Tonto Marine has started a documentary series on 66 Racing’s UKOPRA campaign, and Episode 1, “Poseidon Tax,” is worth the full 32 minutes. It covers the purchase of a boat nobody was looking to buy, the inboard-to-outboard rebuild that followed, the wrap reveal, and a first race weekend that turns from promising to painful inside about ninety seconds of footage.
How It Opens
Malc Dopson, known to the team as Mouse, wasn’t looking for a bigger boat when a friend rang to say he had something for sale. His partner Claire remembers being the more cautious of the two, telling him on the drive to Kent they were only looking.
Claire said:
“The moment we pulled up, these gates opened up in a mate of mine’s yard.”
Dopson picks up the story from there:
“Pulled in, me and him stepped out of the car and was like, sold.”
That boat, a Stirling 34, hadn’t been in the water since 2013. It previously raced under the Banana Shark Racing team before losing sponsorship and disappearing from the grid.
Stirling is a tribute to Ian Stirling, the national and European offshore champion who died racing sixteen years ago. Stirling raced for 25 years at European and world championship level, first with the Midlands Navy crew in OCR before moving into Offshore Class 3C, and was widely respected and well liked throughout the sport. Naming the boat after him is 66 Racing’s way of keeping his memory part of the grid.
Chapter 2: The Wrap
The documentary’s second chapter covers the boat’s livery, which came from a chance sighting on Facebook of work by a designer at Wrap Capital. The reveal draws a strong reaction on camera, and it’s easy to see why once the boat is fully wrapped: gold stars, Tonto Marine branding, and a finish that stands out on any start line.
Christian, who runs sponsor Tonto Marine, said:
“When I first saw the wrap, me and Christian, yeah, we was like just taken back. Completely unique. It just stands out.”
Chapter 3: Testing Weekend
This is the chapter to watch for anyone who has ever wondered what it actually looks like to crane a race boat into the water for the first time after a major rebuild. Nobody on the team had seen this particular boat lifted before, and there’s real tension in the footage, since the weight distribution had changed completely with the switch from inboard to outboard engines.
Dopson said:
“It never really worked with inboards. Just didn’t have the power to get it over the top.”
The boat lifts cleanly and sits correctly in the slings, and the relief on the pontoon is obvious. The first sea trial that follows is deliberately cautious, a short run to check oil and water pressure before any real speed, but the boat still touches 65mph on the rev limiter on its first outing.
Chapter 4: Race Week
The documentary’s fourth chapter covers the team’s first race weekend with the rebuilt boat, at the Round the Island race in May, and it’s the emotional turning point of the episode. The footage shows 66 Racing running competitively, as high as fourth overall, before the engine fails and the boat stops on the water.
Dopson, following the race from ashore, described the moment contact was lost:
“I know Christian’s there, and I’m like, on my phone, I’m like, how’s the boat doing? He’s like, it’s out ahead, looking good. I’m like, watching it, watching it. And then all of a sudden it stops.”
Robert Hingston, who works trim tabs and engine data for the team, sums up the day plainly on camera: it was, in his words, a very expensive one.
Where the Story Has Gone Since Filming
Episode 1 ends on “What Now,” and viewers don’t have to wait long for the answer. Since the events the documentary covers, 66 Racing switched to twin Honda BF350 outboards, backed technically by Honda Marine UK, and ran successfully at the Poole Bay 100 in June at speeds up to 70mph.
Most recently, at Round 3 of the UKOPRA Championship on 4 July, 66 Racing 2 (TP Spink, Malc Dopson, Louis Spink, Robert Hingston) finished third in Class 2 behind Unipart and Great White, in conditions rough enough off the Needles that one race photographer called it one of the toughest shoots of the season. Full details of the Honda switch are covered in Powerboat News’s report on the Honda Marine UK partnership.
Tonto Marine has more episodes planned as 66 Racing builds toward the campaign’s real target, Cowes-Torquay-Cowes on 30 August, a race Dopson and driver Tim Spink have both wanted to complete for years, this time in a boat they rebuilt themselves.
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.
