The world’s fastest powerboats will launch the new Offshore Superboat Championships from Wyndham Harbour this weekend

Get ready for extreme speed and actions this weekend when the Offshore Superboat Championship returns to Wyndham.

The world’s fastest powerboats — which can reach speeds of 220km/h — are heading to Melbourne this weekend for the launch of the Australian Offshore Superboat Championships.

Wyndham Harbour off the coast of Werribee hosts the first round of the four-stage national powerboat event this weekend, kicking off the tournament which will travel to Geelong and NSW later this year.

The event, which is free to attend, has been held at Wyndham Harbour for the past five years and is expected to attract its biggest crowd yet this weekend.

Australian Offshore Powerboat Club president Antony de Fina said the opening round in Wyndham was regarded as a marquee event.

“It’s always the first race of the season, it always seems a bit of a flurry of activity with new boats and new engines and perhaps a new team, so it’s always exciting round the first round,” he said.

This first stage is divided into four classes with three races each, including the Sport 65 and 85 class races for unlicensed drivers who are able to secure day-passes to compete in “fast fishing or ski boats”.

The country’s best boats and teams will compete in the Super Cat classes, where drivers are strapped into 600 horsepower boats, and the Super Cat extreme for inboard engines which have a total of 1600 horsepower.

Each boat is manned by two drivers, with crews of about 10 others working with them on land.

De Fina said the Australian teams and drivers were among some of the world’s best.

Among the high profile stars set to compete are xcat champion Darren Nicholson as well as world champions Ross Willaton and Tom Barry-Cotte.

The event will run over the February 25-26 weekend.