Jetsprinters beat daylight saving

2012 Jetpro jet sprint championship: fifth round review – Shelter View Jet Sprint Track, Wanganui, 31 March 2012.

Issued on behalf of Jetpro – promoters of the New Zealand jetsprinting championship series. www.jetpro.co.nz

For immediate release: 27 March 2012.

Jetsprinters beat daylight saving

The one and only night round of the Jetpro jet sprint boat championship returns to Wanganui’s Shelter View Jet Sprint Track Saturday 31 March – the last day of daylight saving in the series 2012 season.

Round five of six for the three category championship, the Wanganui location brings a new challenge for each of the water-jet propelled boats, with the penultimate round being held under lights. The third and final time some teams will have visited the venue this season, the night lights shift the game plan for each of the current title leaders.

Also home to the four leading Suzuki Superboat teams, current defending champions and newly crowned world champs, Leighton and Kellie Minnell, have a 12 point lead over local Rob Coley. Having finished fifth under lights last year, they will be needing that points buffer should another round win elude them.

“Last year we broke the steering rack in the top-five and were going great guns until the whole thing ended up in my lap,” said Minnell.

“This time we’ll be wanting to seal the championship sooner rather than later so our attack won’t change. Steve Bron (Wanganui), Rob Coley (Wanganui), Ray Ferguson (Upper Hutt) and even Pat Dillon (Wanganui) – they’re all out to beat me. Obviously we want to keep our sponsors and supporters happy as a lot of them will be there for the evening – and at the moment it’s all about sign deals for next year. So we’ll be treating this like the world championships – to finish first, first we must finish.

Minnell also explains what it is like for the driver and navigator as they transition from the late afternoon qualifying to the elimination heats held in the dark under lights:

“What I’ve tended to do in the past couple years is to set a good fast time in qualifying because as soon as you get in to that dark you’re a second off the pace straight away. The water is running off the banks and tends to look like the water in the track when it’s not, so it takes surviving two or three elimination sessions to work out what is bank and what is not. You’re certainly double checking yourself!”

Whitepointer Boats Group A title leader Sam Newdick from Hamilton knows there is a bullseye on his back and while three points ahead of the defending champions and similarly crowned world champs Reg and Julie Smith from Taupo, the dark has been his Achilles heel. Placing 12th last year when he crashed in the final qualifying run, Newdick returns with two wins from four starts this season and needs to finish ahead of the champion. That’s just the sort jostling for position locals Richard Murray and navigator Kesty Manning can enjoy. Placed third, three points behind second place, Murray has vowed to keep his mind on the job and leave the running of the track to others.

Fastest under lights in the Jetpro Lites category the last time they ran in the dark, Whangarei’s Denis and Steve Crene return for their second night event as title leaders, albeit two points ahead of Piopio’s Brett Thompson. Having navigated for dad Ray last season, this will be the first time Thompson gets hold of the steering wheel under lights and says there is pressure to bring the boat back straight: “...I didn’t find it too bad last year so we’ll see how it goes from the driver’s seat – as I don’t want to wreck his boat!”

Needing to memorise 25 turns to complete the course, the difference between running in daylight and dark will further test their memory and commitment.

Gates open at 4pm, adult entry is $20 with children 5-12years $5 or a family pass for $45. There will be free access to the pits during the dinner break as the teams wait for the sun to sink low enough for the track lights to take hold of the night. Racing is set to start from 7:30pm approximately, beginning with the top-12 elimination run, across all three classes.
The field is then cut to the top-eight, top-five and then the three fastest will shoot-out for the podium placings.
Each of the teams in the final have the honour of of selecting a theme song to be played over the announcers PA while they charge for the top spot.

The winners should be decided around 9:45pm with prizes also for the best illuminated boat.

ENDS

2012 Jetpro jet sprint championship points (top-three after four rounds) - provisional

Suzuki Superboat
1, Leighton Minnell, Wanganui, 120
2, Rob Coley, Wanganui, 108
3, Peter Huijs, Wanganui, 102

Whitepointer Boats Group A
1, Sam Newdick, Hamilton, 88
2, Reg Smith, Taupo, 84
3, Richard Murray, Wanganui, 83

Jetpro Lites
1, Denis Crene, Whangarei, 85
2, Brett Thompson, Piopio, 84
3, Ray Thompson, Whangamata, 81

2012 Jetpro Jetsprinting Calendar
Sunday 4 December 2011 - Meremere
Tuesday 27 December 2011 - Wanganui
Sunday 22 January 2012 - Featherston
Sunday 4 March 2012 - Hastings
Saturday 31 March 2012 - Wanganui (under lights)
Saturday 21 April 2012 - Featherston (finals)

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