EXTREME MACHINES

For two months of the year Bruce and Shirley Muir hit the road to watch some of the fastest machines on water battle it out.

On Saturday, they were among a crowd of more than one thousand dotted along the grassy banks overlooking the Methanex Naki 500 circuit in Waitara.

Motors roared and water sprayed as the Muirs cheered on their loved ones competing in round three of the Altherm NZ Jetsprint Championships 2018.

‘‘We’ve been following the jetsprints for 13 years,’’ Bruce said.

‘‘It’s a family sport.’’

The Whitianga couple were backing their son-in-law Baden Gray and family friend Aaron Hansen.

‘‘We’re all tied up in it,’’ Bruce, who raced the New Zealand Jet Boat Marathon in 1974, said.

‘‘We love it,’’ Shirley said.

Bruce had been giving Hansen a hand with his boat for much of the day but was able to take some time out after the boat broke down.

‘‘It blew the bucket,’’ he said. Jade Dunbell and his daughter Georgia, 7, were first timers at the jetsprints.

Dunbell said they weren’t planning to head along but thought they’d come out to support a friend who was racing.

‘‘If I knew it was going to be this loud I would have brought earplugs,’’ he said.

Event promotions manager Bernadette van Wyk said it was a fantastic day.

‘‘There were 42 teams. They loved the new rotation and everybody had a blast.’’

The technical rotation is changed every time to make it more competitive, so they don’t all know the track, she said.

‘‘It was a very, very good day. There were no hiccups and no major crashes, which is always good.

‘‘The crowds loved it.

‘‘The corporates loved it. Everything ran smoothly.’’

van Wyk said she got a lot of feedback from people who had come from other parts of the country.

‘‘They all love coming to Waitara. More than 1000 people attended, so that’s pretty good numbers.’’

The final round of the NZ Jetsprint Championships will also be held in Waitara on April 14.

"It was a very, very good day. There were no hiccups and no major crashes, which is always good. The crowds loved it. The corporates loved it." Bernadette van Wyk

PHOTOS: SIMON O’CONNOR/STUFF The Eagle Automotive boat, driven by Neil Marshall and navigated by Haley Bruning, hits a corner at speed.

Radioactive, driven by Ross Travers and navigated by Shane Travers, speeds through the course.

More than 1000 people headed to Methanex Aquatrack in Waitara to watch round three of the NZ Jetsprint Championships.

Bruce and Shirley Muir set in for a day of racing.