In fantastic news for the National Drivers’ Championship off the back of a recent announcement that the Series will extend to five rounds next year, comes confirmation that the 2025 Series will be known as the Battery World National Drivers’ Championship thanks to the recent signing of an agreement with the iconic national brand.
Campaigned for Forced Induction Unlimited Displacement inboard boats, the Series campaigned four highly successful rounds this calendar year, from kick off at Melton in Melbourne’s outer-west in February, to the festive atmosphere of Yarrawonga on the Victorian/NSW border, then Adelaide in mid-May for the penultimate round of the season before concluding in front of a big passionate crowd at Windsor on the Hawkesbury River in mid-September.
All events are televised in association with the Seven Network, free-to-air on 7mate and on-demand on 7plus, a factor in the impressive growth of the category in such a short period.
“12-months ago the Upper Hawkesbury Powerboat Club at Windsor agreed to trial the new concept,” National Drivers’ Championship co-Director Craig Stauner explained. “To say it was an immediate success with both drivers and fans would be underselling just how popular the concept was, and we haven’t looked back since.”
“It’s a concept we’d been planning for some time,” Stauner’s co-Director and fellow racer Rob Psaila explained. “The piece that had been missing was the media element and especially television, and with that onboard, we had what we felt were the foundations for a true national Series, and the proof is in the success of all the events we’ve had this year, every one of which achieved their biggest fields of Unlimited Displacement boats in decades, and in some cases – ever! The participating Clubs have also seen the best crowd attendances they’ve had in years and ultimately attracted more financial support to their events, and this is just year one!”
“Our goal was always to attract a true national sponsor to the Series, and to have had such great dialogue with Battery World shows that we’re definitely gaining attention,” Stauner added.
From Melton next February, Battery World will be a visible part of the National Drivers’ Championship [NDC] with plans to include significant branding and awareness around the NDC teams and events next season, especially considering that as a true national brand, that the Series will compete close by to many Battery World retail outlets.
“As a business, Battery World began operations in North Queensland in 1997, and today has over 100 stores nationwide providing a wide range of batteries and services to consumers Australia- wide, from automotive, marine and motorcycle and much more, Battery World offers fitment, charging and testing to power your passion,” Johnny Kennedy, Battery World’s General Manager explained.
“Battery World offers a range of marine batteries that are built to withstand the requirements of boating and broader marine needs including Jetskis. We’re proud to align with the National Drivers Championship to power the passion of marine enthusiasts around the country.”
Battery World also have a strong sporting involvement, having supported Olympic athletes in Paris this year, whilst also being the Official Battery Retailer of the Repco Supercars Championship.
“With 28 teams having contested rounds of the 2024 National Drivers’ Championship there’s no question the Series has been a huge success, and we’re already seeing great interest from teams from all around the country for 2025 as we work towards the opening round of the 2025 Battery World National Drivers’ Championship at Melton in mid-February,” Stauner added.
2025 Battery World National Drivers’ Championships
RND#1 – Melton Gold Cup, Melton, Victoria (14-16 February, 2025)
RND#2 – EC Griffith Cup, Yarrawonga, Victoria (25-27 April, 2025)
RND#3 – Marj Watson Memorial/Dorwin Gold Cup, Adelaide, SA (23-25 May, 2025)
RND#4 – Lockyer Spectacular, Lake Dyer, Queensland (27-29 June, 2025)
RND#5 – Windsor Spectacular, Windsor, NSW (12-14 September, 2025)