James Dodge and Chris Dodge took overall victory in the Poole Bay 100 on Saturday 13 June, winning Class 1 in Smokin’ Aces to claim the top step of the podium at Round 2 of the 2026 UKOPRA Championship. The rough weather course was in operation for all classes, confirmed at the 09:00 Drivers’ Briefing following a wild Friday that left residual sea state across the bay.
Classes 1, 1L and 2 started at 12:35, with Class 3 away at 12:47. Racing was complete by 15:55, with podium presentations at Poole Quay Boat Haven from 16:15.
Class 1 and Class 1L
Smokin’ Aces crossed the line first in 1 hour 4 minutes 57 seconds, averaging 63.56 mph over 68.8 nautical miles. James Dodge and Chris Dodge were issued two yellow cards each for a COLREGS incident during the race. The penalty did not affect their finishing position.
Sixty9 took second overall and first in Class 1L. Alex Welham and Neil Raven completed the 51.6-nautical-mile course in 1 hour 11 minutes 57 seconds at 43.03 mph. Black Ball Racing (Rod Hawkins, Martin McLaughlin, Barry Culver) finished third overall and second in Class 1L, just 20 seconds behind in 1 hour 12 minutes 17 seconds.
Double 2 Shirts, the Bentley family entry crewed by Dan Bentley, Shaun Bentley, Dave Flewin and Tom Yaldren, completed two laps to finish fourth overall and third in Class 1L. Bullett Offshore Racing (Drew Langdon, Miles Jennings) also completed two laps to take second in Class 1, finishing in 1 hour 48 minutes 5 seconds.
Notareal / Team 25 (Rob Lockyer, Adrian de Ferrenti) and Team 07 Racing (Charlie Parsons-Young, James Norvill, Andy Foster) both retired.
| Pos | Boat # | Boat | Crew | Class Pos | Elapsed | Dist (nm) | Avg (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1-76 | Smokin’ Aces | James Dodge / Chris Dodge | 1st Class 1 | 1h 04m 57s | 68.8 | 63.56 |
| 2nd | 1L-69 | Sixty9 | Alex Welham / Neil Raven | 1st Class 1L | 1h 11m 57s | 51.6 | 43.03 |
| 3rd | 1L-8 | Black Ball Racing | Rod Hawkins / Martin McLaughlin / Barry Culver | 2nd Class 1L | 1h 12m 17s | 51.6 | 42.83 |
| 4th | 1L-86 | Double 2 Shirts | Dan Bentley / Shaun Bentley / Dave Flewin / Tom Yaldren | 3rd Class 1L | 1h 05m 20s | 51.6 | 47.39 |
| 5th | 1-47 | Bullett Offshore Racing | Drew Langdon / Miles Jennings | 2nd Class 1 | 1h 48m 05s | 51.6 | 28.64 |
| RTD | 1-25 | Notareal / Team 25 | Rob Lockyer / Adrian de Ferrenti | – | – | – | – |
| RTD | 1-07 | Team 07 Racing | Charlie Parsons-Young / James Norvill / Andy Foster | – | – | – | – |
** = completed 1 lap. *** = completed 2 laps. Results unofficial.
Class 2
Dean Stoneman and Harry Thomas won Class 2 in Lightning Strikes, completing the full 69-nautical-mile course in 1 hour 11 minutes 43 seconds at 57.73 mph. Unipart (Robin Ward, Jeff Hall) finished second, crossing the line just 26 seconds later at 57.38 mph.
