Jack Lupton heads into the final round of the Lucas Oil NZ Hydro Thunder Series with the points lead, but the title is far from decided. The 2026 TradeZone New Zealand Powerboat Nationals open at Lake Rotoiti on 28 February and 1 March, bringing together national championships, a historic trophy re-run and a season decider in one decisive weekend.
The road to Rotoiti has been shaped by two significant race meetings in quick succession. Round four of the Lucas Oil NZ Hydro Thunder Series ran on 7 and 8 February at Lake Karapiro, a weekend that also hosted the 101st Masport Cup and the Matt Morrison Memorial Trophy. Few weekends in the summer calendar carry that kind of combined weight.
David Alexander was quickest at Karapiro, putting Miss Waverley on pole with a 33.69 second lap. The heat racing that followed was anything but straightforward. Disqualifications, mechanical trouble and a red-flagged Grand Final start all tested the field before the result was finally settled. Alexander came through to take the win, with Lupton crossing the line in second and Raymond Hart rounding out the podium.
Lupton's second place was enough to protect his championship advantage, but his headline result came in the Masport Cup. Racing GP33 JLM, he controlled both heat victories to claim the trophy for the fourth time, consolidating his standing at the head of the GP hydroplane fleet.
The Matt Morrison Memorial provided its own storyline. Karl Weller brought Rat Attack 001 home first in the Pro Com and Pro Stock ranks, emerging from one of the weekend's most competitive grids to take the 2026 honours.
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The action shifted to the Manawatu River on 14 February for the 54th Gold Cup, and with it came a moment fifteen years in the making. Brendon Cornes finally secured the Gold Cup title, piloting Total Chaos to victory. A tunnel hull boat, Total Chaos generates lift through a central air cavity running between twin sponsons, allowing it to ride high and fast across the water's surface. After 15 years of competing, Cornes closed it out. "Happy to take this one," he said after the win. For Andrea Robinson, the day brought its own landmark. She finished on the podium in her first Gold Cup start and summed up the experience simply: "awesome".
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Woven into the Rotoiti programme is a piece of unfinished business. The AE Baker Cup, one of the sport's historic trophies, was abandoned earlier this season at Lake Ruataniwha after weather conditions deteriorated to the point where safety concerns could not be ignored. Hydro Thunder heat points from that meeting were kept on the books, but the cup itself was never awarded. It will now be contested at Rotoiti, adding another layer to what is already a loaded weekend.
The championship picture going into the final round has several moving parts. Lupton carries the points lead, but Alexander's Karapiro win has kept him firmly in contention. Consistent pressure from Scott Coker and Ken Lupton means the outcome will not be settled until the boats are off the water on 1 March.
National titles, a re-run for a historic trophy and the closing chapter of the Hydro Thunder season all converge at Lake Rotoiti on 1 March.
