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Thundercats are Go!

The spectator spectacular that is Thundercat Racing will finally be returning to Raglan after a 5-year hiatus, with their club series grand finale to be held at Ngarunui Beach on March 16th.

Thundercat Racing is a high adrenaline motorsport with explosive wave jumping and tight competitive racing in a tunnel hulled inflatable boat. Boats are powered by an outboard motor with a crew of only two people who must work together seamlessly to attack waves and navigate sharp turns around the course.

“Raglan has historically been a favourite for competitors given the often gnarly conditions and the overwhelming local support”, says club president Michael Graves who himself races in the Bathrooms By Elite boat. “The club has been through an evolution with a lot of new crews and we needed to build up a certain level of experience before we could to bring such an epic event back into the race calendar”.

Teams will be racing the Surf-Cross style of racing which involves a 200m x 300m ‘W’ shaped course. Surf-Cross is very popular with spectators as boats launch up to 12feet in the air over waves and action takes place close to the sand in ankle deep water.

Says Graves “there will be loads for spectators and families to take in on the day with extreme racing, free Demon Energy drink for the adults and public rides once racing wraps up for the day (conditions pending).”

The Thundercat Racing Association of New Zealand www.thundercatracing.co.nz is the not for profit governing body, made up of elected volunteers. TRANZ is a member of the NZ Powerboat Federation.

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