The roar of engines and high-speed racing will resume in the east end when Bermuda Power Boat Association host their 2026 National Championship season opener at Ferry Reach tomorrow.

Weather permitting, action will begin at 10am with junior drivers competing for early season bragging rights in the GT15 class followed by the main event featuring some of the island’s top drivers in the various larger class boats to commence at 1pm.

Spectators will also be treated to remote control boat racing in between the junior and senior races.

Brandon DeSilva and Blake Burgess won BV class honours last year, with grandfather and grandson duo Chris and Jacari Marshall claiming the A class title. Philip Raposo and Rico Smith won the B class; Shaki Easton and M’Kai Hodsoll won the D class; and Andrew Cottingham and Henry Talbot won the S class.

BPBA commodore Jermal Woolridge said anticipation and banter among the teams has ramped up in the lead up to tomorrow’s race.

“It’s our first race of the season and there has been a lot of talk and banter going on within the racing community,” he told The Royal Gazette.

Woolridge, who took over the helm of the organisation after Janae Nesbitt stepped down at their last annual general meeting, is delighted to see the relaunch of the youth programme, which was suspended last year.

“Last season we were unable to continue the junior programme that had been running for about five years consecutively before that. So we wanted to get it back up and running and also expanding because this is where the racers come through,” he said.

“We have a few youth who have already signed and met with them just to look at what’s to be expected and to refresh procedures on the day that we are going to go over before they go overboard.”