2026 NZBMC Championship season opens in style at Lake Dunstan and Roxburgh

The 2026 NZBMC season is up and running, and if the opening weekend at Lake Dunstan and Roxburgh is any guide, the championship is going to be a hard-fought one from start to finish.

Friday evening set the right tone, with scrutineering at the Lake Dunstan Boat Club followed by a meet and greet, bar open and food caravans rolling. Saturday brought the full race programme across the wide Clutha and Kawarau arms of Lake Dunstan, with spectators spread along the Bannockburn Inlet and the Lake Dunstan Trail watching the Speed Race, Ski Race heats, and the Family Runabout Pace Event fill out a long and entertaining day. Sunday shifted the action downstream for the Roxburgh and Return races, the fleet sprinting up the narrow gorge to the turning mark and hammering back, everyone off the water by 4:30pm and final prizegiving held in Clyde.

In the lineup are names that popup in other powerboat competitions, from offshore to waterskiing. Nic de Mey from DEMEY Yachts in his Phantom 2 raceboat, War Machine. Ryan Archer, a regular offshore racer in his Sonic 1900ss Supersonic. And then there are longtime powerboating names who participate year-after-year: Brand Inder of Inders Marine based in Gore in Dirty Addiction, Billy McEwan in his high-speed tunnel cat Outlaw, and John Byrman in his monohull Indecent Assault.

The speed demons

Round 1: Lake Dunstan

On the water, Jordan Lilley took maximum points at Dunstan in Little Man to lead the AV class going into Roxburgh, but Paul Rutherford hit back with a strong run in Infrared to make it close at the top. Billy McEwan swept Class AT in Outlaw without putting a foot wrong. In Class AV the battle behind Lilley and Rutherford was tight, with Nic de Mey (War Machine) and Daniel Rule (The Mistress) both scoring well across the two rounds.

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Class B is shaping up as a season-long contest too, with Jordan Henderson’s Conflict consistent at the front, Brad Inder’s Dirty Addiction competitive, and Jake Hall‘s Full On in the mix. Camryn Sharpe was the standout in Class E, On The Gas quick and consistent for maximum points. Sean Archer’s Twisted Treasure led Class D, and Peter McLeary’s Pacifier won Class C.

Round 2: Lake Roxburgh

The Roxburgh and Return format sorted the field in a few interesting ways. Billy McEwan (Outlaw) and Peter mcLeary (Pacifier) were untouchable again, both taking maximum points in their respective classes for the second time in as many rounds. In Class B, Jordan Henderson (Conflict) and Brad Inder (Dirty Addiction) also held their positions from Dunstan, suggesting those two are simply the benchmark in that class and the rest of the field is racing for third.

The AV class was the most interesting story of the day. Paul Rutherford brought Infrared home first at Roxburgh after finishing second at Dunstan, flipping the top two and setting up what is shaping up as the season’s defining rivalry. Camryn Sharpe (On The Gas) swept Class E again, and Sean Archer (Twisted Treasure) was dominant in Class D for the second consecutive round.

The biggest collapse was Jem Mosdell (Rogue) in Class C, dropping from 2nd at Dunstan to a single-digit points score at Roxburgh. With only two boats in Class C, that gap between Pacifier and Rogue is now significant.

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Speed Race Standings: Rounds 1 & 2 Lake Dunstan & Lake Roxburgh — NZBMC 2026 Season
Class	Boat Name	Driver	Dunstan	Roxburgh	Total
Class AM
AM	Rayglass	Kevin Ireland	400	400	800
Class AT (Tunnel Hull)
AT	Outlaw	Billy McEwan	400	400	800
AT	Mans Ruin	Tim Fellows	320	320	640
Class AV (Mono Hull)
AV	Little Man	Jordan Lilley	400	320	720
AV	Infrared	Paul Rutherford	260	400	660
AV	War Machine	Nic de Mey	190	190	380
AV	The Mistress	Daniel Rule	145	220	365
AV	Ballz Out	Jamie Chittock	—	260	260
AV	Riski Business	Gene Hollands	30	165	195
AV	Pour Decision	Brent Cowles	145	110	255
AV	Overdraft	Quinteen Keen	75	145	220
AV	Rocken	Luke Faid	17	130	147
AV	Indecent Assault	John Byrman	13	90	103
AV	Supersonic	Ryan Archer	9	—	9
Class B Standard
B	Conflict	Jordan Henderson	400	400	800
B	Dirty Addiction	Brad Inder	320	320	640
B	Full On	Jake Hall	260	260	520
B	Red Blooded	Nick Hoskin	220	220	440
B	The Reverend	Sam Martin	190	190	380
B	Supersonic	Ryan Archer	75	—	75
Class C Standard
C	Pacifier	Peter McLeary	400	400	800
C	Rogue	Jem Mosdell	320	75	395
Class D Standard
D	Twisted Treasure	Sean Archer	400	400	800
D	Beetals	Sam Pimm	320	260	580
D	Lowlife	Luke van Oosten	260	320	580
Class E Standard
E	On The Gas	Camryn Sharpe	400	400	800
E	Too Easy	Andrew Horsnell	320	320	640
E	Hard Target	Martin Heanue	—	260	260
Class G
G	Xtreme	Paul Sexton	400	—	400
Positions derived from championship points allocation. — indicates did not start or did not finish at that round. Points: 1st 400, 2nd 320, 3rd 260, 4th 220, 5th 190, 6th 165, 7th 145, 8th 130, 9th 110, 10th 90, 11th 75.

Nominated Speed

Round 1: Lake Dunstan

Lake Dunstan’s Nominated Speed was lively. Martin Heanue (Hard Target) took first at Dunstan, Sam Pimm (Beetals) was second, and Andrew Horsnell (Too Easy) third. Roxburgh reshuffled the order: Sean Archer’s Twisted Treasure came from nowhere to win, Indecent Assault took second, and Hard Target dropped to third, keeping the championship battle tight and unpredictable.

Round 3 heads south to the spectacular Lake Te Anau on 9 May. Enter at nzbmc.co.nz.