Buttimore Boys Racing

🛫 Buttimore Boys on Tour 🛫

Kieran and Luke, along with Nathan from Team Culprit Racing, have just returned from three unforgettable weeks travelling around North America.

The trip didn't start exactly to plan, with Kieran's flight from work being cancelled due to bad weather, making him a day late. The boys eventually all made it to LA before the long drive up to Burley, Idaho – the first stop of the trip. Although the weather wasn't ideal, the weekend was spectacular, with some awesome racing around the unique racetrack, meeting so many amazing people, and supporting the local bars. Definitely one of the most memorable weekends in a long time... IYKYK.

From there, the boys made a quick stop in Vegas for a couple of days to do Vegas things before heading to Lake Havasu. The only way to describe Lake Havasu is unbelievable. Being there over the 4th of July weekend, getting out on the lake, visiting Pirates Cove, Speed Alley, watching the fireworks show, and seeing the number and calibre of boats – all of it was simply unbelievable. A massive shout-out to Cory Ferguson and family for taking us out on the boat both days. It was such a highlight of the trip.

From there, the boys made the trek north into Canada to support the Lupton crew at Valleyfield. The whole spectacle of this event was unbelievable. From the close racing in all classes, to the venue, the nightly shows, and the incredibly friendly Canadian locals we met, it was an experience we'll never forget. It's definitely a bucket-list event that lived up to the hype. With the Kiwis showing their strength and speed all weekend, it was absolutely heartbreaking watching the final. We all know they'll be back stronger than ever.

Now the focus has turned back to the upcoming season, getting Kieran's new boat out on the water and continuing to chip away at Megabucks. Bring it on! 🏁

❗️Hillbilly is officially up for sale❗️

With Kieran purchasing the Childsplay, Hillbilly is looking for a new home. Check out the listing below and get in touch with Kieran via the listing or the page if you are interested or have any questions.

We want to see this amazing boat back out on the water tearing it up! 💪

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🚨 BIG NEWS from the Buttimore Boys Racing shed! 🚨

Kieran has officially secured the 18ft Childsplay from the Rat Attack team — a huge step forward for us as we take the next leap in the sport, allowing us to push for maximum performance while improving safety.

If all goes to plan, you’ll see Kieran turning laps in it this season 🏁

With the new rig in the shed, space is tight… which means Hillbilly is now up for sale! If you’re keen to own this unique boat, get in touch with the page or reach out to Kieran directly.

With the Nationals held last weekend at Lake Rotoiti, we’d like to extend a huge congratulations to everyone who competed.

A special mention to Steve Mathieson, driver of Midnight, on claiming the Prostock title and taking home the Jason Buttimore Memorial Trophy. An exceptional achievement — well deserved! 👏🏁

Not much to report from the weekend just gone at Foxton. Unfortunately, Hamish had an oil pressure issue in the Bob Dunlop during his second race of the weekend. Once he got back to shore, the decision was made to pull out for the remainder of the weekend.

Hamish was then asked if he wanted to take Sundance Kid out for a race. Moving quicker than he has in a long time, he had his gear on and was in the seat about three races early. He went on to secure an impressive 2nd place, showing real skill driving a new boat with more power.

Massive congratulations from the whole family to Cornsey and the Total Chaos Formula 1 Powerboat Racing Team on picking up the Gold Cup — it was absolutely awesome to see.

That’s another season wrapped up for us, but work has already begun for next season. Watch this space.

Kieran, Luke and Joshua have spent the last two weeks crewing for Team Culprit Racing at the Aus vs USA vs NZ Challenge, with the girls joining us for the first round in Mildura. It was a busy two weeks of hard work, catching up with old mates, making new mates, and meeting some legends of the sport — with a few well-deserved trips to the bar for hydration.

Huge congratulations to Nathan, The Real Culprit, on finishing 3rd overall, and to Cody, She’s the Culprit, on 6th overall. So bloody awesome for a small team run by family and friends that we love being a part of it.

Shout-out to the Rat Attack Boat Racing NZ boys as well. Massive effort to get all the way over from NZ and perform so strongly alongside the big players in the sport.

On a final note, we unofficially have the most famous crew member in the world with Noodles (aka Joshua) becoming a sensation around the pits.

North Island #1 baby!

After coming away with a win in the first heat, Hamish managed to get 2nd in the final heat behind Blair in Hellsbells. Ultimately bringing the title down to race times, Hamish managed to come out in front by less than 2 seconds!

Saturday was topped off in the best way possible coming away with a win in the Fred Robinson Memorial!

Sunday didn't quite go to pan. He managed to grab a 2nd in a hard fought race, but unfortunately done some damage to the cav gear putting him out for the rest of the weekend.

Next race planned for Hamish will be Karapiro, 6-8 Feb, to battle it out for the Matt Morrison Memorial.

Fred Robinson Memorial Results!!

3rd - Sundance Kid
2nd - Midnight
1st - Bold Move

First race today on the Wanganui River ends with a 1st place for Hamish in Rod’s boat “Bold Move”

Team update

We’ve been a bit quiet on Facebook over the off-season, but work has been continuing on all the boats.

Hillbilly
The first proper season of racing Hillbilly far exceeded all our expectations. The plan was simply to get seat time and learn the boat. By the end of the season, we came away with the Redhead Trophy, made the final of the MMM against the best IBRRs in the country, and placed 3rd at Nationals. We had a few little hiccups and learnings along the way, but overall it was a great season. Shout-out to everyone who helped get it on the water and supported us throughout the season. Unfortunately, some major damage was done to the engine when we stopped at Nationals, and we’ve made the decision not to run this season, as the new engine will not be ready in time.

Bowtie Boogie
Luke is still working over in Australia, so Bowtie will continue its hibernation. Although it hasn’t been forgotten, he has some exciting plans for it when he returns.

Megabucks
Progress has been slow on the rebuild, with some major and unexpected repairs required. Hamish will be racing Rod Hill’s boat, Bold Move, again this season. He ran it at two regattas last season, picking up a 2nd at Nationals and a 3rd in the Bob Dunlop. Another great season while learning a new boat.

We will endeavour to keep our socials more up-to-date on the progress of the builds and rebuilds, along with all the racing throughout the season.