Featherston to feature a ‘drivers’ track’ for PSP New Zealand Jetsprint Championship’s Round 2
They’ve had one race meeting to warm up and now it’s time for the teams to really put the hammer down at the PSP New Zealand Jetsprint Championship’s second round in Featherston on Sunday.
They will be out to clock the fastest times possible at the Kiwispan Jet Sprint Track, at the Tauherenikau Racecourse. Renowned for being a real ‘drivers’ track’, it will challenge the teams with high-speed passes through narrow channels and among the driver and navigators are several local Wairarapa Jetsprint Club members.
Racing at the opening round in Hastings a fortnight ago, MTW Group B class contenders Sam Gray and Mike Allan had an exceptional first outing. They improved their times throughout the day and executed some beautiful lines to make P1 in the top 3 shootout and go on to finish second with a time of 00.50.298. They will be one race team to keep an eye on this Sunday, as they are running hot!
Fellow Carterton locals Bryce and Kylie Baron had a mixed day to start with but laying down a fast time in mid-qualifying allowed them to chase the others leading into the top 3. The husband-and-wife duo then finished on the top of the podium with a time of 00.50.199, which was within a hair’s breadth of their closest rivals.
The 2022 PSP New Zealand Jetsprint Championship features four classes and competition is always fierce.
MouthFRESH Superboats
This class has no engine rules and the phenomenally powerful MouthFRESH Superboats produce a whopping 1000-plus horsepower (more than 750 kW). There is a strong field of experienced racers this season and the spectators at Featherston can look forward to seeing who puts their best foot forward this Sunday.
The track is less forgiving than Hastings and those that end up with top results will need to achieve smooth driving through this technical rotation.
A great battle is expected between Hamilton driver Sam Newdick and Gisborne’s Blake Briant, who will be putting his rotational error at Hastings behind him and will be amping to show Newdick what he is made of.
The podium positions could really be made up by any of the rest of the field, as there was less than a 0.5secs between their times going into the top 6.
This weekend a United States team – Ron Gallagher and Josh Reynolds – will be competing on a day licence. They have bought a New Zealand Sprintec jetsprint boat to take back home to race, so they will treat this round as a way to learn about their new superboat.
Sprintec Boats Group A
This class is fast! The boats often get over 700 horsepower (520kW) from their 6700cc engines (412 cubic inch). There was some impressive driving at Round 1, with some super quick times. North Canterbury’s Si Gibbon will be out to make up some points after a disappointing electrical issue dropped him out in the top 6.
Wanganui’s Ross Travers will be one to watch on this track. His driving lines are some of the best in the competition and the rotation will suit him. Matt Hareb, of New Plymouth, deserves a mention as this is only his second season of racing and he and navigator Hayden George secured 3rd place at Hastings.
MTW Group B
This class saw some rookie teams join and some teams returning, which had not raced for several seasons. As mentioned above, the two local teams Bryce and Kylie Baron and Sam Gray and Mike Allen will be battling it out for the win. Gray will be hoping to turn the tables on Baron this round. The two rookie teams from the Southern Jetsprint Club are looking forward to racing on a new track, with Balclutha’s Andrew Craig and Scott Gouman hoping to capitalise on their 3rd place in Round 1. Kris Rasmussen, of New Plymouth, is working hard to repair his engine in time to get to the Featherston track.
MTW LS Class
The new LS Class had a good start to the season. The two rookie teams Dylan and Debbie Edhouse, and Matt Nairn and Josh Gowan grew with confidence each time they went out at Hastings. Napier’s John Verry and Leila Burder didn’t put a foot wrong all day and are keen to see how the boat goes at Featherston.
There are a couple of new teams getting boats ready to join this class, which is designed to get punters to grab a boat and come racing. The hope is that it grows to become like Australia, where there are 15 teams competing.
New Zealand Jetsprint Association President Julia Murray makes some predictions leading into Sunday’s racing.
“All the racers have had a taste of the adrenaline they have been waiting for at Round 1, so I can guarantee there will have been many a team in their sheds working on their boats’ set-up over the last couple of weeks. They’ll be trying to extract that extra 100th of a second from them!” she says.
“There are no brakes in these jetsprint boats and there certainly isn’t a cruise control option. The racing is fast and it’s hard to get onto the podium, which means they will all be gunning it at full throttle at Round 2. With only six championship rounds they can’t afford to get it wrong, so it’s ‘push it to the limit’ at every round!”
What is jetsprinting?
Jetsprinting could be likened to a rally sprint, except the action happens on water, not gravel roads. Travelling at incredible speeds, a driver and navigator manoeuvre a high-powered jetsprint boat around a track consisting of a maze of channels and islands in a particular sequence – in the fastest time possible.
The tracks are roughly the size of a rugby field, with the majority now purpose-built permanent fixtures, with launch ramps and safety fences. There is only one boat in the track at a time, and like car rallying, the driver and navigator are racing the clock.
Jetsprinting is the ultimate test of driver concentration and accuracy. Hesitation could mean elimination and a split-second misjudgement could result in a lightning-speed, off-track excursion.
Kiwispan Jetsprint Track information
The 2022-23 PSP New Zealand Jetsprint Championship’s second round will be held at the Kiwispan Jet Sprint Track, at the Tauherenikau Race Course in Featherston on Sunday December 4 from 11am to 4:30pm.
