"A Beif History"
           

The EC Griffith Cup gets its name from the trophy’s donor, Earnest Charles Griffith, who, in 1910, presented a magnificent hand-beaten solid silver trophy for the Australasian Championship. The first race for the Cup was held over a course at Manly, NSW, and was won by Anthony Horden in Kangaroo, a single-step hydroplane with a top speed of 48km/h.

Racing for the EC Griffith Cup is dictated by a Deed of Gift; a set of rules put in place by the donor and subsequently modified over the years with the permission of the Griffith family to allow for the Australasian Motor Boat Championship, open to the inboard engined propeller driven boats of unresticted hull design and unlimited engine capacity/modifications. It is conducted under the jurisdiction of the Australian Power Boat Association and is annually conducted on the waters of last year's winner.

Today, the Cup has become the Australasian Powerboat Championship, open to boats from both sides of the Tasman. Boats can be of any design, so long as they are inboard and powered by a single automotive engine. There are no restrictions on the modifications allowed to the engine.

It has been said that the EC Griffith Cup is the world’s second oldest motorsport trophy still being contested. Two World Wars and drought have seen the Cup cancelled from time to time. In its 99-year history, it has been raced 77 times, with the Kiwis winning 21 times and the Aussies 56

In the history of the Cup, only three Kiwis have been victorious in Australia – Len Southward, Peter Knight and Warwick Lupton. Similarly, only three Australians have won the Cup in New Zealand – Ernie Nunn, Dennis Parker and Greg Holland.

The golden years of the Cup may well have been the 1970s, when the aero-engined V12 Rolls Royce Merlin-powered ‘thunderboats’ challenged their auto-engined rivals. When these enormously powerful boats were on song, they were too big, too powerful and too fast for their auto-engined counterparts. But the era of the thunderboats was short-lived and the fleet only ever amounted to a handful of boats.

Ultimately, they were banished and the sport once more became the high-powered domain of supercharged big-block engines in displacement or hydroplane hulls.

1910 FAIRBANKS Mr. A.H. Davis (N.S.W.)
1911 KANGAROO
1912 Mr. Anthony Hordern
1913 KANGAROO Mr. Anthony Hordern
1914 NAUTILUS
1915 M. F. Cornwall (Vic.)
1916 TORTOISE Messrs. RymiII Bros. (S.A.)
1922 TORTOISE Messrs. Rymill Bros. (S.A.)
1924 CENTURY TIRE Mr. J. Williams
1925 CENTURY TIRE Mr. J. Williams
1926 TORTOISE Messrs. RymiIl Bros. (S.A.)

1933 TORTOISE Mr. A. G. RymilI (S.A.)
1934 CETTIEN
1935 Mr. H. McEvoy (N.S.W.)
1937 MISS JUDITH Mr. F. G. Glass (N.S.W.)

1939 PENNZOL Mr. Reg. Richards (N.S.W.)
1940 CENTAURUS Mr. R. Pickering (N.S.W.)
1941 MAX
1947 Mr. Bert McFarland (N.S.W.)
1948 WASP Mr. E. Nunn (N.S.W.)
1949 Inclusive REDHEAD
1959 Mr. Len Southward (N.Z.)
1960 MYSTIC MISS
1961 Mr. B. Stevenson (N.Z.)
1962 ELRAY Mr. L. Appleton (N.Z.)
1963 WASP Mr. E. Nunn (N.S.W.)
1964 VENUS Mr. Alan Fordham (Vic.)
1965 WASP Mr. E. Nunn (N.S.W.)
1966 MYSTIC MISS Mr. A. Baker (N.S.W.)
1967 ASSASSIN Mr. A. Baker (N.S.W.)
1968 WASP Mr. E. Nunn
1969 ASSASSIN Mr. T. Mathews (Vic.)

