Nick Hoskin wins Class B at Te Anau to shake up season standings

Round 3 of the 2026 NZBMC season travelled south to Lake Te Anau on 9 May, and Fiordland delivered exactly the setting the competition deserved. Glacial depths, unpredictable alpine winds, and a fleet hardened by two rounds at Dunstan and Roxburgh combined to ensure nothing was conceded easily.

The event ran under the banner of the Inders Marineland 61st Gore Boat and Waterski Club Marathon, compressed into a single action-filled Saturday. Scrutineering was split across two sessions: Thursday evening at Inders Marineland in Gore, then a second session from 7:30am at the Te Anau Boat Harbour on race day. The Speed Race kicked off at 10:30am, the Nominated Time Trial followed at 12:30pm, and a drag race at the conclusion of the trial added a final burst of theatre before prizegiving and meals at the Te Anau Club rounded out the day.

Kevin Ireland was in a class of his own in Class AM, piloting Rayglass to an average of 118.77 km/h across 50 minutes 28 seconds. Billy McEwan kept his perfect season intact in Class AT, with Outlaw claiming another win at 77.63 km/h. Class AV offered the tightest contest of the day: Brad Inder steered Dirty Addiction to victory at 86.00 km/h, fending off Brent Cowles in Pour Decision and Daniel Rule in The Mistress. Rule had moved up from his points position at Roxburgh to put genuine pressure on the top of the class.

Class B served up a legitimate three-way fight at the front. Nick Hoskin's Red Blooded posted the best average at 86.87 km/h to take the win, Sam Martin's The Reverend finished second, and Jordan Henderson's Conflict came third. It was a notable shift from the first two rounds, where Conflict had been the consistent front-runner. Henderson still leads the season standings, but Hoskin has announced himself as a genuine title threat.

Peter McLeary brought Pacifier home first in Class C, Sean Archer claimed Class D in Twisted Treasure, and Camryn Sharpe continued her clean sweep of Class E, guiding On The Gas to another victory at 82.02 km/h. Paul Sexton took Class G honours in Xtreme.

The Nominated Speed Trial was a masterclass in precision. Martin Heanue steered Hard Target to the top step with a margin of just 3.71 seconds, reclaiming that position after dropping to third at Roxburgh. David McFadzien was second in Top Knot at 4.86 seconds, with Matt King third in Big Yella at 4.96 seconds.

Rounds 4 and 5 head to the Twin Lakes over 30-31 May.