The track was founded in 2000 and is set in the middle of the Tauherenikau Race Course, which is located 30 minutes south of Masterton. A lot of work has been done to come back better than ever. The elevated viewing around three of the four sides creates a great amphitheatre for families and fans. Known as a drivers’ track, the teams will be challenged with high speed through narrow channels.
Contact: E:jetsprintswairarapa@icloud.com
M: 027 245 7779
F: facebook.com/Jetsprints-Wairarapa.
Family Pass: $54.55 each ($50.00 + $4.55 fees)
Child Pass: $10.25 each ($10.00 + $0.25 fees)
General Admission: $23.25 each ($20.00 + $3.25 fees)
Gate sales are also available.
PSP New Zealand Jetsprint Championship’s 2022/2023 Calendar
19 November 2022: Round One – Hastings Jetsprint Track, Hastings. Gate sales only.
4 December 2022: Round Two – Kiwispan Jet Sprint Track, Featherston. Buy tickets here.
27 December 2022: Round Three – Shelter View, Wanganui. Buy tickets here.
18 February 2023: Round Four – Sprint Bowl, Meremere.
4 March 2023: Round Five – Waitara Aquatrack.
8 April 2023: Round Six – Novus Glass Aquatrack, Wanaka.
CAPTIONS
Wairarapa Jetsprint Club members Sam Gray and Mike Allan finished runners-up in the MTW Group B at the first PSP New Zealand Jetsprint Championship round in Hastings.
Carterton locals Bryce and Kylie Baron will be gunning for another victory in the MTW Group B class.
Victory in the MouthFRESH Superboats class is what Gisborne’s Blake Briant and his navigator Cassandra Norman will be aiming for this Sunday.
PHOTO CREDITS: JEREMY WARD – SHOT360 PHOTOGRAPHY.
Follow the NZ Jetsprint Association on Facebook and Instagram
To find out more information head to the NZ Jetsprint Association website, or contact secretary Pip Thompson: P: 021 0248 1421, E: nzjetsprint@gmail.com
If you can’t make it to an event, then check out the Drainage Systems Livestream where you can catch all the action from your phone or computer. Or watch out for the PSP New Zealand Jetsprint Championship when it appears on TV3’s CRC Motorsport.
NOTE: The NZ Jetsprint Association loves their racing and wants to keep their supporters up with the play. If you’re not quite as keen, just hit reply and type ‘remove from mailing list’ in the subject line.
Catherine Pattison
Public Relations Contractor
NZ Jetsprint Association
| 2022/23 PSP NEW ZEALAND JETSPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS | ||||
| MTW GROUP B | Round 1 | TOTAL | ||
| # | Team | Place | Points | Points |
| 3NZ/66 | Bryce Baron/Kylie Baron | 1 | 30 | 30 |
| 109 | Sam Gray/Mike Allen | 2 | 29 | 29 |
| 82 | Andrew Craig/Scott Gouman | 3 | 28 | 28 |
| 11 | Richard Currie/Kymber Kennedy | 4 | 26 | 26 |
| 32 | Karl Brenssell/Hamish Murray | 5 | 25 | 25 |
| 19 | Craig Shaw/Paul Collier | 6 | 24 | 24 |
| 2NZ/77 | Kris Rasmussen/Holly Sutherland | 7 | 22 | 22 |
| MTW LS Class | ||||
| 20 | John Verry/Leila Burder | 1 | 30 | 30 |
| 6 | Dylan Edhouse/Debbie Edhouse | 2 | 29 | 29 |
| 282 | Matt Nairn/Josh Gowan | 3 | 28 | 28 |
| Sprintec Boats GROUP A | ||||
| 2NZ/31 | Ollie Silverton/Jess Sit | 1 | 30 | 30 |
| 3NZ/34 | Ross Travers/Amanda Kittow | 2 | 29 | 29 |
| 22 | Matt Hareb/Hayden George | 3 | 28 | 28 |
| 24 | Brett Thompson/David Toms | 4 | 26 | 26 |
| 1NZ/5 | Simon Gibbon/Sarah Gibbon | 5 | 25 | 25 |
| 37 | Dug Twist/Brodie McGuire | 6 | 24 | 24 |
| MouthFRESH SUPERBOATS | ||||
| 1NZ/50 | Sam Newdick/Shama Putaranui | 1 | 30 | 30 |
| 73 | Aaron Hansen/Julie-Anne Shanks | 2 | 29 | 29 |
| 52 | Blake Briant/Cassandra Norman | 3 | 28 | 28 |
| 69 99 | Reuben Hoeksema/Jacob Wood David Simmons/Millie Simmons | 4 | 26 | 26 |
| 5 | 25 | 25 | ||
| 111 | Rob Coley/Ange Coley | 6 | 24 | 24 |
| 43 | Richard Murray/Steve Edmonds | 7 | 22 | 22 |
| 47a | Richard Burt/Jen Nairn | 8 | 21 | 21 |
| 3NZ/80 | Robert White/Lisa Glub | 9 | 20 | 20 |
| 47 | Phil Dick/Hayden Digby-Smith | 10 | 18 | 18 |
