JETBOATING - Failed gear costs Cromie

Until a rogue piece of equipment decided to shake loose on the last leg of the race, Mark Cromie had the high octane whiff of a fifth world jet boat title in his nostrils.
But in the end that random machine part meant the Whangarei car dealer was forced to surrender the world title by seconds at the marathon title race in Canada.
The 10-day event finished yesterday with a six-lap "river sprint", but Cromie was still stunned that he lost the chance to claim a record fifth title due to a combination of equipment failure and some over-officious officials.
"We had the boat get a bit of the blade jammed and actually ended up beaching the boat, putting it on the trailer and fixing it, then getting back out on the water," Cromie said.
"But due to the rules I ended up getting a DNF, as I did not finish, for the last leg which meant I could not win the title," he said.
"We have pored through the rule book and can't argue with the rule, but it came down to me being 47 seconds late back on to the water. If I had made it I would have won the title by 30 seconds because my overall time was that much quicker than the guy who won it."
New Zealand's most-crowned world jet boat river racer, Cromie teamed up with international jet boat expedition leader Duncan Storrier of Ashburton in Canada in an attempt to take out an unprecedented fifth world title.
Cromie, a Northland Holden car dealer, has now entered 19 world marathons in five countries in a racing career that started in 1976.
But he said this one was the most frustrating campaign he had raced because the title bid was stymied by rules rather than lost on the water.
"I basically won every leg of the event from day one.
"From the start line we were in front until that piece of equipment decided to shake loose.
"Right now I won't be coming back here to race, because the officials here are the worst I have ever come across."
Cromie raced with a new level of technology in Canada, an electronic engine management system monitored by telemetry back to Australia while running in Canada as part of his package.
The boat was supported by a crew of 12 specialists including laptop technicians.
That technology allowed Cromie to reach speeds exceeding 190km/h during more than 800km of racing.
The Canadian event attracted one of the largest international fields, with competitors from five countries.
New Zealand had 10 competitors in the field, the largest Kiwi contingent to challenge for the world title off shore.