Ross Travers and navigator Amanda Kittow are back up and running in the NZ Jetsprint Championships in Wanaka on Saturday after their big crash at the last round at Whanganui in December.
Ross Travers and navigator Amanda Kittow are back up and running in the NZ Jetsprint Championships in Wanaka on Saturday after their big crash at the last round at Whanganui in December.
For the Whanganui contingent in the 2019-20 PSP New Zealand Jetsprint Championships, it's time to get podiums for pride as the series moves to Wanaka's Oxbow Aquatrack on Saturday for Round 3.
Although the ability to drop their worst round of the six from the final points allocation means placingscould yet change considerably, the Superboat drivers of Rob Coley and Richard Murray, along with Ross Travers (Group A) and Hayden Murray (Group B) have a lot of ground to make up.
After coming third at the second round at Shelterview on December 27, Wilson and navigator Aron Greeks are in the best position of the locals, sitting in fifth place overall in Group B, five points behind the Top 3 and ten behind series leaders Kris Rasmussen (New Plymouth) and Karl Beaver (Waikato).
A spectacular rolling crash at Shelterview in his first round of the series, having to miss Featherston, has left Travers and navigator Amanda Kittow in tenth overall for Group A.
Defending champion Ollie Silverton of Hamilton sits 36 points ahead, and Travers had already used up his drop round at Featherston.
Murray's engine problems prevented him competing in December, while Rob and Ange Coley had to forfeit any championship points when they changed boats after qualifying.
Murray and Coley sit seventh and eighth respectively, 33-34 points behind Superboats leader Scott Donald of Featherston.
Having put their Radioactive boat on the trailer and heading for Ashburton in Mid Canterbury to stay tonight, Travers said everything is back up and running after last month's big spill.
"The boat was a wee bit bent, but Shane [Travers] straightened it out."
As well as the hull, the valves were replaced and Marton's Ian Coleman "worked long hours" to make sure everything was working again, as Travers said they found "eight fountains" spurting up when the boat was filled with water.
"We should have been podium in Whanganui, but unfortunately we ran out of talent," said Travers.
He was disappointed they didn't get the chance to show the jetsprint fraternity exactly what the new craft can do at full tilt in an elimination final.
Normally, the only South Island round of the series is held towards the end of the campaign, either March or in April to coincide with the biennial Warbirds over Wanaka air show.
Being in the middle of the dry season in January, Travers said they were expecting temperatures in the 29-30 degree range, certainly enough to lose a little weight from sweating in the fire suit.
The hosting Southern Jetsprint Club released the official rotation map this morning, showing 14 turns of which the drivers must make 33 rotations before the finish.
It is a big task for the drivers to understand and their navigators to learn off by heart, as Coley once described back in 2015.
"You go back over yourself and turn inside out."
The Southern club are also donating a percentage of tickets and merchandise to Australian Red Cross and Wildlife Rescue Organisation (WIRES) towards relief for the fires.
Top 3 points standings
Group B: 1=. Kris Rasmussen/Holly Sutherland (New Plymouth) 59; 1=. Karl Beaver/Jay Ammon (Waikato) 59; 3. Tim Edhouse/Debbie Edhouse (Owhango) 54.
Group A: 1. Ollie Silverton/Jess Sit (Hamilton, Auckland) 60; 2. Simon Gibbon/Donna Thomson (North Canterbury, Whanganui) 57; 3=. Clayton Tisdall/Mandy Tisdall (Tapanui) 52; 3=. Sean Rice/Fay Rice (New Plymouth) 52.
