Justin Hill travelled to the United States with a clear goal, and he came back having achieved it. Paired with navigator Scott Smith in his CX class Eagle hull Aftershock, New Zealand's only representative at the 2026 World Championship Jet Boat River Race took the CX class title at the ten-day international event run across Idaho's Payette, Salmon, Snake and St. Joe rivers from May 8 to 17. He crossed the final finish line second overall, with only Canadian Unlimited Class competitor Gord Humphrey posting a quicker combined time across the field.
It was Hill's fourth world class title in a career now spanning more than a decade, and the first he has secured on American soil.
The sport is woven into Hill's family history in a way few competitors can claim. His father Michael, a world champion in 1997, made the journey to Idaho and worked on Aftershock throughout the campaign alongside crew member Adam, with a small group of Kiwi supporters present. Justin's mother followed the racing from back home in New Zealand.
"I was seven years old when he won the world title," Hill said of his father.
Now 15 years into his own career, Hill has assembled a record that invites serious comparison. His two earlier New Zealand world championship appearances both ended in A class victories, and he added a CX class world title in Canada in 2019. A campaign in Oregon two years ago delivered a third-place finish, leaving the matter of winning on American soil unresolved. Idaho was where he intended to settle it.
For Hill, the pull of the sport has always gone well beyond results. "Jet boat racing is in the family. The people we meet and the places we travel are incredible, and going fast on the best rivers in the world doesn't hurt either."
Smith has been in the navigator's seat beside Hill for eight years and made the crossing with him for this campaign. Aftershock, powered by a Chevy CT525, arrived from New Zealand with backing from sponsors Southshore Marine Ltd, Talley's and Jettec. Michael Hill and Adam managed the mechanical work throughout.
The opening day on the Payette River on May 9 established the mood immediately. Aftershock recorded the fastest CX times in three of the four legs, sitting third overall and first in class at day's end. Only Humphrey's Unlimited Class machine Unnatural Disaster and American Chuck Thompson's A class boat Rump Shocker were ahead of them in the general classification.
By the second day on the Payette, Hill had moved up to second overall. Humphrey was pulling away, but Hill's hold on the CX class was not in question. The character of the event shifted considerably when racing arrived at the Salmon River. Tim Harding's A class boat Gambler struck the bank, overturned and submerged on Day 3. Ryan Hudson's Sneaky Snake also tumbled out of contention. As the A class field thinned, the overall standings sharpened.
The Snake River at Lewiston brought rougher water that put every crew under pressure. Hill acknowledged it was different from what he encountered at home. "It's been good. It's some new water for us. We've just been feeling our way through it," he said ahead of the final legs on the St. Joe.
After the Snake River section, Hill had dropped temporarily to third overall, with Hudson's Sneaky Snake slotting between him and Humphrey. The gap separating Hill from Hudson was just two seconds. There was no margin for hesitation.
Hill and Smith held firm. Across the final stages on the St. Joe River they reclaimed second overall and extended their lead in CX. When all 17 stages and hundreds of river miles had been counted, Aftershock had posted a total time of 4:42:24, more than ten minutes clear of second-placed CX competitor Kyle Johnston in Rip N Tear (4:52:37). Humphrey, with the benefit of his Unlimited Class machinery, remained the only competitor ahead of them overall, posting 4:07:07.
Those around Hill speak of him as the best driver on the circuit. He receives the suggestion with measured composure. "I don't know about that. There's plenty of really good drivers around here and I look up to some of these racers around here too. I just enjoy pushing hard. It's good when we've got a good bike that we can trust as well."
Trust in the machinery proved as decisive as raw speed. Aftershock ran without incident from the Payette all the way through to the St. Joe. Nine days of clean, reliable running was just as central to the outcome as anything Hill did at the wheel.
Heading into the final weekend, Hill was careful with his words. "I don't want to jinx it," he said. "I'm excited to get on to the Joe because it's something a bit more New Zealand style. A bit narrower and windy but without the braided stuff."
His read of the St. Joe proved accurate. The river suited Aftershock and its crew, and they made the most of it.
The closing ceremony in St. Maries on May 17 confirmed what the timing sheets had already shown. Hill and Smith had their CX class world title, along with second place overall on a campaign that had exceeded their own expectations.
"Not where we thought we'd be at the end of it," Hill said afterward. "But we just chipped away and did what we wanted to do all week. Perfect result."
Smith was just as composed. "It's been a really good marathon."
Finishing second overall in a CX class hull, ahead of every surviving A class boat, was something few would have anticipated at the start of the week. Hill made no attempt to pretend otherwise. "There's a lot of horsepower in the A class this year. Definitely not where we thought we would be."
His father had only one way to describe it. "There's no words for it really. It's just incredible."
Hill is not allowing himself much time to reflect. A South Island race meet is already on the calendar for the weekend after he lands back in New Zealand, meaning the Idaho title will barely have been celebrated before he is back at a start line.
"We get off the plane and the weekend later we're racing in New Zealand. We've got a tight little contest going with our season. We're going to do a bit of pre-running straight away, but I guess we're straight into it with our mindset. It's going to be good."
