Severe weather forces cancellation of Australian hydroplane championship final at Glenmaggie

The final round of the 2026 Lucas Oil Australia Hydroplane National Drivers Championship, scheduled for 3–4 October at Glenmaggie & District Boat Club in Gippsland, has been cancelled due to extreme weather conditions.

Organisers cited flooding rain, tornadoes and earthquakes as the hazards that made the event unviable. The Glenmaggie Cup, which was to be contested alongside the National Drivers Championship title, has also been called off.

The National Drivers Championship and Glenmaggie & District Boat Club are working on alternative arrangements, with a replacement event planned for four weeks after the original dates. They acknowledged the efforts of club members and volunteers who had prepared for the championship decider.

The cancellation interrupts what was shaping as a tight championship conclusion. Reigning champion and two-time world titleholder Grant Harrison held a six-point lead in both the GP/Unlimited and 1.6-litre OzLites classes heading into the final round, with 100 race points available. A single mechanical failure could have swung either title despite Harrison's apparent advantage.

The field had already been depleted by parts shortages that organisers attributed to global conflicts, rising interest rates and fuel prices. In the 6-litre class, hit hardest by supply constraints, Eppalock winner Lochie Vella and defending champion Kelvin Macansh were already absent due to mechanical failures and component delays.

The Glenmaggie round was to feature three hydroplane classes: GP/Unlimited machines with 2000+ horsepower capable of exceeding 250 km/h, 5 and 6-litre boats, and 1.6-litre OzLites. Organisers had also been trialling Mazda 2-litre engines in the OzLites class as an alternative to increasingly scarce and expensive Toyota units.