1970 STAMPEDE Mr. S. Jones & R. Saniga (Vic.) (Second Place to Vulture-John Lewis)
1971 STAMPEDE Mr. S. Jones & R. Saniga (Vic.)
1972 Aggressor Mr. D. Tenny & L. Scott (Vic.)
1973 STAMPEDE S. Jones & R. Saniga
1974 VS41 (Solo) S. Jones & R. Saniga
1975 VULTURE John Lewis
1976 MISS BUD Norman Putt (dr. R. Saniga)
1977 MISS BUD Norman Putt (dr. R. Saniga)
1978 MISS BUD Ron Burton (dr. R. Saniga)
1979 MISS BUD Ron Burton (dr. A. Saniga)
1980 MISS BUD Ron Burton (dr. R. Saniga)
1981 MISS BUD Ron Burton (dr. R. Saniga)
1982 Bayswater Bulk R. Carnie, S. Jones
1983 BAYSWATER BULK R. Carnie S. Jones (Driver B. Baberton)
1984 BAYSWATER BULK A. Carnie, S. Jones (Driver B. Baberton)
1985 AUSSIE BUD Ron Burton (driver W. James)
1986 THE RAT Owner-driver Keith Harrison

25.1.1987 SHAMROCK P. Joyce/Con Cunningham B. Halliday (St George Motor Boat Club) Club conducting Event: MRSBC at Lake Learmonth
20.2.1988 AUSSIE CONNETION Ron Burton N. Howe (V.S.B.C.) Club conducting Event: St George MBC at Kogarah Bay NSW
26.2.1989 CRC LATIMER LODGE Peter G Knight (New Zealand) Club conducting Event: V.S.B.C at Lake Eppalock
15.4.1990 CRC LATIMER LODGE Peter Knight (New Brighton NZ) Club conducting Event: NZPB Assoc at Lake Ruataniwha NZ
31.1.1991 CRC LATIMER LODGE Peter Knight H Bemms (New Brighton NZ) Club conducting Event: New Brighton Power Boat Club at Lake Ruataniwha NZ
19.4.1992 BOSS MOBILE 1 Peter Knight Racing (NBPB Club) Club conducting Event:NZ New Brighton Power Boat Club at Lake Ruataniwha
11.4.1993 RADICAL RAT W. Jones D. Parker (Auck - Man) Club conducting Event: New Brighton Power Boat Club at Lake Ruataniwha
27.3.1994 AUSSIE ENDEAVOUR Ron Burton Dennis Parker (V.S.B.C.) Club conducting Event: Auck – Man at Lake Karapiro NZ
29.1.1995 AUSSIE ENDEAVOUR Ron Burton Dennis Parker (VSBC) Club conducting Event: VSBC at Lake Eppalock
24.3.1996 AUSSIE ENDEAVOUR Jeniama Pty Ltd Dennis Parker (VSBC) Club conducting Event: Yarrawonga Mulwala Power Boat Club at Lake Mulwala
1.1.1997 LIBERTY Brian Mc Cosker (Upper Hawksbury Power Boat Club ) Clubs conducting Event: VSBC – YMPBC at Lake Mulwala
1998 No Event
1.1.1999 RADICAL RAT John Niddrie Brett Niddrie (Grand Prix Hydro Club) Clubs conducting Event: VSBC – YMPBC at Lake Mulwala
2000 No Event
14.4.2001 ANNIHILATOR Warwick Lupton (NZ Grand Prix Hydroplane Club) Club conducting Event: East Gippsland Power Boat Club at Eagle Point Bay
3.2.2002 BIG CHIEF Ron Burton Greg Holland (Yarrawonga Mulwala Power Boat Club) Club conducting Event: New Zealand Grand Prix Drivers Club at Lake Karapiro NZ
21.6.2003 GP 101 Keith Harrison Grant Harrison (Aust Grand Prix Hydroplane Club) at Wisemans Ferry NSW
30.5.2004 GP 101 Keith Harrison Grant Harrison (Aust Grand Prix Hydroplane Club) at Wisemans Ferry NSW 8.5.2005 TATTOO Matt Ferris (Upper Hawksbury Power Boat Club) Club conducting Event: APBA Victorian Council & Member Clubs at Lake Mulwala
2006 Gp55 Paul Cunningham (Grand Prix Hydro Club)
Event: APBA Victorian Council & Member Clubs at Lake Mulwala
25.3.2007 GP3 Warlord Brett Niddrie (Grand Prix Hydro Club
Event: APBA Victorian Council & Member Clubs at Lake Mulwala
29.11.2008 ANNIHILATOR Warwick Lupton (NZ Grand Prix Hydroplane Club)
Event: APBA Victorian Council & Member Clubs at Lake Mulwala
2009 Non event
4.2.2010 G-Force Graham Weller (Grand Prix Hydro Club)
Event: New Zealand Grand Prix Drivers Club at Lake Karapiro NZ
2011 Fair Warning Scott Coker(Grand Prix Hydro Club)
Event: New Zealand Grand Prix Drivers Club at Lake Karapiro NZ