Former champions toil at Shelterview

Photo by Lewis Gardner

It was a tough day for Whanganui's top former national champions in the Biolytix Group B class at Shelterview.

Hayden Wilson and navigator Chris Hausman had a series of DNF, while defending national champion Ross Travers and son Shane had a mountain of problems with their Radioactive boat, only racing two of the four qualifiers and ultimately bowing out in the Top 5 eliminator.

"We blew the battery to bits," Ross Travers said.

"The drive shaft, we did that [damage] in the second one - Hayden Wilson actually gave us one."

Travers said the pace of the boat was still there from last season, but further problems with the fuel system on top of the other issues meant they just could not get going.

"It all turned to custard, not the way I want to lose the championship."

Whanganui's all-girl team of Donna Thomson and Monica Couper pulled down steady times around 54s all day, only missing the Top 3 final by 0.21s.

That left Te Awamutu's Patrick Haden to take his second straight win with a 51.47s lap in the Top 3 final, while Owhanga's Tim Edhouse was runner-up again in 53.142s, while Napier's Pip Thompson got up to her first final and finished in 53.345s.

In the Altherm Group As, Gisborne's Blake Briant got up for his second season victory in 46.12s, beating out champion Sam Newdick of Hamilton with a 46.418s, while Thames' Bevin Muir spun out in the final.

There were a few issues with the electronic timer during the day, so the Top 12 eliminators were scrapped, although the classes were light anyway with 13 superboats, 10 Group A boats and 11 Group Bs.

Results, Round 2

Group B: 1. Patrick Haden/Jay Haden, Te Awamutu; 2. Tim Edhouse/Debbie Edhouse, Owhanga; 3. Pip Thompson/Megan Brodie, Hawke's Bay/Lake Coleridge.

Group A: 1. Blake Briant/Kate Hoogerbrug, Gisborne; 2. Sam Newdick/Glenn Mason, Hamilton/Gisborne; 3. Bevin Muir/Kathy Muir, Thames/Auckland.

Superboats: 1. Peter Caughey/Shama Putaranui, Christchurch; 2. Glen Head/Darren Todd, Hamilton; 3. Leighton Minnell/Louise Blythe, Taranaki/Whanganui.