Beauharnois, Quebec, witnessed the crowning moment of the Hydroplane Racing League's Grand Prix championship when the 2025 season reached its decisive conclusion at the lakeside circuit. Now in its 18th year, the HRL GP regatta has become one of the sport's most anticipated events on the international calendar, and this edition delivered tension, mechanical drama, and a result that no one could have scripted.
The pre-event story centred on Lucas Oil and a compelling twist on the defending champion's absence. Ken Lupton, who holds the title, remained in New Zealand tending to family and farming commitments. In his place, his father Warwick, a two-time UIM World Champion, pulled on his race gear and climbed back into the cockpit. Before the weekend got underway, Warwick was unequivocal about his readiness: "I'm fit and ready to go." For Canadian spectators, it was a rare opportunity to watch a Kiwi great back at the controls of a competitive hydro.
Time trials opened with a jolt. Éric Langevin aboard Sylco set the benchmark with a sharp run of 29.90 seconds, leaving everyone else with ground to make up. Warwick in Lucas Oil was close behind at 29.96, with Kent Henderson in Canada Boy rounding out the top three at 30.49. The margins were tight enough to signal that the races ahead would be hard-fought.
The first heat bore that out. Henderson drove Canada Boy to the win, clocking 2:07.69, with Langevin second and Warwick holding Lucas Oil steady in third. Sylco moved to the top of the points table on 46, with Canada Boy on 43 and Lucas Oil on 39. Both Langevin and Henderson looked threatening, and it was clear that consistency would matter as much as outright pace if Warwick was to protect the championship position.
What unfolded in the deciding race was something else entirely. Both Sylco and Canada Boy broke down before the finish, leaving Warwick to bring Lucas Oil home alone. On the footage from the circuit, the sight of a single hull working through its laps while rivals sat silent on the water carried an almost surreal quality. The crowd understood exactly what they were watching: endurance outlasting speed.
Chris Winton, watching on social media, captured the moment with admirable brevity: "Last race / 2 broke / 577 wins / Lucky / Cos those other boats were damn fast."
Warwick kept his lines clean and his boat running throughout. That was precisely what the situation demanded, and in doing so he secured the points that Ken needed to defend the championship crown.
The official verdict arrived shortly after: "GP-577 Lucas Oil est le Champion du Grand Prix HRL 2025!" Hydro Thunder added their own celebratory voice to the announcement:
“Huge congratulations to Lucas Oil GP577 Ken Lupton, back to back HRL champion. Warwick Lupton finished sealing the final points. To the GP577 team the hours of hard work and several months away from home have paid off 🏁🥂.”
Key sponsors Lucas Oil NZ were quick to pass on their congratulations as well:
Getting to post this picture for a second year running is simply incredible! Congratulations to Ken and Warwick and all the team and helpers who all make this possible. Back to back baby…!!!
The significance of this result stretches beyond a single race weekend. Warwick demonstrated that his capability at the elite level remains genuine, not merely ceremonial. Ken, though thousands of kilometres away, retains the HRL Grand Prix title. The Lucas Oil programme showed the kind of preparation and composure that allows a team to capitalise when fortune shifts.
For New Zealand hydroplane racing, the outcome at Beauharnois reinforces what has become a familiar truth: Kiwi competitors remain a force at the sharp end of international competition. The Luptons have built something that stretches from Lake Karapiro to Lake Saint-Louis, and this weekend added another chapter to that record.
When the engines fell quiet on the Quebec waterway, the day's lesson was straightforward. The HRL GP 2025 Final was not decided by the quickest boat, but by the one that was still moving at the end. Warwick Lupton brought his years of experience to bear, kept Lucas Oil in contention, and delivered back-to-back titles for Ken and the team. For the Luptons and for everyone connected to the New Zealand hydroplane community, this was far more than a stroke of fortune. Knowing how to endure, it turns out, is a championship skill in its own right.
