The E.C. Griffith Cup is widely described as the world’s second oldest motorsport competitive trophy (after the APBA’s Gold Cup, which predates it by a few years), not just the Southern Hemisphere’s oldest.
Powerboating itself only really started in 1886. That year, German Friedrich Lürrsen built a six metre timber hull to fit an experimental petrol engine developed and supplied by That was the moment things changed. Just over 20 years later, Australia had its first major powerboat trophy.
First contested in 1910 in Rose Bay, Sydney, today it is held in Manly, the premier Australasian Unlimited Inboard Open Championship for fast hydroplanes. This year, there is one New Zealander in the field.
Ken Lupton, far more humble in person than this list suggests, arrives in his Lucas Oil GP-577, as one of the most decorated hydroplane drivers globally. He’s the 2024, 2005 HRL Champion, the 2025 Masport Cup winner (NZ), the 2024-2025 NZ Hydro Thunder Series Champion; and has multiple NZPBA titles. Add the A.E. Baker Cup to the list. This year his brother, Jack, won it; sibling rivalry runs deep in this family.
The brothers inherited their hydroplane DNA from dad, Warwick Lupton. A two-time world champion and one of New Zealand’s most decorated powerboat racers, Warwick won the E.C. Griffith Cup twice, in 2001 and 2008, both times in his boat Annihilator. However, he was not the first Kiwi to leave his mark on the trophy.
New Zealand’s involvement in the Cup stretches back to 1949, when Len Southward first took it across the Tasman. Southward was no one-hit wonder: he held the Cup for eleven straight years, a reign that remains one of the most dominant in the competition’s history. Bill Stevenson picked up where he left off, winning in 1960. After a long period of Australian control, Peter Knight reasserted Kiwi authority with four consecutive wins from 1989 to 1992. Warwick Lupton followed, arriving on the scene in 2001 to sweep the Griffith Cup, the AE Baker Championship, and the Paynesville Gold Cup on a single trip to Australia.
New Zealand has unfinished business with this Cup.
The 2026 E.C. Griffith Cup is part of the Australian Thunder Boat Grand Prix and is a major Australasian championship event. It’s a big spectator event held at the Yarrawonga Powerboat Spectacular.
This year there are 15 entrants competing for the Cup. The current champion, Ricky Howard who drove Whitenoise is the 2025 winner. He’s not back this year to defend his title so the field is wide open. Still, the race will not be a walk in the park for Lupton. The Australian field is strong and deep. Grant Harrison in Melton Toyota GP1 is one to watch. Grant Harrison has won the E.C. Griffith Cup nine times and is considered a local favorite. Harrison is the most successful driver in the cup’s modern history and represents the strongest Australian defense against the Kiwi challenge. There is also Russell Jones in Aussie Connection, who is a veteran competitor and past winner who remains a top-tier threat in the GP class. And Ben Clark, in GP101, who is coming off a strong season, including a win in the 2025 ANZAC Day Cup, is considered a major disruptor who could upset the Lupton-Harrison rivalry.
Yarrawonga is a fast, tight circuit. New Zealand hydroplane circuits are renowned for being both quick and highly technical due to their compact layouts. Irrespective, Ken Lupton has shown his ability to navigate a range of courses at speed.
At the end of the day, the key question is whether the Cup will come back to New Zealand with Ken Lupton or whether it will remain in Australian control.
