Henry Stars as Gulf Harbour Opens NZ Championship

Auckland’s Gulf Harbour delivered the opening salvo of the 2026 New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Championship season on Saturday, with Grant Henry’s Nakita claiming the Nominated Speed victory alongside consistent performances across the Sports 140HP division.

The Hammerhead hosted two full race programmes, with competitors tackling the Auckland waters in varied conditions that tested both machinery and skill throughout the day.

Nominated Speed Honours

Grant Henry demonstrated exceptional precision in Nakita, recording an error of just 63.46 to take top honours in the New Zealand Boat Marathon Commission Nominated Speed competition. Mike Knight’s Mark Helms Marine/Blue Pill finished second with an error of 65.55, whilst Mikey Smith aboard Gen 2 claimed third with 68.81.

The nominated speed format rewards accuracy over outright pace, with Henry’s performance proving particularly impressive across the Gulf Harbour course.

Race One Results

Kerry Smyth aboard Interceptor took the opening race with a time of 27:06 at an average of 73.28mph, finishing ahead of Joel McMullen in Lickity Split, who recorded 28:37 at 69.40mph.

The Sports 140HP division saw Tom Haycock’s Gold Ship edge out Michael Wingate’s Coranto by just nine seconds, with Haycock posting 29:01 at 82.13mph. Grant Henry in Nakita completed the podium at 79.22mph, whilst Kane Huggins’ Mad Max failed to finish.

Ryan Archer dominated the Sports 200HP class in Supersonic, recording the quickest time of 29:04 at 109.32mph. Mikey Smith’s Gen 2 finished second at 107.78mph, with Alex Smith’s Triple Trouble third despite posting the third-fastest time of the day at 27:08.

Mike Knight in Mark Helms Marine/Blue Pill claimed fourth, whilst Chris Haegar’s BC Racing rounded out the top five. Brett Archer’s Secret Agent retired from the race.

Grant Smith took Sports 70 honours in Cougar with a time of 27:32 at 86.56mph. Brad Dibble claimed the Sports 80 victory aboard Supersticious, recording 29:13 at 108.74mph, whilst both Captain Caveman and Fury failed to finish.

The Supercat Lite division produced the closest finish of the day, with just three seconds separating the top two. Paul Greenfield’s Lanslow Engineering took the win in 26:51, narrowly beating Darren Butterworth’s Rainbow Haulage, which posted the fastest average speed of the entire meeting at 134.28mph despite finishing second on corrected time.

Race Two Develops

The second race saw a dramatic reversal of fortunes, with both Interceptor and Lickity Split failing to finish.

Grant Henry capitalised on his consistent form to win Sports 140HP in Nakita, recording 30:44 at 77.54mph. Michael Wingate’s Coranto improved to second at 79.62mph, whilst Tom Haycock slipped to third in Gold Ship at 81.15mph. Mad Max again failed to complete the distance.

Mikey Smith turned the tables in Sports 200HP, taking Gen 2 to victory in 29:41 at 107.05mph. Ryan Archer’s Supersonic finished second at 105.33mph, with Alex Smith’s Triple Trouble third at 104.07mph. Mike Knight claimed fourth, whilst Chris Haegar completed the finishers in fifth. Secret Agent retired for the second consecutive race.

Grant Smith made it a double in Sports 70, winning again aboard Cougar with a time of 28:45 at 82.89mph. Brad Dibble also secured his second victory of the day in Sports 80, recording 28:50 at 110.21mph in Supersticious. Captain Caveman and Fury again failed to finish.

Paul Greenfield maintained his Supercat Lite advantage in Lanslow Engineering, matching his race one time of 26:51 at 134.03mph. Darren Butterworth improved his pace in Rainbow Haulage to record 26:22 at 136.49mph, though again finished second on corrected time.

Championship Outlook

The opening round has established clear form lines heading into the remainder of the season, with several drivers demonstrating the consistency required for championship success. Grant Henry’s nominated speed victory, combined with his race two Sports 140HP win, marks him as an early title contender.

