Narrow Escape After Speedboat Overturns

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31210, 7 November 1966, Page 18

Narrow Escape After Speedboat Overturns

Six speedboats started, but only two finished, in the South Island unlimited racing runabouts championship on the Wairau river, Blenheim, yesterday afternoon.

Juella (J. Stokes, New Brighton) won the title and Tojeiro (B. Cook, Lake Rotoiti) was second. Ajay II (W. McCaa. Lake Rotoiti) was leading the field after two laps, but the big V-bottom craft turned over at 50 miles an hour when going into the bottom buoy of the course. Eye-witnesses said the boat appeared to skid, then leaped clear of the water, turning over in mid-air. McCaa was trapped in the cockpit with one foot jammed under the throttle. He managed to wriggle his foot clear when upside down in the water under the boat

and escaped with only bruising. It was his first championship race in Ajay 11. Two conrods broke in the 409 E Chevrolet engine of Panther (D. Alsop). Panther and Miss Pacific (D. Woods) were having a tremendous duel, but the big skiff stopped abruptly with the engine very badly damaged. Driftwood and weed blocked the water scoop of Miss Pacific and the engine overheated and seized. Tiger (C. Dungey, Lake Rotoiti) went out of the race with a bang. The craft went over a log at 60 miles an hour and the bottom was ripped from the hull. Dungey headed the slowing, sinking boat straight for the bank and managed to beach it

t Juella, with a 105 Cortina engine, was out-powered by I four of the other starters and | J. Stokes drove extremely well Ito win the championship. j His brother, P. Stokes, in |Br'er Fox, also of New I Brighton, won the South Island 266 cu in championship on the estuary in similar circumstances last season. Weed and driftwood brought down by a fresh in the river caused damage to many other speedboats. The out-going tide and a strong wind which rose later caused the last three races to be abandoned. A selector (Mr B. M. Andrews) for the New Zealand speedboat team to compete in the world championships in Canada next year, was at the regetta. He said last evening that the mishaps to the big boats were unfortunate as some of them were nominated for the New Zealand team. However, the drivers of the damaged boats all expected to have them ready for the next championship regatta at Lake Forsyth early next month.