Ken Lupton has written his name into hydroplane history, backing up his 2024 championship with a second consecutive Hydroplane Racing League (HRL) Grand Prix title. Behind the wheel of the GP-577 Lucas Oil, the New Zealander built an unassailable points tally across a gruelling North American season, finishing on 493 points. Canada's Kent Henderson in Canada Boy came second on 415 points, with Éric Langevin's Sylco rounding out the podium on 352.
The 2025 HRL Hydroplane Grand Prix season ran from early June through to late August, visiting marquee venues on both sides of the US-Canada border. From Guntersville in Alabama to Salaberry-de-Valleyfield in Quebec, the regattas pushed machinery and crews to the limit across every round.
Guntersville handed Lupton the perfect launchpad. The Lucas Oil GP-577 opened time trials with a 35.34-second blast around the course, earning maximum 25 points, and Lupton backed that up by winning the first qualifying heat in 151.55 seconds. He then claimed the final outright to leave Alabama with 130 points already banked. The rest of the championship field had been put firmly on notice.
The series headed north to Brockville, Ontario, later in June. Lupton again topped time trials, this time with a 31.496-second run worth another 25 points. The heats were less straightforward, with a third place in Q-1A yielding just 7 points, but he recovered to finish second in the final with a 154.453-second run. The 53 points from Brockville kept him comfortably clear at the top of the standings.
Quebec's prestigious Régates de Valleyfield proved a significant moment in the season. With the event operating under a double-scoring format, Lupton's 31.729-second time trial run was worth 50 points in itself. His heat results were a blend of finishes, third in Q-1A for 16 points and second in Q-2A for 42 points, before taking Q-3A outright with a sharp 145.627-second lap worth 50 points. The Valleyfield weekend delivered 158 points in total, leaving Lupton with a commanding championship advantage heading into the second half of the season.
The penultimate round took place at North Tonawanda, New York, in early August. Lupton qualified second in time trials with a 29.965-second pass, earning 21 points. A scoreless Q-1B was a rare low point, but he responded with a second in Q-2B for 21 points and a heat win in Q-3A worth 25 points. When the final came around, he delivered precisely when it mattered, winning in 140.71 seconds to add another 25 points. The round total of 92 points extended his lead ahead of the season finale.
There was a notable twist as the HRL concluded at Beauharnois, Quebec, in late August. Ken Lupton was sidelined and unable to race, with his father Warwick Lupton stepping into the cockpit of the Lucas Oil. Warwick rose to the occasion, clocking 29.55 seconds in time trials for second place and 25 points. He followed that with a heat win in Q-2A, a second in Q-3A, and then a second-place finish in the final with a 142.649-second run worth 21 more points. The performance was more than enough to secure the championship for the Lupton team, with Ken watching from back in New Zealand.
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The final standings confirmed what had been apparent for much of the season. Lucas Oil and the Lupton team finished on 493 points, clear of Canada Boy on 415 and Sylco on 352. Back-to-back titles against the strongest competitors Canada and the United States could offer is a rare achievement, placing Ken Lupton firmly among the top tier of the sport. The 2024 season hinted at a champion in the making. The 2025 season removed all doubt.
