Newdick Celebrates Victory at final Meremere Jetsprint Round
It was a day of mixed emotions as the Auckland Jetsprint Club ran the last ever NZ Jetsprint Championship at the Meremere Track. With four of the five men that created the track back in 2002 attending for the final farewell, along with many other past racers sharing a memory or two of their racing days here as they sat on the banks in very hot and humid 28 degree temperatures. While the memories flowed of wins and losses, crashes and near disasters the racers on the day put on a spectacular day of racing for the huge crowd.
With a line-up of 33 boats between the 4 classes the competition was fierce, all of them wanting to take that final trophy from the track. A couple of those boats coming out of the sheds to race had not been seen for some time so it was exciting to have Blake Briant & Cassandra Norman – Bars Bug team back on track having had to forfeit their Championship after the cyclone hit their property last year when their priorities changed. Angus Briant & Rhys McKinnon – White Pointer Boats another team who travelled from Gisborne to take part. Blake and Angus are cousins – both second generation racers, both competing in superboats, however it was the first ever race for Angus and we are sure Dad, Rex Briant, would have been extremely proud of how he drove.
Building King Superboats
13 boats took to the water in this fiercely competitive class. 7 on day licenses and 6 in the NZ competition. PSP racing Sam Newdick & Shama Putaranui didn’t put a foot wrong, winning with the fastest time of the day 45.214. Building King Rob & Ange Coley were hot on their heels taking 2nd. The team all the way from the USA – Jolly Rogers, Eric Werner & Jen Farmer, rounded out the podium, in only the second time out in their new Sprintec Boat package. With one round to go, Sam is comfortably sitting in 1st place on 120 points, followed by Rob & Ange Coley on 106, David & Millie Simmons on 105 & Reuben Hoeksema and Jacob Wood on 104 points. With the points so close throughout the class the final round will definitely be an exciting one!
Sprintec Boats Group A
Once again PSP Ollie Silverton & Jess Sit took out first place 48.355, accumulating another 30 points to add to their total (120 pts), Radioactive, Ross Travers, with his son Shane stepping into the navigators duties for the day, fought hard claiming second place for the day with a 48.801. TNT Racing, Brett Thompson & David Toms taking the third step on the podium. The Surprise of the day was Alex Devonport driving the borrowed boat Violet Tendencies – in his first ever race meeting he came a credible 4th after setting the 2nd fastest time in the top 9.
MTW LS Class
American River Rogers has taken 4 from 4 and will be looking for a season wrap up in Wanganui for the Final round of the Championship. Current NZ1 Link Ecu, John Verry & Declan O’Brien, suffered a blown engine in Qualifying round 3, ending their day and dropping them to 3rd = in the championship points. The Skitzo Team of Paddy & Jay Haden took second place on the day with David & Jackson Hopkins in third.
MTW Group B
Venom Racing, Kris Rasmussen & Holly Sutherland, having also achieved 4 from 4 wins with a time of 52.049 remain on the top of the Championship points table. Current 1NZ Sam Gray & Mike Allen snapping on their heels, posting a 52.385 to finish the day second, while Richard Currie went the wrong way in the top 6 leaving the door open for rookies Hamish Clarke & Vanessa Phillips to take 3rd – the second podium in their rookie season.
The Final Round of the New Zealand Jetsprint Championship will be a race not to miss with points close enough to shuffle positions, you can be sure the racers will be going out laying their all on the line to move to the top of the ladder!
To catch the action of the Final Round of the New Zealand Jetsprint Championship head to Wanganui, Sunday 3rd March.
Photo Credits: Shot 360
