Top nine jet sprint boats topple like dominos
Qualifier puts racers to a gruelling test
After an action-packed day of racing at the Shelter View Jetsprint Track on December 27, the most apt comment must have come from commentator Caveman (Tim Barrot) with the quote: “Well folks if you didn’t enjoy that, check your pulse, ‘cause you must be dead!”.
Qualifier four and the top nine had the boats topple like dominos as one after the other went on overland excursions, fortunately with no serious injuries, although it was certainly keeping the ambulance officers and rescue crew on their toes and what a great job they did.
Round two of the New Zealand Jetsprint Championship had the crowd of just over 2000 on the edge of their seats with nail-biting racing seeing the PSP Racing Team of Sam Newdick and Shama Putaranui taking out first in Building King Superboats and Ollie Silverton and Jess Sit coming out on top in Sprintec Boats Group A.
The course with its double hairpin rotation proved tricky with several boats crashing spectacularly.
Crash of the day went to Reuben Hoeksema and Jacob Wood in NZ2 Superboat. The boat launched through the timing loop and ended up in the catch fence.
The crew were okay but the boat will need repairs before round three in Wānaka next month.
■ Building King Superboats
PSP Sam Newdick set the early pace in qualifying, breaking through the 50-second barrier and posting the fastest time of the day - 48.492 in the Top 9. Broken Arrow Chris and Toby Edmonds were the other superboat team to go sub-50 and were pushing hard but retired in the top three with engine issues. Wired Aaron Hansen and Julie-Anne Shanks were the other crew to get to the top three unscathed as the competition crashed out. But in the end, they couldn’t match the pace of Newdick, who made it two from two.
■ Sprintec Boats Group A
The Top 9 was carnage for this class. LJ Hooker Bryce and Kylie Baron clipped an island and ended up upside down in the water. The rescue team were straight there but Bryce had got himself out and quickly pulled Kylie up out of the water.
Dug Twist and Brodie McGuire were on the best run of their day
when they bounced off an island and had a very hard hit into the tyre wall. Two other teams also did not finish, No Limits Matt Hareb and Hayden George and Rookies Michael Stephens and Jayne McDonald.
TNT Brett Thompson and David Toms were charging hard all day and looked to be in the hunt until they spun out in the top three. Wanganui Locals Ross Travers and Amanda Kittow kept cool heads to come home in second. But PSP Racing Ollie Silverton and Jess Sit took the win, with a faultless performance through the knockout rounds.
■ MTW LS Class
The young American River Rogers made it two in a row winning in style. He didn’t put a foot wrong all day ably assisted by stand-in navigator Katie Munro. Current 1NZ John Verry was pushing River hard but had a rotational error in the top six ending his day. The final came down to two in the end, with Paddy and Jay Haden, Skitzo racing, taking second place.
■ MTW Group B
Rookies Hamish Clarke and Vanessa Philips secured their first podium, coming in third. Once again Venoms Kris Rasmussen and Nine Lives Racing Sam Gray, battled all day, at times separated by 100th of a second, but Kris took the win making it two from two.
■ Round Wānaka
The NZ Jetsprint Championship heads to the South Island for round three, at the Apex Wā naka Aquatrack on January 20.
Shelter View has the final round of the championship on March 3.