River Racing NZ’s Canterbury Memorial Race Weekend delivered two days of high drama across the Rakaia and Waimakariri rivers, with fires, attrition, and some outstanding drives making for a weekend the Canterbury jet boat community won’t forget quickly.
Gord Humphrey and Mike Pooley arrived at the Waimakariri in the lead in the 2026 National Championship Series overall standings. Humphrey, the Canadian world champion and Pooley, his Kiwi navigator, took Round 1 of the 2026 River Racing NZ National Championship Series at the Otago Rivers Race in March, winning overall in Unnatural Disaster with a total of 1:30:22 across the Dart and Matukituki rivers. Their formula was straightforward: clean runs, no major errors, and let the competition lose time elsewhere. Second was Riley Scott, and third, Justin Hill. Read our Otago Rivers Race report here.
Two weeks ago Justin Hill and navigator Scott Smith claimed the CX class world title at the Idaho World Jet Boat Championship, finishing second overall behind only Gord Humphrey’s more powerful Unlimited machine. Read our coverage of the 2026 Idaho World Jet Boat Championship here. They both return to go head-to-head for the overall win in this weekend’s racing.
2026 Norm & Simon Bagrie Memorial Race
Rakaia River, Saturday 30 May
The Rakaia has form as a race that rewards composure. Last year’s Bagrie Memorial was itself thrown together at short notice after the NZ Marathon was postponed due to low river levels, with the field scrambling to make the start in under a fortnight. Run over four short legs and a full river run, it was Richard Foster and Andrew Scott who traded blows across the Unlimited class, with Adam Wilton dominating CX and Justin Hill leading A Class. Read our coverage of the 2025 race here.
The Rakaia threw up drama before a boat had barely left the line. Richard Foster and Brent Millar’s U185 exited the race early when their boat caught fire off the start, though both crew walked away unharmed. The boat was not so fortunate.
Despite the incident, the field pushed on and Brad Monk and Jeff Lancaster drove a composed race in their CX-class machine to take the overall win in 1:06:28, with legs of 33:48 upstream and 32:40 downstream. Justin Hill and Josh Hamilton were second overall in A Class, just four seconds back at 1:06:32, and Craig Robinson and Liam Robinson third in CX at 1:15:50.
There was a notable story in the FX-Evo class, where Matthew Bagrie and Nick Heney raced in Matt’s father’s boat for the first time, completing the memorial race named in part for the Bagrie family. They finished first in class and fifth overall in 1:19:20.
In the Unlimited class, Andrew Scott and Nigel Young took the class win in 1:28:02, with Gord Humphrey and Mike Pooley second.
Overall Results
| Placing | Overall Time | Race No. | Class | Driver / Navigator | Leg 1 Upstream | Leg 2 Downstream |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:06:28 | 797 | CX | Brad Monk / Jeff Lancaster | 0:33:48 | 0:32:40 |
| 2 | 1:06:32 | 248 | A | Justin Hill / Josh Hamilton | 0:34:05 | 0:32:27 |
| 3 | 1:15:50 | 28 | CX | Craig Robinson / Liam Robinson | 0:38:15 | 0:37:35 |
| 4 | 1:17:37 | 166 | CX | Riley Smith / Zane Rich | 0:35:37 | 0:42:00 |
| 5 | 1:19:20 | 373 | FX-Evo | Matthew Bagrie / Nick Heney | 0:40:16 | 0:39:04 |
| 6 | 1:24:20 | 417 | A | Nick Sullivan / Fraser Guise | 0:47:00 | 0:37:20 |
| 7 | 2:00:52 | 144 | FX-Evo | Mike Hanson / Roger Wilson | 1:03:32 | 0:57:20 |
Unlimited Class
| Placing | Overall Time | Race No. | Class | Name | Leg 1 Upstream | Leg 2 Downstream |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:28:02 | NZ1 | U | Andrew Scott / Nigel Young | 0:29:44 | 0:58:18 |
| 2 | 1:40:04 | 357 | U | Gord Humphrey / Mike Pooley | 0:31:10 | 1:08:54 |
| 3 | 1:43:11 | 185 | U | Richard Foster / Brent Millar | 0:34:17 | 1:08:54 |
A Class
| Placing | Overall Time | Race No. | Class | Name | Leg 1 Upstream | Leg 2 Downstream |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:06:32 | 248 | A | Justin Hill / Josh Hamilton | 0:34:05 | 0:32:27 |
| 2 | 1:15:51 | 307 | A | Joseph Kelly / Sean Keals | 0:34:47 | 0:41:04 |
| 3 | 1:19:32 | 480 | A | Graeme Patterson / Murray Doig | 0:38:28 | 0:41:04 |
| 4 | 1:24:20 | 417 | A | Nick Sullivan / Fraser Guise | 0:47:00 | 0:37:20 |
| 5 | 1:40:14 | 377 | A | Tom Kelly / Matt Grant | 0:51:42 | 0:48:32 |
CX Class
| Placing | Overall Time | Race No. | Class | Name | Leg 1 Upstream | Leg 2 Downstream |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:06:28 | 797 | CX | Brad Monk / Jeff Lancaster | 0:33:48 | 0:32:40 |
| 2 | 1:15:50 | 28 | CX | Craig Robinson / Liam Robinson | 0:38:15 | 0:37:35 |
| 3 | 1:17:37 | 166 | CX | Riley Smith / Zane Rich | 0:35:37 | 0:42:00 |
FX-Evo Class
| Placing | Overall Time | Race No. | Class | Name | Leg 1 Upstream | Leg 2 Downstream |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:19:20 | 373 | FX-Evo | Matthew Bagrie / Nick Heney | 0:40:16 | 0:39:04 |
| 2 | 1:46:14 | 110 | FX-Evo | Regan Howley / Ollie Sharp | 0:43:10 | 1:03:04 |
| 3 | 1:46:45 | 24 | FX-Evo | Matthew Thomson / Shane Christie | 0:43:41 | 1:03:04 |
| 4 | 2:00:52 | 144 | FX-Evo | Mike Hanson / Roger Wilson | 1:03:32 | 0:57:20 |
Penalty
DNS
DNF indicated where applicable per official results.
