Islanders do well in Thunder on the Niagara

Article and Photos by Karen Carr Keefe

Senior Contributing Writer

Thunder on the Niagara lived up to its name, with loud, fast and exhilarating action in hydroplane races this past weekend.

Grand Island drivers fared well, finishing in the top three in three categories in the competition finale at North Tonawanda’s Gratwick Park,

Spectators without tents got drenched in heavy rain as they watched Saturday’s qualifying heats. But a day later, crowds were drenched in sunshine as they watched the hydroplanes chew through the river at breakneck speeds, spewing giant plumes of water.

Longtime race driver and Grand Islander Lyle Dinsmore led the procession Saturday to start the event. He circled the course in his vintage Miss Gangway craft, bearing U.S. and Canadian flags, while the national anthems of both countries were played

Dinsmore said the water and the weather were fine for the race.

“I made it to (age) 85 and I’m still running,” he said. He added that it felt “just wonderful” to be the leader of the pack at the opening ceremony.

Grand Island drivers on the roster included Jimmy King, sponsored by the LDC Construction Co. Team of Grand Island; Ken Brodie II and his son, Ken Brodie III; and Eddie Kanfoush, all sponsored by GP:50 on the CentsLess Team. Of these competitors, Jimmy King came in first in the Hydro 350 finale; Ken Brodie II placed second in the Grand Prix finale; Ken Brodie III placed second in the 2.5 liter finale; and Eddie Kanfoush placed fourth in the F 2500 finale.

Kanfoush, at age 21, is in his third year of racing. He is ranked No. 1 in his class of hydroplane racers. “But it’s very tight and there’s a lot of races left,” he said.

“I’ve been around it my entire life. My father (Dan Kanfoush) raced for 20 years. He raced here many times, so I’m just picking up where he left off.” His dad is his crew chief and he handles the radios. “It’s all in the family.”

Eddie Kanfoush is a college student at the University at Buffalo, where he studies media production.

Ken Brodie III, left, and Ken Brodie II stand in the pits between races at Thunder on the Niagara on Saturday at Gratwick Park in North Tonawanda. The father and son drivers raced their hydroplanes, S 50 and GP 50, to second place in the finales in their respective categories, 2.5 liter and Grand Prix. They are part of the CentsLess Team sponsored by GP:50, a Grand Island company that produces transmitters and transducers.

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It’s also “all in the family” for the Brodie family of hydroplane racers. The late Ken Brodie Sr. was a renowned driver in the Grand Prix class and received the Life Achievement Award at the Championship Gala of the Hydroplane Racing League in 2023.

Ken Brodie II is co-chair for the Niagara Frontier Boat Racing Association regatta. He has been involved in the boat races since 2006. There are seven races on the circuit.

“There’s a lot of satisfaction at the end. We think that it’s a worthwhile event,” Ken Brodie II said. “We travel all around the eastern coast. Some of us are going to go out to San Diego in about a month. To put one of these events on is not easy. There’s a lot of work, but there’s a lot of reward.”

He was in Lane 3 for Saturday’s Grand Prix qualifying heats, during which participants gather points for favorable lane placement in the finale. There are six lanes, and the higher numbers are further toward the outer perimeter of the course, and thus, a longer distance to run.

“What we’re doing is just trying to qualify for as many points to get a good lane assignment for the final. If you’re outside of more than Lane 3 – especially on this track – you’re going to have a tough hill to climb to, what we call ‘make the podium,’ which is finishing first, second or third,” Brodie said.

His son, Ken Brodie III, racked up some impressive wins in four races on the circuit before coming in second in the 2.5-liter finale in North Tonawanda. He garnered two third-place wins, as well as a co-winning first place in Brockville, Ontario.

“That was probably the best feeling I’ve had,” he said of that first-place finish.

Brodie III comes by his hydroplane racing career quite naturally, following a family tradition.

“My father’s been a driver since he was 19, the same age as me. His father before him and his father before him. So, it was just kind of, growing up, that’s really all I wanted to do – watch my dad go out there every time, and I can’t wait till I can do it,” he said.

In the off-season for hydroplane racing, Ken Brodie III has other pursuits.

“This is a hobby sport. When I’m not racing, I’m either working for my father – he has a transducer company (GP:50) or I’m playing hockey – junior hockey in Canada,” he said.

His grandfather, Don Less, owns GP:30 and his father, Ken Brodie II, is president-CEO.

“It’s a cool experience when we both go out there, have a great race, come back and we can celebrate together,” Ken Brodie III said. “It’s pretty special.”

Lyle Dinsmore of Grand Island is the featured driver in a demonstration run in his vintage hydroplane, Miss Gangway, at Thunder on the Niagara in Gratwick Park in North Tonawanda.

Racing on the left is GP 50, piloted by Ken Brodie II of the CentsLess team. On the right is GP 35, whose drivers are Brandon and Bobby Kennedy on the TKO Motorsports team. Both hydroplanes raced in the Grand Prix class at Thunder on the Niagara, held this past weekend at Gratwick Park in North Tonawanda. Brodie finished in second place in the Grand Prix finale.

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Top winners – Results by category

Hydro 350 Finale

√ 1. Jimmy King – sponsored by LDC Construction Co., Grand Island

√ 2. Paul Barber

√ 3. Marc Lecompte

2.5 liter Finale

√ 1. Mathis-Gabriel Chiasson

√ 2. Ken Brodie III of the CentsLess Team sponsored by GP:50 of Grand Island

√ 3. Jacob Haineault

F 2500 Finale

√ 1. John Shaw

√ 2. Grant Liddycoat

√ 3. Samuel Tremblay

√ 4. Eddie Kanfoush of the CentsLess Team

Grand Prix Finale

 √ 1. Ken Lupton

√ 2. Ken Brodie II of the CentsLess Team

√ 3. Jack Lupton