Sun, speed and surprises on the Niagara: the HRL in action at North Tonawanda

For the first time this season, Mother Nature smiled on the Hydroplane Racing League fleet as they took to the waters of the mighty Niagara River in North Tonawanda, New York, for the fifth round of the HRL season. A calm, sunny weekend gave spectators the opportunity to witness a full, action-packed weekend of racing at Gratwick Waterfront Park.

 

 

2.5 liters

 

Hayes, Hayes, Hayes has been the story of the season in the 2.5 Liter class, and that continued this weekend as Austin Hayes won all four heats he entered in Ron Thompson and TKO Racing’s S-35 TM Special. With his first-place finish in the final heat, Austin and his brother Kyle Hayes have secured the 2.5 Liter class championship for the 2025 season, with one weekend to spare.

 

 

Campivallensian Mathis-Gabriel Chiasson took 2nd place in the S-57 How? after finishing second in three qualifying heats. Ayden Sovie and the S-50 CentsLess 15 completed the podium, also winning two heats over the weekend and extending their gap in third place in the points standings.

 

 

The weekend wasn’t without issues, however, as Lucas Desrochers in the S-104 D-Rock Racing, and heat 3B winner Owen Henderson, substituting for Bennet Armstrong in the S-11 Totally Chaotic, both fell victim to rough water conditions at the entrance of turn 2 and ended up upside down in the Niagara River. Fortunately, both drivers escaped unharmed.

 

 

Formula 2500

 

Defending champion Eddie Kanfoush scored his first victory of the 2025 season on his home waters this past weekend. Based just across the river on nearby Grand Island, “Fast” Eddie set the fastest time of the weekend in Heat 1B aboard Don Less’s F-500 CentsLess 17, then followed up with two more qualifying wins to go a perfect 4-for-4.

 

 

Chris Fanaris, driving for the absent John Shaw in Al Thompson’s F-92 Tenacity, and Grant Hearn in the F-14 Legacy One, also scored heat wins before both jumped the gun in the final heat, leaving Kanfoush to take the checkered flag from lane one.

 

 

Jacob Haineault and the F-2 NOVO Racing rebounded from a mechanical issue in Heat 2B to steal an impressive second place from lane eight in the final. Tommy Shannon in the F-4 Pièces d’Auto Valleyfield completed the podium in third position.

 

 

Hydro 350

 

Always chaotic and spectacular, Marc Lalonde drove a flawless race to claim the victory in the Hydro 350 class—his first win in hydroplane racing since beginning his career in 2018. Marc won from the inside lane, earned through a win and two second-place finishes in the qualifying heats.

 

 

Martin Rochon’s H-773 RTX finished 2nd from the 7th corridor, after two wins and a retirement earlier in the weekend. Danny Léger took 3rd place in the H-666 Charpentek after a win and two second places.

 

 

The final heat was cut short when Grant Liddycoat, winner of Heat 2A, lost the left sponson on the H-97 Send It in turn 1 on the final lap. Grant was uninjured, but the boat will require major repairs before returning to action.

 

 

Other heat winners in the H350 class include championship leader Paul Barber in the H-52 Legacy One, Tommy Shannon in the H-306 DogNasty, Patrick Haworth in the H-924 Game On, Bert Henderson in the H-8 Last Minute Again, Frédéric Couturier in the H-14 Legacy One, and Karl St-Vincent in the H-37 Bull Shark.

 

 

Heat 2C ended in a dead heat between Martin Rochon and rookie Francis Coté, with first-place points awarded to both drivers. It was Coté’s first heat victory aboard his H-23 Yellow Torpedo.

 

 

Grand Prix

 

A battle of speed and attrition rocked the Grand Prix class, presented by Blue Ribbon, but in the end, it was defending HRL GP Champion Ken Lupton from Waverley, New Zealand, who took the top spot in the GP-577 Lucas Oil. Lupton was the second-fastest in time trials and completed his qualifying heats with a DNF, a second place, and a win in Heat 3A.

 

 

Kent Henderson, driving Mario Blain’s GP-757 Canada Boy, qualified fourth, won Heat 1B, and followed with two second-place finishes, securing lane 2 in the final, where he placed 2nd.

 

 

Local driver Ken Brodie II rounded out the podium in the GP-50 Freedom, coming into the final with a 7th place in qualifying, two second-place finishes, and a DNF earlier in the weekend.

 

 

The final heat began with drama as Bobby King, driving the GP-71 The Wild One, couldn’t leave the dock. King had qualified fifth and made it through all his heats with two third-place finishes and a win in Heat 2A, earning him lane 1 in the final.

 

 

Top qualifier and Heat 1A winner Brandon Kennedy was forced to withdraw after losing the escape hatch on the bottom of the GP-35 TM Special. Kennedy is sore but avoided serious injury. Jack Lupton also claimed two heat wins in his GP-33 JLM Motorsports.

 

 

Next Stop: Beauharnois, QC

 

The next stop on the Hydroplane Racing League calendar is Beauharnois, Quebec, for Les Régates de Beauharnois, on August 23–24. See you on the St. Lawrence!