Five boats have competed in UKOPRA Class 2 this season. Between them, they run five different engine makes. No other class on the British offshore grid can say the same.
Class 2 covers boats between 7.50 and 12.80 metres with a ceiling of 1,000hp. On the same start line in 2026: a Japanese marine diesel, a British industrial diesel, a Honda outboard mid-season switch, a Chevrolet V8, and a Mercury-powered Donzi that has won both races held so far. Each installation reflects a different philosophy, a different history, and a different bet on what moves a boat quickly across open water.
Chris Davies of Powerboatpix.com got the hatches open at Poole.
Mercury: Lightning Strikes (2-69)
Dean Stoneman and Harry Thomas in Lightning Strikes (2-69) run 998hp of Mercury in a Donzi hull – the highest declared power in the class. Stoneman switched from a Fountain in Class 1, where he finished third in both 2024 and 2025, specifically to race this boat. It has worked. Lightning Strikes won Class 2 at both the Round the Island in May and the Poole Bay 100 in June, the latter at 57.73 mph over 69 nautical miles.
Yanmar: Great White Racing (2-800)
Ian McCulloch, Ben Metcalfe and Chris Doran run twin Yanmar marine diesels in Great White Racing (2-800), a Sunseeker hull, declaring 880hp. Yanmar brings a fundamentally different operating character to offshore racing: more torque at lower rpm and longer service intervals. Great White has run both rounds of the 2026 season, finishing third at Poole after completing one lap of the rough weather course.
Chevrolet: Unipart (M-31)
Robin Ward and Jeff Hall run a Chevrolet small block V8 in Unipart (M-31), a Cougar hull, declaring 700hp. The American small block has been a fixture in offshore racing on both sides of the Atlantic for decades, valued for the sheer depth of its aftermarket support and the availability of performance parts. Unipart finished second at Poole, 26 seconds behind Lightning Strikes after both boats covered the full 69-nautical-mile course.
Perkins: Apache (2-555)
Apache (2-555) is almost certainly the only boat in competitive offshore racing running twin Perkins diesels. The twin 300hp units were fitted by Nick Wilkinson during his restoration of the 57-year-old Don Shead hull. Peter Bonham Christie took over custodianship in February 2026, assembling a crew that includes throttleman Bligh Julius, navigator Dan Howe and hull specialist Dan Lee.
Apache struck submerged debris and sank at the Poole Bay 100, with all four crew recovered safely. The hull is out of the water and the team is working to get her back to the grid. Apache won the 1979 World Class II Championship in Venice under David Hagan. She is racing the class she won at world level 47 years ago.
Honda: 66 Racing (2-66)
Malc Dopson’s 66 Racing (2-66) started the season with Mercury power on the Berserk hull, but lost an engine at the Round the Island in May. For Poole and the rounds that follow, the team has switched to twin Honda BF350 outboards. The BF350 is Honda’s flagship four-stroke marine outboard, a V8 displacing 5.6 litres. Outboard power in Class 2 is unusual.
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
