Napier’s Westshore hosted the third round of the New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Championship this past weekend.
Season results coming into this weekend’s racing
Heading into Napier, the championship picture was already starting to take shape. Fury led the Sports 80mph standings after consistent front-running performances, with Cougar firmly established as its closest challenger. Sports 200 was finely balanced, with GEN2 holding a narrow 200 point series lead over Triple Trouble, while Supersonic remained in contention despite mixed reliability.
In Superboat 600, Langslow Engineering and Rainbow Haulage both sat on 1700 series points. Margins were tight. With two rounds complete and three to go, no class was decided, and consistency rather than outright pace was proving decisive.
Event diary
Although more than a dozen boats were entered for the Napier round, widespread bad weather across the North Island kept roughly half the fleet away. The seven crews who made it arrived ready to race. In Sports 600, Rainbow Haulage and Langslow both lined up, setting the scene for a potential shift in the class lead. Sports 200 featured Triple Trouble and Supersonic chasing points, with GEN2 also in the mix and margins expected to be tight. Sports 80mph again centred on the front-running pair, Fury and Cougar.
Day 1: Saturday 24 January
Day 1 set the tone for the weekend’s racing. Westshore’s foreshore area creates a natural amphitheatre, and Saturday’s racing at Westshore went ahead in conditions that were workable but far from comfortable.
While wave heights were modest at around half a metre, a strong northwesterly produced a short, sharp chop that kept crews busy. Winds sat around 35 knots for much of the day, with gusts pushing higher. As the weather continued to build, organisers trimmed the schedule back to a single 45 minute race at midday, rather than the two races originally planned.
For spectators, the half-metre chop delivered exactly what offshore racing promises, big take-offs, dramatic attitudes, and boats spending plenty of time airborne, all combining to make the racing spectacular to watch.
Day 1: Saturday 25 January
Sunday delivered more settled but still demanding conditions at Westshore. The heavy winds of Saturday had eased, yet a short, choppy sea remained, with wave heights around 60 cm and a longer southerly swell running offshore. Light winds early gave way to a gentle northeast sea breeze, enough to keep the surface unsettled. Partly cloudy skies and passing showers added to the mix, but conditions held steady enough for the Napier 60 long-course race to run as scheduled at midday.
Class analysis
Sports 600
Day 1
Day 1 in Sports 600 was effectively a one-boat result. Langslow Engineering suffered a mechanical failure on the way to the start line, effectively removing their chances of racing on Day 1. Rainbow Haulage took the win by default rather than through a head-to-head contest.
Day 2
1st: Langslow Engineering
2nd: Rainbow Haulage
Day 2 flips the script. Langslow Engineering returned and won.
Sports 200
Day 1
1st: Triple Trouble
2nd: GEN2
DNF: Supersonic
Day 1 was decisive but costly. Up front, Triple Trouble controlled the class, with GEN2 close enough to stay relevant. The day ended early for Supersonic, which suffered from steering failure and after several laps was forced to retire.
Day 2
1st: Triple Trouble
2nd: GEN2
DNF: Supersonic
Day 2 repeats almost exactly. Triple Trouble is the class benchmark while GEN2 is consistently second but cannot close the gap.
Supersonic again failed to finish on Day 2, this time due to an ignition coil issue that caused repeated drops in engine revs. With only brief bursts of power available, owner-driver Ryan Archer elected to retire rather than burn fuel with no realistic chance of contention. The boat will now undergo a full engine rebuild ahead of the next round in Gisborne on 14 February, where the championship resumes with momentum beginning to take shape.
Sports 80mph
Day 1
1st: Fury
2nd: Cougar
This was the cleanest and most stable class across the event. Fury set the tone immediately, with Cougar close enough to remain a genuine threat. Cougar broke a trim tab which resulted in a weekend of very dramatic turning.
Day 2
1st: Fury
2nd: Cougar
Fury is the class leader on outright pace and control. Cougar is close, credible, and consistent, but could not overturn the deficit.
60 Mile Overall
This is where the weekend really resolves.
Overall standings
1st: Fury
2nd: Cougar
3rd equal: Triple Trouble
3rd equal: GEN2
Fury wins outright, not just its class. Cougar confirms second overall, validating Sports 80mph as the fastest, most complete package. Triple Trouble and GEN2 share third, reflecting strong class performance but lower outright speed compared to the 80mph boats
How have the results shaped the overall series?
The Napier round has further shaped the championship picture. Fury strengthened its position with dominant Sports 80mph and 60 Mile performances across both days, while Cougar remained a constant challenger. Triple Trouble extended its lead in Sports 200, again backed by GEN2, as Supersonic’s reliability issues stalled its campaign. In Superboat 600, the balance tightened, with wins split between Langslow Engineering and Rainbow Haulage. With Napier complete, momentum is building and margins are telling the larger picture as the series heads toward Gisborne.
