racing, Team 38 Offshore, The Con, and Team Degen all entered. Each race runs roughly 30 minutes over a 6.5 km circuit laid out close to the shoreline, keeping the boats well within sight of spectators throughout.
*Storylines to watch*
Venturi Offshore Racing steps up from Supercat Outboard to the Extreme class having claimed last season's Outboard crown, with Antony De Fina and Matt Kell returning aboard a freshly painted twin-750hp hull. It is the promotion story of the new season.
222 Offshore arrives targeting a return to championship dominance, while Acme Racing and Colonel Offshore Racing bring proven pace that makes any expectation of an easy title run seem optimistic.
Team Australia Powerboat Racing returns under new ownership, pairing experienced throttle-man Paul Fowlds with Phil Wiley and Darren Apps for what will be their debut campaign together in the boat.
Todd Kelly and MOJO represent the highest-profile individual story in the fleet. Kelly's background in V8 Supercars brings a motorsport pedigree to the offshore scene that will draw attention well beyond the usual fanbase.
In the SuperSport ranks, Ben Embleton and Liam Sutherland of Team 38 Offshore are back for their first full season after a solid Port Adelaide debut, while reigning SuperSport 65 champions Razorcraft Boats are eyeing a move up to the 85 class at some point during the season.
*The season ahead*
After Lake Macquarie, the Australian series moves south through a sequence of venues: Wyndham Harbour in February, Geelong in March, and North Haven in Adelaide in May. For New Zealand fans keeping one eye across the Tasman, it makes for a compelling companion series to the domestic season, the same roar, the same spectacle, just a different accent on the commentary.
