Jetsprints: New rotation in Hastings is advantage for Whanganui drivers

Hayden Wilson, with navigator Aaron Greeks, picked up his first ever NZ Jetsprint Championship win in Hastings to continued to build on his points lead in the Group B class.

A brand new course layout for the Riverside Jet Track near Hastings suited most of the Whanganui contingent right down to the ground at the third round of the New Zealand Jetsprint Championship on Sunday.

Normally, the Crownthorpe-based track suits the higher horsepower craft, just as Meremere in the Waikato had done two weeks prior, but a new rotation order made the track more of a twisting and turning affair.

Former Group B national champion Hayden Wilson seized his opportunity, picking up his second victory in three rounds after coming third in Meremere to the faster boats of Owhango's Tim Edhouse and Hamilton's Karl Beaver.

Edhouse, sitting seven points behind Wilson in sixth overall on the series points table, was the runnerup in Hastings, while Beaver and Taranaki's Daniel Reade, the previous No2 on the points table, finished off the pace, as Eltham's Bevan Schuler got up for third on the day.

In the chase for the championship, Wilson has been the only driver to make the podium at all three events, "which is making my job a bit easier".

"Especially with the two from Meremere [struggling].

"I was expecting to push and get up there, but then being beaten by them.

"The track was good as always, but the rotation was a bit different."

Due to time constraints, the final eliminator was run as a Top 6 event, rather than a Top 3.

Wilson had set the fastest Group B time in the Top 9 of 54.835s, but Edhouse was right behind him with 54.974s.

"I thought, 'got to put the hammer down and put my best run in," Wilson said.

In the end, he managed a 54.4s time for his last run, while Edhouse searched for a better line but ended up going a little slower with 55s and change.

Getting a victory when he had been hoping for a Top 3 finish, heading into the fourth round on his home track, was a welcome bonus for Wilson.

"It's definitely built a [season] points buffer from here, but the plan is not to lose it.

"We've never had a first at Hastings, so I'm stoked with that."

The biggest rivalry of the 2018-19 in the headline Superboat class has played out another chapter as for the third round in a row, Hamilton's Glen Head and Whanganui's Rob Coley fought out a 1-2 finish.

Coley had won the opening round at Shelterview in December, barely in front of Head, and now the former World Series champion has come back at him to get two consecutive victories with Coley the runnerup.

It's enough for a solitary one point buffer heading into Whanganui.

"Fantastic day's racing – pretty intense track rotation," Coley said on Facebook.

"It was super busy and we definitely needed a clear mind to stay on it.

"Big thank you to Hastings for a well presented track – outstanding as always."

Head needed a strong comeback in the final Top 6 eliminator, as his 50.145s time in the Top 9 had him behind leader Coley (49.545s) and Tauranga's Aaron Hansen (49.864s), who would ultimately finish third to get his first podium of the season.

Whanganui's Rob and Ange Coley, right, were second in the Superboats, behind Hamilton's Glen Head and Hayley Todd, centre, while Tauranga's Aaron Hansen and navigator Julie Anne Shanks were third.

Sitting in third in overall points coming into the round, Whanganui's Richard Murray had a disaster day as his engine kept cutting out and he ran into the tyre wall, leaving noticeable damage to the nose of his Meaner Machine boat.

In the Group A class, current points runnerup Ross Travers came second on the day to Hamilton's defending champion Ollie Silverton, with Taranaki's Neil Marshall coming third.

The season title will now be decided between defending champion Silverton and Travers, who remains four points behind and realistically the only one who can catch up, after New Plymouth's Sean Rice had a bad Top 9 run with a DNF.

"We've got a points buffer on third," said Travers.

"That [course] rotation was grouse. It was tight, it was fast, it was a drivers track, not a horsepower track.

"Quite often you go to a track and the rotation might have been done 2-3 years ago, but that was a first rotation so even playing field."

Travers put down the fastest time in the Top 9 by 0.3s over Silverton, and then ran a solid 50.8s effort in the final eliminator.

However, Silverton held his nerve for the fastest Group A time of the day in 50.48s.

Travers doing so well is especially meritorious given his Radioactive boat is in constant operation due to sharing a double drive with son Shane Travers in his rookie season.

The younger Travers bowed out of contention early to finish 10th, mis-timing a couple of turns to leave the water and fly over some islands, but saving the boat from any real damage.

The action returns to Whanganui for the fourth round at Shelterview on March 30, which will now be a day round as opposed to the traditional night fixture.