Jet sprinters revved up for World Series start

GRASSED OFF: After a roll at the Meremere course during the national championships in December, Richard Murray wants better in his return to the track for Round 1 of the World Series today.PHOTO/IAN THORNTON

They are playing with the big boys now up in the Waikato as Whanganui's jet sprinters have prepared for the start of a stacked UIM World Series at Meremere today.

Qualifying starts this afternoon for the 19 Superboats and 24 Group A boats, with the knockout races starting tomorrow with Top 16 eliminators, working down to 12, then eight, five and the final three.

Racers are coming from Canada, the United States, and a big contingent from Australia.

Of the four local-based entries, Richard Murray in the Meaner Machine and Rob Coley in Poison Ivy have the necessary experience from the 2014 world series in the United States, where Murray entered the Group A class and came third at the Portland round to finish fourth overall in the series.

Coley famously broke his fibula after a bad crash at the opening round in Missouri, but the tough-as-nails competitor raced again that day and got medical clearance to compete in Portland.

This time, Murray has moved up to Superboat racing in Pat Dillon's former craft.

"Superboat's a whole new league " it's like learning to drive all over again," said Murray, who is adjusting from racing with 630hp to having 1500hp under the hood with his unique Ford engine.

"It's been stripped down since Whanganui [national round in December]. Everything's all good. A few dents to fix."

While the opening round of the PSP NZ Jet Sprint Championship was held in Meremere in December, Murray said organisers have set up a completely different course plan for the bowl with its seven islands and 11 different places to rotate.

The starting line was now where the finishing shoot used to be and vice versa.

"Everyone's on a level playing field, and we only got the rotations yesterday [Thursday]."

Coley will be looking to make more national headlines, but this time by keeping the boat on the water.

Coley and navigator Kellie Minnell had a spectacular crash at Shelterview on December 27 where they barrel-rolled up the tyre wall of the finishing bay and flew upside down into the trees beside the course.

Minnell suffered a broken nose while Coley only had a sore knee and vowed with a new hull they would be right back to racing.

The other locals are Group B national champions Ross Travers and Hayden Wilson, who have modified their craft to race in the Group A division.

Travers was planning to put a new engine in his Radioactive boat, while Wilson is realistic about his chances.

"Stepped it up in the engine, got what we can.

"I don't know there's too much pressure [on me]. Don't know we'll be up there with the top guys. I've got a few goals set."

First among these will be the importance of qualifying well, because unlike the national series when usually the whole entry field can get into the Top 12 eliminator automatically, this time there is a real push for places in the Top 16.

"There's going to be eight people who miss out, only get their qualifying runs.

"I'm definitely planning on that not being me.

"[The course] is definitely all different " got emailed that before lunchtime yesterday, so hard out [study]."

The other hope is expat Whanganui Superboat racer and former world champion Leighton Minnell, who showed form in the national series with a third placing in Meremere and runnerup at Shelterview.

"Heading into the world series you've got to be happy with a couple of podiums," he said.

But all eyes will be on Canterbury's Peter Caughey, the defending Superboat world champion, as well as Australians Phonsy Mullen and Greg "Crusty" Mercier, who were second and third in 2014.

Caughey said back in December that this season with the national series bookending the two rounds of the January World Series would be the highest intensity racing he had been involved in for some time.

"It's going to take skill, talent, preparation " all the key attributes of a top team.

"The [Whanganui] track, everyone could see, suited the turbo boys. It's going to be a blimming hard contested championship."

The defending Group A world champ is Wanaka's Dave Hopkins.

After this weekend, the second round of the series will be next weekend at the Baypark stadium track in Mt Maunganui.