Great White (Ian McCulloch, Ben Metcalfe, Chris Doran) and 66 Racing 2 (TP Spink, Malc Dopson, Louis Spink, Robert Hingston) both completed one lap, finishing third and fourth respectively. Apache (Peter Bonham Christie, Bligh Julius, Dan Lee, Casper Bradley) retired.
| Pos | Boat # | Boat | Crew | Class Pos | Elapsed | Dist (nm) | Avg (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2-69 | Lightning Strikes | Dean Stoneman / Harry Thomas | 1st Class 2 | 1h 11m 43s | 69.0 | 57.73 |
| 2nd | M-31 | Unipart | Robin Ward / Jeff Hall | 2nd Class 2 | 1h 12m 09s | 69.0 | 57.38 |
| 3rd | 2-800 | Great White | Ian McCulloch / Ben Metcalfe / Chris Doran | 3rd Class 2 | 1h 10m 07s | 51.75 | 44.28 |
| 4th | 2-66 | 66 Racing 2 | TP Spink / Malc Dopson / Louis Spink / Robert Hingston | 4th Class 2 | 1h 11m 51s | 51.75 | 43.22 |
| RTD | 2-555 | Apache | Peter Bonham Christie / Bligh Julius / Dan Lee / Casper Bradley | – | – | – | – |
** = completed 1 lap. Results unofficial.
Class 3
Gary Gooden and Abigail Gooden won Class 3E and took overall Class 3 honours in Rush Racing, completing the 50.2-nautical-mile course in 48 minutes 51 seconds at 61.66 mph. Licence to Thrill (Lee Ornsby, Ross Macgregor) finished second overall and second in Class 3E, followed by Carpe Diem (James Winkworth, Harry Winkworth) third overall and first in Class 3D.
Richard Dean and Michael Barnes in Joker took fourth overall and first in Class 3C. 66 Racing (Ben Brown, Perry Murphy) and Just Add Water (Murray MacGregor, James Dodds) both completed one lap, finishing fifth and sixth overall.
Mermaid / Wight Offshore (Richard Jackson, Baylan Blanks) was disqualified after missing a mark three times. A yellow card penalty was also issued to the same crew under UKOPRA rule 7.3 for transferring petrol in the wet pits. Thunderstreak (Peter Hall, Brian Pelham, Trevor Squibb), Eastlands Offshore Racing UFO (Richard Watson, Elliott Holman), JB Racing (Jason Briggs, Robert Mould) and Team Interceptor (Michael Xuereb, Kurt Mifsud) all retired. Team JB-R (John Bunyan, Luke Cloudsdale) did not finish.
| Pos | Boat # | Boat | Crew | Class Pos | Elapsed | Dist (nm) | Avg (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | E-16 | Rush Racing | Gary Gooden / Abigail Gooden | 1st Class 3E | 48m 51s | 50.2 | 61.66 |
| 2nd | E-32 | Licence to Thrill | Lee Ornsby / Ross Macgregor | 2nd Class 3E | 52m 53s | 50.2 | 56.96 |
| 3rd | D-50 | Carpe Diem | James Winkworth / Harry Winkworth | 1st Class 3D | 55m 34s | 50.2 | 54.21 |
| 4th | C-38 | Joker | Richard Dean / Michael Barnes | 1st Class 3C | 57m 35s | 50.2 | 52.31 |
| 5th | E-11 | 66 Racing | Ben Brown / Perry Murphy | 3rd Class 3E | 50m 25s | 37.65 | 44.81 |
| 6th | D-33 | Just Add Water | Murray MacGregor / James Dodds | 2nd Class 3D | 1h 11m 40s | 37.65 | 31.52 |
| RTD | C-68 | JB Racing | Jason Briggs / Robert Mould | – | – | – | – |
| RTD | D-6 | Team Interceptor | Michael Xuereb / Kurt Mifsud | – | – | – | – |
| RTD | H-400 | Thunderstreak | Peter Hall / Brian Pelham / Trevor Squibb | – | – | – | – |
| RTD | E-79 | Eastlands Offshore Racing UFO | Richard Watson / Elliott Holman | – | – | – | – |
| DSQ | E-12 | Mermaid / Wight Offshore | Richard Jackson / Baylan Blanks | – | – | – | – |
| DNF | B-26 | Team JB-R | John Bunyan / Luke Cloudsdale | – | – | – | – |
** = completed 1 lap. Results unofficial. OOD: Peter Clarke. Signed off 15:55.
A full race report will follow tomorrow.
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.
