From COVID Timber Boat Project to Formula 4 Championship Contender
Fletcher Donnelly will make his Formula 4 debut this season with Team HSR, contesting the full Australian Formula Powerboat Grand Prix championship after progressing through J3 Formula Future.
Donnelly’s racing career began in 2020 when he built a timber boat from plans during COVID lockdown—a project that sparked a passion leading him into competitive powerboat racing.
After several seasons in Formula Future, he now steps up to the more demanding F4 category.
Australian Formula Powerboat Grand Prix 2025-26
The championship comprises six rounds across diverse Australian venues, mixing open water and river circuits:
Round 1: 18-19 October 2025 – Rathmines, NSW
Round 2: 29-30 November 2025 – Taree, NSW
Round 3: 16-18 January 2026 – Mildura, VIC
Round 4: 28-29 February 2026 – Mulwala, NSW
Round 5: 17-19 April 2026 – Yarrawonga, VIC
Round 6: 20-21 June 2026 – TBC
The Australian Formula Powerboat Grand Prix is a driver-owned and run not-for-profit association formed in September 2009 following the collapse of the previous F1 Superboat Series promoter in 2008.
The organisation brings together top-class competitors from around Australia to compete across five classes of professional Formula Powerboats plus Formula Futures for junior drivers.
Led by President Rhys Coles and a committee of dedicated officials, the series is supported by major sponsors including Fourtree Lawyers, Lake City, Bricker Pipelines, and Mercury Marine.
Racing Philosophy
Donnelly said:
I try to be methodical and consistent in my racing.
It’s an approach that typically delivers results over a six-round championship where mechanical reliability and clean racing often matter as much as qualifying pace.
As a Formula 4 rookie, Donnelly faces established competitors who know these circuits intimately.
His challenge is maintaining the consistency that served him in Formula Future whilst finding the pace to compete at F4 level across both the technical river venues and open water circuits.
The season opens at Rathmines on 18-19 October, where Donnelly and Team HSR begin their Formula 4 campaign.
John Moore has a longstanding involvement in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism. He organised the historic Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013 and was actively involved with British offshore racing from 2017 until 2025.
In 2017, Moore founded Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news, insights, and event coverage.
He is now Editor of Powerboat.News, continuing to contribute to the sport’s media landscape with in-depth reporting and analysis.