Stewartby Water Sports Club’s British Masters Championship opens its 2026 season at Stewartby Lake this weekend, with testing and training on Saturday, August 1, and the first points-scoring race day on Sunday, August 2.
The event carries the Round 2 label on the calendar, but it is effectively the season opener. Round 1, over the Easter weekend in April, was cancelled in its entirety after Storm Dave brought amber-warning winds to Bedfordshire, and the championship renumbered rather than reschedule. Twenty drivers had made it to the lake for that weekend’s testing before officials suspended activity as the wind built.
Three Championships in One Weekend
The British Masters runs three competitive elements at every round: traditional circuit racing, a knockout match racing ladder, and a lap record competition that runs across the whole season. Full details of the format and the four-round calendar are in Powerboat News’s British Masters format and calendar breakdown.
Each class runs Free Practice, Qualifying, and multiple heats over the weekend, with every lap counted towards the season-long Fastest Lap Championship. The match racing ladder pits two boats side by side on parallel courses, each driver completing a short lap and a long lap, with the faster combined time progressing through the knockout rounds.
Officer of the Day Jeni Jelf will take charge of the chequered flag.
After a challenging start over Easter, it’s fantastic to finally kick the British Masters season off in style here at Stewartby. The atmosphere around the pits this weekend will be electric; drivers, teams, and supporters have all been counting down to this moment. You can feel the hunger, the anticipation, and the determination from every class. We’ve got a superb mix of returning talent, new faces, and some incredibly competitive line ups, so I’m expecting fast racing, close battles, and a brilliant showcase of what British powerboat racing is all about.
GT30: Three-Way Title Fight
Ethan Goodfellow returns to the class with a point to prove, taking on 2026 CPA Champion Mason Jessup and the consistently quick Jamie Atlee. The confirmed entry list also carries Richard Hibbert, who was not named in the club’s own preview.
| No. | Driver |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mason Jessup |
| 7 | Ethan Goodfellow |
| 18 | Jamie Atlee |
| 72 | Richard Hibbert |
GT15: The Junior Class
Millie-Rose Bowman, one of the sport’s few female racers, brings a newly acquired Povvat hull to the class. Riley Hudson is into his fourth season, and Jack Roberts arrives off an eye-catching 2025 debut. Jaxon Stewart completes the four-boat entry.
| No. | Driver |
|---|---|
| 8 | Jack Roberts |
| 21 | Riley Hudson |
| 37 | Millie-Rose Bowman |
| 88 | Jaxon Stewart |
T850: Newcomers Against Established Hands
Two new drivers join the T850 field for 2026. Steve Olney steps up from GT30 to test himself in the higher-powered category, and touring car racer Mike Manning swaps four wheels for a propeller in his first season on the water. They line up against Club Commodore Nigel Edwards and returning racer Andy Hood.
Hydro Class
The confirmed entry list for the weekend also includes a four-boat Hydro field, not otherwise detailed in the club’s own preview.
| No. | Driver |
|---|---|
| 9 | Wayne Turner |
| 12 | Thomas Mantripp |
| 19 | James Green |
| 55 | Paul Hart |
Getting There and What to Expect
Racing takes place at Stewartby Lake, Green Lane, Stewartby, Bedford MK43 9LY. The club’s Facebook page is @stewartbypowerboat.
Site rules for the weekend: smoking, vaping and all tobacco products are banned in the pits, with designated smoking areas provided on hard standing only. Charcoal barbecues and briquettes are banned across the site due to wildfire risk; gas barbecues, electric grills and pre-cooked food are the permitted alternatives. Electric scooters are no longer permitted on club grounds.
The club is running a BBQ and Social Night on Saturday, August 1 at 19:30. Tickets are £8.50 for adults, £5.50 for children 13 and under, and £25.00 for a family of two adults and two children.
More British Masters Coverage
Catch up on the format, the four-round calendar and how the championship’s Easter opener was lost to Storm Dave.
Read the Format & Calendar Guide
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.
