Speed, sound & excitement: Thunder on the Niagara hydroplane races return this weekend

By Karen Carr Keefe

Senior Contributing Writer

Hydroplane racers will run fast and furious through the waters of the Niagara River once again at Thunder on the Niagara this Saturday and Sunday.

Fans can enjoy the thrilling action at North Tonawanda’s Gratwick Park, where enthusiasts say the spectator experience rates as high as the quality of the racing.

Event Chairman John Krebs of Grand Island said a lot of preparation has gone into making the races run smoothly.

“Friday, the adventure begins with setting up and getting ready for the arrival of all the participants,” he said. “The majority of the teams are out of Quebec. We do have two teams coming from New Zealand – the Lupton family. It’s the father and two sons.”

Krebs said racers come from Maryland, Michigan and a wide area of the Northeast and Midwest.

The North Tonawanda race is part of the Hydroplane Racing League (HRL), a circuit that includes Cambridge, Maryland; Sorel-Tracy, Quebec; Brockville, Ontario; Valleyfield, Quebec; and Beauharnois, Quebec.

Participants earn points in each race, giving them a cumulative ranking as the competition progresses through the season.

Grand Island has a large and competitive presence at Thunder on the Niagara, with hometown boat owners, race drivers and crew who are fan favorites at the event.

One of these contestants is Ken Brodie II, who is entering four hydroplanes in this year’s race, one in each of the four classes – Grand Prix, Hydro 350, F2500 and the 2.5-liter stock class.

Brodie is part of the CentsLess racing team sponsored by Grand Island company GP:50, whose owner is Donald J. Less. Brodie is president-CEO.

“The Grand Prix boat, I believe, is in third place in points right now. That’s driven by Ken Brodie II,” Krebs said.

The team’s Hydro 350 is being updated so it can participate this weekend. The F2500, CentsLess-16, is driven by Eddie Kanfoush of Grand Island, with his father as crew chief.

“They are leading the high-point chase for their class right now,” Krebs said.

Ken Brodie III is driving the F50, the smallest class running, and he is second in points in the HRL League. He’s in the 2.5-liter stock class, Krebs said.

The Hydroplane Racing League website notes, “Ken Brodie Sr., a fierce competitor, was a renowned driver in the Grand Prix class and received the Life Achievement Award at the HRL Champions Gala in 2023, a recognition from his peers for his exceptional career.”

The website adds, “Ken Brodie, his son, is a key member of the CentsLess Racing team, still driving the GP:50.”

HRL also includes on its website:

“The family’s involvement in hydroplane racing extends beyond the Brodies, with Don Less, Ken Brodie III’s grandfather, being a prominent figure in the sport and contributing to the family’s rich legacy.

 “With Ken Brodie III now driving … the Brodie and Less families continue their tradition as leading figures in the competitive world of hydroplane racing.”

The Grand Prix class is the fastest in the race.

“On the Niagara River, on the course that we run, they’ll see speeds in the straightaways of 140, 145 mph,” Krebs said.

He said the pit crew is essential to success for the competitors: “Preparation is everything these days in hydroplane racing. Everybody is so closely set up; the competition level is that much higher. It’s all about how you prepare for that event.”

Krebs has driven hydroplanes, himself, for 20 or 30 years.

“We have a pretty strong following of hydroplane racing in Western New York,” he said.

“My involvement with the City of North Tonawanda, beginning back in 2006 when I brought the races back, has been nothing but positive.”

Longtime organizer and past event chair Gary Roesch of Grand Island said the Niagara Frontier Boat Racing Association (NFBRA), which puts the race on, has been racing on the Niagara River for 83 years with an objective of promoting boat racing locally.

The races started out at the foot of Sheridan Drive in the Town of Tonawanda, then went to the Buffalo Launch Club on Grand Island. Next, the event moved to Isleview, then Niawanda Park, then to Gratwick Park.

The tradition of the races means a lot to Krebs.

“For me, for the club, it’s a historical thing to continue the hydroplane racing on the Niagara River,” he said. “We’ve always been one of the premier courses on the circuit. For the racers that come to town, the Niagara River is a very challenging river. A lot of people aren’t used to 8- or 9-mph current. The rollers, the waves that we get, it makes for a challenging course.

“I think the spectators, seeing the competition, the noise, the water, rooster tails in the air and just the side-by-side racing, that’s what brings the fans back every year.”

In addition to the races, there will be food trucks and food and craft vendors all weekend.

Organizers encourage people to bring the family and make a weekend out of it.

The park’s main entrance at Witmer Road is open for VIP guests, officials and vendors only. The Ward Road entrance is open for spectators only. Gratwick Park’s address is 700 River Road, North Tonawanda.

General admission and parking is $20 per vehicle and includes one free race program.

Eventbrite has been enlisted to streamline the purchase of admission and parking passes for the international event.

•On Saturday, the qualifying heats begin at 10 a.m. and the races conclude around 5 p.m.

•Sunday’s schedule begins at 9:45 a.m. with formal festivities, including the playing of the U.S., Canadian and New Zealand national anthems, flag laps with vintage skiffs, and words of welcome from North Tonawanda Mayor Austin Tylec.

Sunday’s first heat is listed as starting at 10:15 a.m. From noon to 1 p.m. spectators will get the chance to view the vintage skiffs and vintage grand prix watercraft. The races are scheduled to conclude at about 5 p.m., with the last event: the Grand Prix championship – for many, the high point of the weekend. Awards will be given out at 6 p.m.

In addition to the title sponsor, GP:50, the local race sponsors of Thunder on the Niagara include: 

• LDC Construction Co. Inc., at 1920 Baseline Road, run by the Dinsmore family of Grand Island. Founder and president Lyle Dinsmore drove a vintage hydroplane to lead the opening parade in last year’s Thunder on the Niagara.

•Northeast Machine Inc., a Tonawanda business owned by Donald Dee of Grand Island.

•American DND, a Tonawanda business owned by Bill Schaab of Grand Island.

Race organizers and participants gather at Gratwick Park in North Tonawanda this week for a news conference about the Thunder on the Niagara hydroplane races this Saturday and Sunday. They are, from left, North Tonawanda Mayor Austin Tylec; event Chairperson John Krebs; Eddie Kanfoush, driver of CentsLess 16 from Grand Island; crew member Mike Geblein; and Jeff Ross, director of the Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas. (Submitted photo)