Powerboating: Sleepyhead too wide awake for its title rivals

Peter Turner and Craig Archer grabbed the lead and never relinquished it in the seventh round of the New Zealand powerboat championship. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Sleepyhead thrilled a huge crowd lining Auckland's western waterfront with a runaway win in the seventh round of the New Zealand powerboat championship.

"It's certainly a good one to win, isn't it? "said driver Peter Turner, the four-time former New Zealand offshore powerboat champion who made a winning return to the sport last year after a two-year sabbatical.

"I've never seen a crowd like it."

The win is the third this season for Turner and co-driver Craig Archer and came in spectacular fashion with Sleepyhead, 2005-06 Armacup Cure Kids championship leader Placemakers (Richard Shores and Wayne Carson), and crowd favourite Jesse James (Wayne and Grant Valder) running side by side as they streaked under the Harbour Bridge for the first time.

The three Superboats then remained close until just before the halfway point when Placemakers slowed dramatically, leaving Sleepyhead a lead it would never relinquish.

The problem was a burst oil hose, and Shores and Carson had to stop, shut down one of the engines and replace it.

Fortunately they were able to replace the hose, top up the engine and get back into the race, eventually losing just the one position after Jesse James also struck problems.

Third overall at the line and winner of the superboat light class was Fairview Windows & Doors (Warren and Scott Lewis) after another trouble-free run. Early season front-runner Addictive (Grant Smith and Dave Aldridge) remained close to Fairview Windows & Doors for the first quarter of the race but was unable to hold the pace set by its class rival.

In the Sports 60 class local boat Marineworkz (Jonathan Martine and Steve Whitford) was the winner from Triple Trouble (Bob Smith and Mark Taiatini), while Light Industry (Chris Bartlett and Mike Urquhart) won the Formula Honda race-within-a-race from Electropar (Mark Helms and Michael Knight) and The Gambler (Kelly Smith and Matt Hopkins).

There was controversy when long-time leader, and defending champion, Konica Minolta (Greg Brinck and Reece Harrison) stopped early, Brinck believing he had completed the race.

English visitors Nick Clemson and Paul Trow-Smith were 10th.