The Glenmaggie & District Boat Club played host to a piece of Australian motorsport history this weekend, as the country's fastest circuit boats took to the water for the very first Lucas Oil Australia Hydroplane National Drivers Championship, a brand new national racing series making its long-awaited debut.
Conditions could hardly have been more cooperative. Still air, blue skies, and a gentle breeze rolling in off the Gippsland hills greeted competitors on Saturday 1 November. By mid-morning, spectators had claimed their spots along the banks while teams ran through engine warm-ups and final checks. The lake, placid just hours before, erupted into noise and spray as Grand Prix Hydroplanes, 5- and 6-litre Hydros, and 1.6-litre OzLites began working through their practice laps.
Before a single engine turned over, a walk through the pits revealed the character of the event. Much like the Lucas Oil Hydro Thunder New Zealand season opener held the same weekend at Mangakino, the atmosphere was all spanners, grease, and quiet concentration, with crews bent over every fitting and fastener with the kind of focus that wins races. Back at Glenmaggie, the names on the trailers read like a roll call of Australian hydroplane racing. Grant Harrison's freshly tuned GP1, Dan Krusic's Krusader, Ben Clark's rebuilt GP101, and Darren Pennington's returning Wasp were all primed and pointed at the water. Families set up under marquees, drivers traded words between trailers, and race officials moved with purpose between classes. One local volunteer summed up the mood during the morning walk-through: "This is the biggest hydroplane lineup Glenmaggie's seen in years."
The 1.6-litre OzLites opened proceedings in hot laps, with Grant Harrison claiming inside pole ahead of Dooie Nichols and Wendy Gielen. The 5- and 6-litre Hydros produced a tight contest, Tony Murphy's Enforcer clocking a 41.54-second lap to head the field, with Gator and Stampede both within three-tenths of a second. The Grand Prix class then delivered the benchmark of the entire day. Harrison's GP1 posted a 36.51-second lap to top the charts, ahead of Krusic's Krusader at 40.83 and Clark's GP101, which was still bedding in after a rebuild completed only weeks before.
Racing delivered precisely what a brand new national series needed to announce itself. The OzLites Heat 1 opened with Dooie Nichols surging to the front, only for Harrison's Melton Toyota machine to fight back and claim the win by the slimmest of margins in a photo finish over Nichols and Gielen. Among the 5- and 6-litre Hydros, Tony Murphy converted his hot laps pace into a victory in the opening heat, though the result owed something to misfortune elsewhere. Kelvin Macansh's Gator was handed a lap penalty for missing a turn buoy, leaving Brendan Anderson (AMR) to finish second and Paul Jones aboard Stampede to take third.
The crowd had been waiting for the Grand Prix class, and it did not disappoint. Harrison's GP1 and Krusic's Krusader ran side by side through much of the four-lap sprint, both boats throwing 20-metre plumes into the air as they scrapped for the lead. Harrison took the win, Krusic crossed second, and Ben Clark brought GP101 home third despite persistent handling issues. There was disappointment for Darren Pennington's Wasp Racing (GP5), forced to retire before hot laps with mechanical problems after considerable effort to get the team back on the water.
Sunday 2 November began under a cold, foggy sky that gave little hint of what lay ahead. As the morning progressed, the mist cleared to reveal another brilliant day on the lake, ideal for the second round of heats and the finals that would crown the inaugural Lucas Oil Australia Hydroplane NDC winner. The reverse-grid format for the finals set up compelling rematches, with Jones, Anderson, and Murphy squaring off again in the 6-litre class and Harrison, Krusic, and Clark primed for another Grand Prix battle.
The Glenmaggie round carries significance beyond the results sheet. Australian hydroplane racing has a long and celebrated history, home to storied trophies such as the E.C. Griffith Cup, but the National Drivers Championship format introduces something new: regular points-based competition and live coverage through GP Hydro Livestreaming, giving teams and fans a structured season to follow. For Lucas Oil Australia, the event extends a commitment that already stretches across the Tasman, with the brand backing the NZ Hydro Thunder Series at Mangakino on the very same weekend.
With Glenmaggie nearly wrapped up and Lake Eppalock already locked in as the venue for the 2026 season opener, the foundations of Australia's newest national championship appear firmly set. Fast boats, family crews, perfect racing water, and genuine competition on debut. The Lucas Oil Australia Hydroplane NDC has arrived, and New Zealand had better take notice.
