Offshore powerboats race in choppy Napier conditions

Testing conditions greeted competitors in the Rayglass NZ Offshore Powerboat Championship in Napier today, and despite one to two metre swells and a one metre chop, both the 100-mile and 60-mile races saw very close racing.

The leading 100-mile and 60-mile competitors finished within two to three hundred metres of each other, commented Greg Brinck, spokesperson for the New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Association and driver of 60-mile championship leader ‘Konica Minolta’.

“Rotorua’s Ted Taiatini and Auckland’s Warren Lewis looked strong in ‘Fairview Windows & Doors’ to take their third consecutive win in the 100-mile race,” said Brinck. “Controlling virtually the whole race, ‘Fairview’ had the edge over key opposition ‘Cure Kids’ driven by Tony Coleman and Chris Handley. In the superboat lite class which also contests the 100-miler, last week’s leaders Sam Fillmore and Cary Gleeson had engine problems in ‘Doosan’ and were unable to start. This gave defending class champion Kelly Smith, from Wellington with father Grant alongside, the advantage to take a well-earned class win and fourth overall. This puts ‘Rayglass’ at the top of the superboat lite class with four races to go.”

The 60-mile race saw Brinck and co-driver Eldon Archer establish a lead of nearly a kilometre in ‘Konica Minolta’ before intermittent engine issues allowed the classic class boat of Mike Cameron and Dennis Vivash, ‘Number 80’, to power past on the last lap.

“With the wind beam on for the two long outward and return legs added to the chop and swell, conditions were very testing,” said Brinck. “A couple of rain showers went through while we were racing, then the sun came out to cheer things up for the good, big crowd along the foreshore that enjoyed the racing.”

Third overall in the 60-mile race was the first of the smallest class, the Formula Honda boat ‘Auckland District Collections #2’ driven by Mike Urquhart and Darren Woods of Whangaparaoa.

Formula Honda class spokesperson Mike Knight, driver of second-placed ‘Building Solutions’, said a navigational error on ‘Building Solutions’ gave ‘Auckland District Collections #2’ the advantage. “It was pretty much a two-boat race, but Taupo’s Mark Morrell and Hastings’ Sean Bryant were very consistent performers in ‘Altitude’ to finish third.”

The 100-mile championship leader-board has ‘Fairview’ on 1425 points, 300 ahead of ‘Cure Kids’ with ‘Rayglass’ now third overall. Super 60 class boats ‘Konica Minolta’ and ‘Expresso Engineers’ top the 60-mile championship points’ table with classic class ‘Number 80’ now in third.

The Rayglass NZ Offshore Powerboat Championship moves to Wellington’s inner harbour on 21 March, then Whitianga on 4 April, Whangarei on 18 April and ends on Auckland Harbour on 2 May.

ENDS/

Rayglass NZ Offshore Powerboat Championship - Round 4, Napier

100-mile race results

‘Fairview Windows & Doors’ Ted Taiatini (Rotorua)/Warren Lewis (Auckland) 1, ‘Cure Kids’ Tony Coleman (Auckland)/Chris Handley (Mt Maunganui) 2, ‘A1 Homes’ Scott Lewis (Auckland)/Murray Tuffin (Auckland) 3, ‘Rayglass’ Kelly Smith (Wellington)/Grant Smith (Wellington) 4

60-mile race results

‘Number 80’ Mike Cameron (Auckland)/Dennis Vivash (Auckland) 1, ‘Konica Minolta’ Greg Brinck (Auckland)/Eldon Archer (Auckland) 2, ‘Auckland District Collections #2’, Mike Urquhart (Whangaparaoa)/Darren Woods (Whangaparaoa) 3, ‘Buildings Solutions’ Mike Knight (Auckland)/Shannon Thickpenny (Auckland) 4, ‘Altitude’ Mark Morrell (Taupo)/Sean Bryant (Hastings) 5

100-mile championship points after round 4

1, Fairview Windows, Ted Taitini, 1425

2, Cure Kids, Tony Coleman, 1125

3, Rayglass, Kelly Smith, 690

4, A1 Doors, Scott Lewis, 600

5, Doosan, Sam Fillmore, 544

60-mile championship points after round 4

1, Konica Minolta, Greg Brinck, 1325

2, Expresso Engineers, Mike Gerbic, 825

3, Number 80, Mike Cameron, 775

4, Building Solutions, Mike Knight, 690

5, Auckland District Collections #2, Mike Urquhart, 672