The 2025 Grand Prix Challenge has drawn to a close, and the final standings produced exactly the kind of razor-thin finish that makes hydroplane racing so compelling. Three cities, three rounds of high-speed competition, and a points table that separated the top three teams by just 10 points. For New Zealand brothers Ken and Jack Lupton, the season brought podium glory, engine dramas, and the particular frustration of a championship finale swallowed by a storm.
Valleyfield was where it all came to a head, and where the weather had the final say. With the GP final cancelled due to storms, officials turned to accumulated heat points to determine the 2025 GPA/HRL 3 Round Challenge standings. The championship had visited Guntersville and Madison before arriving in Valleyfield, and by the time the skies closed in, enough racing had been run to settle the order.
The verdict left Brandon Kennedy on top, his GP-35 TMSpecial taking the title from Jeff Bernard's Bad Influence by just 4 points. Ken Lupton's Lucas Oil rounded out the podium in third in the GP-577, a single-digit margin behind Bernard making the top three one of the closest in recent memory. Kennedy had already signalled his intentions before the storm intervened, qualifying fastest at Valleyfield with a front-straight speed of 161 mph and carrying himself throughout the weekend with the composure of a champion in waiting.
For Ken Lupton, third overall is a result that reflects both the quality of his season and the frustration of a final that never got to run. His Heat 3A victory in Valleyfield was a dominant performance, and his consistent points-gathering across all three venues kept him squarely in the title hunt until the very end. The result confirms what the international hydroplane community has been watching for some time: Lupton belongs among the best in the Grand Prix class.
His brother Jack had a weekend that swung between adversity and resolve. Engine failure threatened to end his Valleyfield campaign early, but he came back to take the consolation final in a display of the tenacity that has become a hallmark of the Lupton name on the water. While the final standings place Jack outside the top three, his performance under those circumstances left little doubt that a fully run final could have reshuffled the picture considerably.
Both brothers leave 2025 with their reputations intact and, in Ken's case, a podium to show for it. The season delivered the deck-to-deck intensity and breakneck speeds that define the Grand Prix class at its best, with the odd blunt reminder that the weather answers to nobody. With new boats reportedly in the works and teams already turning their attention to 2026, the stage is set for another season at least as competitive as this one. The bar, after a title fight decided by 4 points, has rarely been higher.
