From kids' boats to Formula 1 tunnel boats, the Wanganui Motorboat Club is promising a thrilling weekend of racing at its 2018 powerboat regatta.
Between 30 and 40 boats from around New Zealand are expected to take part in the Whanganui River event on January 20-21, club commodore Jason Buttimore said.
"This year's event is the first major regatta of the season so we've got boats coming from Auckland, one from Christchurch and pretty much everywhere in between," Mr Buttimore said.
"There will be a big variety of boats for people to look at and, hopefully, enjoy.
"We have three North Island title races - a junior class for 12 to 16-year-olds, the pro-stock title for V8 flat-bottom boats and the V8 pro-com title which is for bigger flat-bottom boats.
"We are also running the Plywood Cup which is a handicap race so the older, slower boats can compete. It's a prestigious trophy and the race was run at Whanganui for many years. It got going again last year and the winner in Cambridge agreed to bring it to Whanganui this year so everyone has a crack at winning it."
The North Island title races will take place on Saturday, January 20. On Sunday, January 21, the club trophy races will include the King of the River, River City 3000 for boats up to 3m and the Fred Robinson Memorial.
The Wanganui Motorboat Club is the second biggest club in New Zealand and is one of the older clubs.
"The club was formed in 1922 but records go back to 1909," Mr Buttimore said.
"The regatta has been held on that stretch of water since around the 1920s."
Racing will start at 11am on Saturday, January 20, and 10.30am on Sunday, January 21.