‘The ‘Lymington Challenge’ Offshore Powerboat race will take place this weekend Saturday August 9th, which will see teams competing in the Fourth Round of the 2025 UKOPRA Championships in the Western Solent.
Fifteen teams from across the UK and Europe including boats and teams from Sweden and Spain will be competing in Classes 1/1L/2/ 3 around a 78 and 62 nautical mile circuit off the Hampshire and Isle of Wight coastlines.
The Race Start / Finish line off Hampstead Ledge north of Newtown Creek, when the green flag gets dropped and the teams will do a loop to loop course in which they will pass popular vantage points around the Solent up to four times. It’s an absolute must for race fans, spectators and photographers.
Class 1 Championship leader Gary Aldington is hoping for a smooth weekend as the Eastwood Racing Team, ‘Double Trouble’, faces tough competition from both Categories of the big boat class. Last year’s champion, ‘Silverline’, the multi Cowes-Torquay-Cowes winner, will be eager to reclaim the top position, alongside with the Swedish Team ‘Sture Vodka’.
Additionally, keep an eye out for the striking Red Skater Monohull ‘Smokin Aces’, featuring father and son duo Chris and James Dodge, who are traveling from Spain to participate in their first race of the season. Last year’s Cowes Torquay winner ‘Laa Laa Falcon- Multispark’ has made a late entry to the race and the yellow Fountain Hull is popular amongst race fans for its speed and growling engines.
Class 1L and Class 2 promises to be captivating; both classes consist of boats measuring up to 40 feet in length, equipped with varying power packs. ‘Black Ball Racing’ and ‘Piston Broke’ are keen to accumulate points once again, as the Championship may come down to the final race in Portland Bill.
It will certainly be a close competition in Class 2, as both teams run identical XS Sunseekers hulls and power units.The newcomers to the sport of Alex Welham, Mike Bontoft, and Neil Raven in ‘Team 25 Sunseeker’ claimed the chequered flag last time on their racing debut. The Scottish-based ‘True Blue’ team will surely have different aspirations.
Six teams will compete in Class 3 across three distinct categories. In 3C, a new team featuring Elliott Holman and Richard Watson will join the fray with a classic Mannerfelt Hull named ‘New Kids on the Dock’, while James Winkworth and Dave Flewin will represent the only rib, ‘Carpe Diem’, in 3D.
In 3E, ‘Oblivion’ aims to secure its fourth consecutive victory this season in the striking silver catamaran, raced by rally driver Marcus Dodd and Sean Girdler. Both ‘Renegade’ and ‘Blast from the Past’ are still in with an outside chance of the Championship, depending on the outcomes here and in the fifth and final round at Portland Bill.
Also, in 3E will be the beautifully turned out V24 hull ‘The Nicotine Machine’ who in the hope to put some points on the board, after many hours of testing, the boat driven by Josh Warmington-Brown will be alsy a serious contender if all goes well for the top podium.
Timetable for Spectators
Friday, 8th August
- 12:00 – 18:00 – Scrutineering – Shamrock Quay, Southampton
Saturday, 9th August
- 12:00 – Boats leave Southampton for the Muster Area, Western Solent.
- 13:00 – Race start Hamstead Ledge
- 17:00 – Podium presentations Shamrock Quay, Southampton .
Best Race Viewing Vantage Points
Fort Victoria, Hurst Castle, Headon Warren, The Needles Battery
All the race details including teams competing can be found at the UKOPRA Official Race Website or on the very popular UKOPRA Facebook page.
Visit the website for more information.
News shared by Steve on behalf of UKOPRA. Ed
