PSP New Zealand Jetsprint Championship is back on track for 2022/2023 season

Having missed last season due to Covid, the PSP New Zealand Jetsprint Championship teams are fired up to get their full-noise 2022/2023 six-round championship underway.
Jetsprinting is one of the fastest sports on the planet and the Kiwi drivers and their navigators certainly missed their adrenaline fix in 2021/2022. They are eagerly counting down the days until the first national round this Saturday, November 19 at the Hastings Jetsprint Track.
Following this weekend’s opening round, the 2022/23 calendar features tracks as high up the North Island as Meremere and as far down the South Island as Wanaka. In between, the jetsprinters will also race in Featherston, Wanganui and Waitara.
Four classes will feature in this season’s programme, where the high-octane action sees the boats accelerating from 0-100 kmh in under 2 seconds, with up to 6Gs of lateral force while cornering.

PSP New Zealand Jetsprint Championship’s four classes
- MouthFRESH Superboats: This category features the real big boys’ toys, where superchargers and turbos are the norm. There are no engine rules (anything goes) and the methanol sucking MouthFRESH Superboats produce a phenomenal 1000-plus horsepower (more than 750kW). While there’s a ‘big block’ versus ‘small block’ argument to be had, everyone agrees these Superboats are guaranteed to provide maximum excitement!
The ‘big block’ boats all have more than 10,000cc, but with alloy engine blocks and heads, they weigh not much more than the Group B and Group A boats (around 600kg). The difference is the superboats have almost obscene power on tap and it takes a brave driver to stand on the gas in a Superboat!
This class always produces exciting racing with interesting and varied engine combinations and this season will undoubtedly deliver in spades.
Around twelve NZ-based Superboats are expected to face the starter, with up to three more international drivers racing at selected events.
Drivers to watch:
– Defending champions and arguably the favourites, Hamilton’s Sam Newdick and navigator Shama Putaranui are expected to be the pace setters and feature in the finals.
– 3NZ Invercargill’s Robert White and Lisa Glubb have bought a new boat with twin turbo V8 power, in their quest to move to the top of the points ladder.
– NZ’s most spectacular and determined racers, Rob and Ange Coley, of Wanganui, will be debuting their latest twin turbo monster – reputed to produce an eye watering 1300-plus horsepower. Will this be their season to take the top title?
– Current 2NZ, Scott Donald, has sold his boat to focus on family and 4WD racing, as has colourful racer Paddy Haden. Pleasingly, both of their boats are scheduled to race at selected rounds of the champs with new boat owners from Australia and the United States respectively.
- Sprintec Boats Group A: These jetsprint boats often get over 700 horsepower (520kW) from their 6700cc engines (412 cubic inch). With bigger carburettors, huge camshafts and larger jet units than Group B, the Sprintec Boats Group A category provides extremely close, exciting competition with a strong field of drivers always challenging for the win. This class can be compared to Pro-Stock drag racing, whereby you win or lose by hundredths of a second – it’s brutal! It is one of only two internationally recognised classes, and the reigning Group A World Champion is a Kiwi.Drivers to watch:
– Defending champion Simon Gibbon and his wife Sarah Gibbon, of Christchurch, will be determined to build on their previous success in their Novus boat, as they work towards the next World Champs.
– Four times Group A champions Ollie Silverton and Jess Sit will be looking to continue the fast pace they showed at the Wanaka finals in 2021, having finished second in the overall championship.
– Ross Travers and Amanda Kittow were 3NZ last season and they are traditionally consistent and fast. They’ll be trying to convert their results for a serious crack at the overall title.
– Notable omissions from this season are Neil Marshall and Sean Rice, having both sold their boats recently.
- MTW Group B: These are powerful racing machines, producing up to 600hp from their Chev V8 engines. Many of their motors are essentially a restricted version of a carbureted 6.7 litre (412ci) Group A motor. The Group B boats are reliable and with relatively low running costs, they have been proving very popular with new jetsprinters.Drivers to watch:- Kris Rasmussen and navigator Hollie Sutherland, of New Plymouth, secured 2NZ last season and they’ll be looking to move to the 1NZ podium for 2022/2023.
– Carterton’s Bryce and Kylie Baron secured their best jetsprint result with 3NZ last season and they can be expected to provide strong competition for the overall title.
– This class has two new racers, both from South Otago, with Richard Currie and Kymberley Kennedy, plus Andrew Craig and Scott Gouman looking to learn the ropes around the not-so-familiar North Island tracks.
- MTW LS Class: The 400cu small block Chev engine has been the foundation of modern jetsprinting and it’s a long way from finished yet. However, now it’s time for a new generation of engines to shine and the MTW LS Class welcomes the Chev LS engine.
The MTW LS class has been introduced to allow LS1, LS2, L98, L76 and LS3 engines to be tuned to 580hp and raced in a lightweight exciting package. The aluminium construction and availability of the Commodore-based power plant makes these engines perfectly suited to jetsprinting.
The LS class is designed to encourage keen punters to grab a boat and come racing and it has three teams entered.
Drivers to watch:
– Last season’s Group B champion, John Verry and Leila Burder are expected to set a fast pace for newbies Dylan Edhouse and Matt Nairn to chase.
New Zealand Jetsprint Association President Julia Murray welcomes all the sponsors and teams back to an action-packed race season.
“After Covid shut our jetsprint championship down last season, we are especially keen to go racing again from this weekend. We are thrilled to once again partner with PSP Limited as our New Zealand Championship series naming sponsor. PSP remains at the top of New Zealand’s building product suppliers with their wide range of class leading products and it’s a privilege to have them on board with us,” she says.
“MouthFRESH also remains with us sponsoring the Superboats. Their dental hygiene products can be found on most supermarket shelves and are a must have for the biggest smile!”
“We are excited to have our new sponsor Sprintec Boats stepping into the Group A Class. Sprintec are the suppliers of many top boats you will see racing this season, so if you are thinking of joining us then get in touch with Peter Caughey at www.sprintec.co.nz.”
Murray says that this year’s championship introduces the MTW LS Class to the sport, allowing varied LS engines tuned to 580hp to race in a lightweight exciting package.
“We warmly welcome Mike’s Transport Warehouse (MTW), who along with the new LS Class, are also sponsoring the Group B Class. MTW offers everything from wheels and toolboxes to workbenches and even plywood. Check them out at www.mtw.net.nz.”
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.
Hastings Jetsprint Track information
The PSP New Zealand Jetsprint Championship’s first round will be held on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at the Hastings Jetsprint Track, in Crownthorpe, near Hastings. Built in a spring-fed lagoon, the natural waterway has been formed into an exciting series of islands which provides an ideal venue for jetsprinting. With raised spectator banking on both sides of the challenging course, everyone will be able to get a close-up view of the high-speed V8 jetsprint action.
The venue is 35km west from Hastings. From the city, take the Taihape Road turn off at Fernhill and drive 10km before taking a left turn into Matapiro Road. Then drive another 12km to the track entrance which is on your left.
Contact: E: peteandrob@xtra.co.nz M: 027 4042216.
Gates open at 11am. Cash sales only, no eftpos. Adults $25; Child 5 to 15 $10; and under-5 free. Family pass 2 adults, 3 children $60.
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.
CAPTION Hamilton’s Sam Newdick and his navigator Shama Putaranui were the winners of the MouthFRESH Superboat title in the 2020/2021 PSP NZ Jetsprint Championship. PHOTO CREDIT: 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.