Lake Maraetai at Mangakino is set to roar back into life this weekend, with Round Two of the Lucas Oil NZ Hydro Thunder Series arriving in town. The event is hosted by the Lakeland Powerboat Club, a community group that has been running regattas on this lake for more than seventy years. Mangakino sits roughly half an hour west of Tokoroa, and the lake is central to daily life in the town, used year-round for wakeboarding, skiing, paddling and fishing.
The lake combines a compact surface area with surprising depth. Covering just 4.4 square kilometres, it plunges to seventy five metres in places. A pair of power stations at the northern end generate more than three hundred megawatts and maintain controlled water levels, making Maraetai well suited to powerboat racing. The lake has hosted many key moments in Hydro Thunder history and has a habit of producing racing that defies early predictions.
*GP Hydros headline the weekend*
The GP field is the strongest drawcard, and there is already genuine tension in the championship standings. Jack Lupton took Round One honours in GP33 and carries a slim points lead into a venue where fortunes can shift quickly. His father, current series champion Ken Lupton, finished a strong second at the season opener and is well placed to apply pressure.
Scott Coker arrives with good momentum, sitting second in the standings after a well-earned podium in the Mangakino Grand Final and trailing Jack Lupton by only thirty one points. David Alexander, who won at Mangakino in 2024, returns after an engine issue disrupted his opening round, while Steve Preece is also aiming to rebound following his own mechanical troubles.
Two notable absences have reshaped the field before a hull has touched the water. Christchurch driver Andy Knight had planned to make his GP debut at Mangakino, but a fuel pump problem has ruled him out. The Gambler is another late withdrawal, a reminder that hydroplane racing has a way of rewriting the script well before race day.
*Strong support across the classes*
Racing gets under way with the Total Transport Junior Series at 9.45am on Saturday and 9.00am on Sunday. The Juniors are supported by Clubmans, S3000, ModVP, Pro Stock and H2000. Mangakino is one of the few venues where these classes consistently produce full, competitive grids.
This weekend also marks the opening round of the Hydroplane Invitational Cup Series, a new championship for inboard naturally aspirated hydros up to 2.4 litres. The invitational format brings H2000, Mod H and similar hulls together under a clear technical framework. Eligible engines must be production-based four cylinder units of no more than 2400 cc, naturally aspirated and running on pump gas, with hull dimensions following class standards and no adjustable underwater gear permitted while underway.
The concept has drawn solid early interest, with Triple Threat, Misbehavin, New Obsession, Breaking Point and Tempo Too among those expected to compete in the inaugural round. Further rounds at Karapiro and Arapuni later in the season will give the championship room to develop and provide these boats with a consistent place in the racing calendar.
*A full weekend at the lake*
Warm conditions are forecast across both days. The combination of a contested GP championship, long-established support classes and the debut of the Hydroplane Invitational Cup round gives Mangakino a programme with genuine depth. The lake has a well-earned reputation for close, unpredictable racing, and this weekend's schedule gives every indication of delivering more of the same.