2026 Stuart Blanchard Memorial Race
Waimakariri River, Sunday 31 May
When Richard Foster and Brent Miller won last year’s Stuart Blanchard Memorial, their combined time of 46:23 set a high bar across the Waimakariri’s 120-odd kilometres. Andrew Scott pushed them hard in second, just over two minutes back. Neither crew lined up on Sunday, leaving the Unlimited class open, and Gord Humphrey and Mike Pooley made the most of it, running the most balanced splits of the day to take the overall win. Read our coverage of the 2025 race here.
Saturday’s attrition bit hard overnight. Only eight boats made the start line on the Waimakariri, and the reduced field made for a tight contest over the approximately 60km upstream and 60km downstream course between SH1 Bridge and the Gorge Bridge.
Gord Humphrey and Mike Pooley reversed Saturday’s Unlimited result to take the overall win in 0:57:36, splitting the course almost perfectly with a 28:49 upstream and 28:47 downstream. Justin Hill and Josh Hamilton were again second overall, crossing in 0:58:49 after a 29:59/28:50 split.
Riley Smith and Zane Rich claimed third overall and the CX class win in 1:17:50, with Craig Robinson and Liam Robinson fourth and second in CX at 1:20:47. In FX-Evo, Mike Hanson and Roger Wilson were the sole finisher, completing the course in 2:05:49.
Overall Results
| Placing | Overall Time | Race No. | Class | Driver / Navigator | Leg 1 Upstream | Leg 2 Downstream |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0:57:36 | 357 | U | Gord Humphrey / Mike Pooley | 0:28:49 | 0:28:47 |
| 2 | 0:58:49 | 248 | A | Justin Hill / Josh Hamilton | 0:29:59 | 0:28:50 |
| 3 | 1:17:50 | 166 | CX | Riley Smith / Zane Rich | 0:35:09 | 0:42:41 |
| 4 | 1:20:47 | 28 | CX | Craig Robinson / Liam Robinson | 0:41:06 | 0:39:41 |
Unlimited Class
| Placing | Overall Time | Race No. | Class | Name | Leg 1 Upstream | Leg 2 Downstream |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0:57:36 | 357 | U | Gord Humphrey / Mike Pooley | 0:28:49 | 0:28:47 |
| 2 | 1:09:07 | NZ1 | U | Andrew Scott / Nigel Young | 0:31:42 | 0:37:25 |
A Class
| Placing | Overall Time | Race No. | Class | Name | Leg 1 Upstream | Leg 2 Downstream |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0:58:49 | 248 | A | Justin Hill / Josh Hamilton | 0:29:59 | 0:28:50 |
| 2 | 1:19:32 | 480 | A | Graeme Patterson / Murray Doig | 0:39:22 | 0:40:10 |
| 3 | 1:19:49 | 417 | A | Nick Sullivan / Fraser Guise | 0:43:18 | 0:36:31 |
CX Class
| Placing | Overall Time | Race No. | Class | Name | Leg 1 Upstream | Leg 2 Downstream |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:17:50 | 166 | CX | Riley Smith / Zane Rich | 0:35:09 | 0:42:41 |
| 2 | 1:20:47 | 28 | CX | Craig Robinson / Liam Robinson | 0:41:06 | 0:39:41 |
FX-Evo Class
| Placing | Overall Time | Race No. | Class | Name | Leg 1 Upstream | Leg 2 Downstream |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2:05:49 | 144 | FX-Evo | Mike Hanson / Roger Wilson | 1:06:00 | 0:59:49 |
Penalty
DNS
DNF indicated where applicable per official results.