The reliability issues affecting several competitors will be a concern moving forward, with Mad Max, Secret Agent, Captain Caveman, and Fury all recording multiple DNFs across the weekend.

The championship now moves forward to Taupo.

Race 1 Results – 11 October 2025
Class	Nom	Race Time	Average Speed	Boat	Driver
1	4	0:27:06	73.28	Interceptor	Kerry Smyth
2	1	0:28:37	69.40	Lickity Split	Joel McMullen
Sports 140HP
1	140	0:29:01	82.13	Gold Ship	Tom Haycock
2	129	0:29:10	81.71	Coranto	Michael Wingate
3	77	0:30:05	79.22	Nakita	Grant Henry
DNF	290	0:00:00		Mad Max	Kane Huggins
Sports 200HP
1	2	0:29:04	109.32	Supersonic	Ryan Archer
2	14	0:29:29	107.78	Gen 2	Mikey Smith
3	333	0:27:08	102.47	Triple Trouble	Alex Smith
4	18	0:27:05	102.66	Mark Helms Marine/Blue Pill	Mike Knight
5	16	0:27:34	100.86	BC Racing	Chris Haegar
DNF	99	0:00:00		Secret Agent	Brett Archer
Sports 70
1	58	0:27:32	86.56	Cougar	Grant Smith
Sports 80
1	7	0:29:13	108.74	Supersticious	Brad Dibble
DNF	171	0:00:00		Captain Caveman	Roger Puttick
DNF	188	0:00:00		Fury	Owen Mackay
Supercat Lite
1	46	0:26:51	134.03	Lanslow Engineering	Paul Greenfield
2	3	0:26:48	134.28	Rainbow Haulage	Darren Butterworth

Race 2 Results – 11 October 2025
Class	Nom	Race Time	Average Speed	Boat	Driver
DNF	4	0:00:00		Interceptor	Kerry Smyth
DNF	1	0:00:00		Lickity Split	Joel McMullen
Sports 140HP
1	77	0:30:44	77.54	Nakita	Grant Henry
2	129	0:29:56	79.62	Coranto	Michael Wingate
3	140	0:29:22	81.15	Gold Ship	Tom Haycock
DNF	290	0:00:00		Mad Max	Kane Huggins
Sports 200HP
1	14	0:29:41	107.05	Gen 2	Mikey Smith
2	2	0:30:10	105.33	Supersonic	Ryan Archer
3	333	0:30:32	104.07	Triple Trouble	Alex Smith
4	18	0:27:38	100.62	Mark Helms Marine/Blue Pill	Mike Knight
5	16	0:29:29	94.30	BC Racing	Chris Haegar
DNF	99	0:00:00		Secret Agent	Brett Archer
Sports 70
1	58	0:28:45	82.89	Cougar	Grant Smith
Sports 80
1	7	0:28:50	110.21	Supersticious	Brad Dibble
DNF	171	0:00:00		Captain Caveman	Roger Puttick
DNF	188	0:00:00		Fury	Owen Mackay
Supercat Lite
1	46	0:26:51	134.03	Lanslow Engineering	Paul Greenfield
2	3	0:26:22	136.49	Rainbow Haulage	Darren Butterworth

Nominated Speed Results
Place	Boat #	Error	Boat	Driver
1	77	63.46	Nakita	Grant Henry
2	18	65.55	Mark Helms Marine/Blue Pill	Mike Knight
3	14	68.81	Gen 2	Mikey Smith
4	129	74.62	Coranto	Michael Wingate
5	46	75.30	Lanslow Engineering	Paul Greenfield
6	58	79.95	Cougar	Grant Smith
7	7	81.05	Supersticious	Brad Dibble
8	2	86.26	Supersonic	Ryan Archer
9	140	124.79	Gold Ship	Tom Haycock
10	3	128.30	Rainbow Haulage	Darren Butterworth
11	16	173.19	BC Racing	Chris Haegar