Crowds pack in for jetsprints at Whanganui's Shelter View Jetsprint Park

More than 1000 people attended the Shelter View Jetsprints in Whanganui on Sunday. Photo / Lewis Gardner

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Teams of two race against the clock as they attempt to navigate the track. Photo / Lewis Gardner

Ethan Griffiths
ethan.griffiths@whanganuichronicle.co.nz

Whanganui's weekend of motorsport continued on Sunday, as more than 1000 people crammed into Whanganui's Shelter View Jetsprint Park near Upokongaro as the best of New Zealand's jetsprint racers took to the water.

For Invercargill's Karen White, the Whanganui track is one of the best she's seen in her time in the sport.

"Me and my husband have been involved for quite a few years, and he's been here but I never have," the seasoned racer said.

Teams of two race against the clock as they attempt to navigate the track. Photo / Lewis Gardner

"But to come here and see the track, it's just awesome, it's a really cool spot."

White said the only difficulty was how far away it was from their base, particularly at this time of year directly after Christmas.

"We left 3am Boxing Day and got here at 9pm last night. It's been quite the journey."

"Awesome venue but terrible timing, for us anyway."

For the hordes of spectators at the ground, the afternoon's racing became an authentic experience.

Phil McRae said that as a keen but distant follower of jetsprints, it was awesome to see the races come to his backyard.

"It's pretty cool to see, especially when you've got this many people out here getting involved," McRae said.

"A shame the rain showed up, but I suppose it makes it a bit more real."

The sport originated in New Zealand in 1981, where competitors take to the jetsprint track one at a time and compete against the clock.

The sport could be most likened to rally car driving, where a driver and a navigator manoeuvre a high-powered boat around the track in a particular sequence.

The track, roughly the size of a rugby field, sees competitors attempt to complete a "rotation" which the drivers and navigators are given prior to race day to learn. The teams then must follow the numbers in the correct sequence to achieve a timed run.