Gulf Harbour powerboat racing opens with four double winners

A 139 km/h Supercat, two classes that changed hands and a precision contest won by a boat that also won both its races. Round 1 of the 2026/2027 series had a bit of everything.

Twenty-three offshore raceboats, six classes and one stretch of water off the Whangaparāoa Peninsula. Gulf Harbour powerboat racing packed plenty into a single Saturday afternoon for Round 1 of the 2026/2027 Offshore Powerboat Racing Series.

Gulf Harbour powerboat racing sets up under sunshine

The day began under sunshine, with a leftover swell still rolling in near the Gulf Harbour ramp before racing. At the morning briefing, drivers were warned the water could break boats and told to drive to suit.

The planned course started and finished off Kotanui Island, also known as Frenchmans Cap. From there a long loop ran along the southern shore of the peninsula towards Manly and Arkles Bay, with Rangitoto on the skyline. Five course marks set the route. Nine more marked exclusion zones, each watched by a marshal vessel.

Behind the racing sat a full safety operation. Patrol boats flying green flags kept recreational traffic out of the course. Marker boats carried a red flag too, raised only on Race Control's instruction. A lead rescue diver with many years in the role was on the water, along with two new trainee divers.

Spectators had three shore vantage points: The Hammerhead Reserve, Tiri Road Reserve and Hobbs Point. The Hammerhead Reserve also hosted the race pits.

How an offshore race starts on the move

With the fleet assembled off Arkles Bay, attention turned to the Rayglass Protector serving as the start boat. Offshore racing uses a rolling start, bringing the boats into formation before releasing them at speed.

The biggest boats occupied the outside lanes. The 80mph boats gathered to starboard of the Protector, with the smaller boats to port.

A yellow flag signalled four minutes to the start. About two minutes out, white replaced yellow as the Protector led the fleet into formation. The raceboats followed roughly 30 metres astern, building speed and holding their lanes.

Once the fleet was aligned and up to speed, the white flag dropped. The boats were racing, charging towards the start and finish buoy on their opening run.

Later, a white flag would signal one lap remaining, followed by the chequered flag at the finish.

Race 1, the Auckland 100, was scheduled for midday, with Race 2 following about an hour later.

Gulf Harbour powerboat racing results, class by class

The speeds below are averages across each race, measured in km/h. They indicate overall race pace, rather than top speed or finishing margins.

Supercat Lite. The fastest boats of the day by average speed. Rainbow Haulage won Race 1 at 139.28 km/h, from Espresso Engineers at 137.41 and Langslow Engineering at 134.73. Just 4.55 km/h covered the three race averages. Race 2 turned the class on its head. Rainbow Haulage and Langslow Engineering did not finish, and Espresso Engineers won at 136.93 as the only finisher.

Sports 80mph. Hidromek won both races, averaging 117.68 km/h and then 115.42. Rayglass took second both times and found more pace as the day went on, lifting from 108.95 to 110.52. Behind them, attrition bit hard. Secret Agent and Fury II did not finish either race. Fury II was seen stopped on the course in Race 2. Captain Caveman did not finish Race 1 and did not start Race 2. The cause of each retirement has not been reported.

Sports 70mph. Cougar won both races, with Chindit second each time. Cougar was consistent, averaging 92.38 km/h and then 92.77. Chindit was just as steady, at 75.78 and 76.41.

200HP. The most settled class of the day. Gen 2, Supersonic and SKR finished first, second and third in both races. Gen 2 averaged 93.98 and then 93.88 km/h, a difference of a tenth. Mark Helms Marine did not finish Race 1 and did not start Race 2.

140HP. Race 1 was close on pace. Goldship won it at 73.63 km/h, with Gipsy Danger second at 73.31. Their race averages were a third of a km/h apart. Goldship did not finish Race 2, and Gipsy Danger won it at 74.46. Coranto made the biggest step forward of any boat on the day, lifting its average from 52.57 to 58.36 to go from third to second. Nakita did not finish Race 1 and did not start Race 2.

Several boats spent time in the air in Race 1, Coranto among them.

Family. Subway Mangawhai topped both races, ahead of Asap Couriers and Hijinx each time. In Race 1, the averages for second and third were just 0.10 km/h apart. Five Family boats started Race 1. Nipple and Lickity Split did not finish and did not start Race 2.

Nominated speed rewards precision, not pace

Nominated speed brought a different contest to the water. Before racing, each crew declared a target speed in km/h. Once lodged, that number was locked in.

Then came the tricky part: matching it while the boat bounced through chop, turns and wakes. Every burst of throttle had to count. A quick boat could lose to a slower rival whose crew judged their pace more accurately.

Eleven boats from all six classes were classified. Cougar placed first, rounding off a day of two class wins and a precision win. Coranto and Gen 2 shared second. Supersonic was fourth, Hijinx fifth and Rayglass sixth. Hidromek, Espresso Engineers, ASAP Couriers, Chindit and Subway Mangawhai completed the classification.

A grassroots sport with familiar names

Some of the people running the day were racing too. Event organiser Ryan Archer is listed with Supersonic, second in both 200HP races. National Technical Officer Mike Knight is listed with Mark Helms Marine. Media liaison Michael Wingate is listed with Coranto.

Last season's champions were worth watching as well. Boats carrying the names of five 2025 to 2026 class champions raced at Gulf Harbour: Cougar, Gen 2, Goldship, Rainbow Haulage and Fury II. Cougar and Gen 2 picked up where they left off, with two wins each.

You do not need a season campaign to get a taste of offshore racing. At Gulf Harbour, $100 bought a Family Class or nominated speed day entry. Day entries carried no championship points, but offered newcomers a chance to join the action.

Results table

What comes next

The opening round is complete, but the championship picture will have to wait. No standings have been published yet. Only championship registered boats score points, and boats or drivers must start at least three events to qualify for final points.

Next stop is Marsden Cove on Saturday 14 November, with event details still to come. The five-round series then heads to Napier on 30 and 31 January, Wellington on 27 February, and Whitianga on 13 March.

Follow New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Racing on Facebook for results, and find race packs at nzoffshore.co.nz.