The Lowestoft & Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club in Lowestoft, Suffolk, United Kingdom | Hotel

The Lowestoft & Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club, Lowestoft, United Kingdom, was founded in 1933.  After the turn of the century on Whit-Monday 1904, offshore motorboat racing was inaugurated off Lowestoft under the auspices of the Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club. The following year the annual event for pleasure launches was moved inshore to Oulton Broad, organised by the British Motor Boat Club. All racing was terminated on the outbreak of WW1, and it was not until 1929 that offshore racing was resumed at Lowestoft with the first running of the Daily Mirror Trophy, but due to rough conditions the event was postponed for several years.  The Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club was successful in persuading the newspaper to sponsor the trophy again with a large first prize, and it was transferred to Oulton Broad in 1936 where it has been held ever since.

The Lowestoft & Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club, is one of the few clubs that caters for Hydroplanes, Catamarans, Monohulls and Juniors.  Due to the variety of boats and engines competing, most races are started on an individual handicap basis which allows for the smaller and possibly home built craft to compete with larger and sometimes works-sponsored outfits. It may be that the slower boats will be well into their second or third lap before the scratch boats enter the race. Theoretically the handicap should allow the entire field to cross the finish line in a dead-heat - a rare occurrence! Some hydroplane events are based on a group handicap basis, with boats starting in batches according to engine capacity.

The racing is controlled from the Clubhouse where there is a large diameter clock facing up the Broad. This is synchronised with the computer timing system.