NARROW WIN TO HUSTLER

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31863, 16 December 1968, Page 18

NARROW WIN TO HUSTLER

The veteran New Brighton club speedboat driver, F. Williams, in Hustler 111, won the first heat of the New Zealand outboard hydroplane championship in a superb finish with Mercury (D. Wilson) on the Estuary on Saturday.

Seven boats started the fivemile race, but four retired with mechanical troubles before a lap had been completed. The start was delayed because the key of the New Brighton Power Boat club house had been mislaid and the buoys to mark the course

were inside. However, for the first time in many years, all the outboards were going within the three minutes given before the rolling start.

Chaotic Start But B. M. Andrews, in the Invercargill hydroplane, Casper, stalled at the southern end of the course. Andrews had no starting rope in the boat and made his difficulty known to Williams.

Williams drove Hustler 111 back to the jetty. J. Keig, jun., not driving because he had failed to renew his racing licence, threw Williams a starting rope.

Williams was not aware that the race had started. Yellow Submarine (W. Truman) had got away to a splendid start, ahead of Moonshot II (J. Keig), with Mercury well back and the others strung out. Williams then realised the situation and whipped across the start line, but half the straight behind. The Hokitika boat, Yellow Submarine, then

broke down on the back straight when a gudgeon pin broke. Moonshot was out. of the race a minute later when a fuel pipe came adrift. Keig was forced to kneel in the drifting hydroplane to watch the race. Venture Out Ventura was the next to break down, at the entrance to the front straight. In the meantime, Williams went round the bottom buoys and then made a large half-circle, to the bewilderment of the race officials. He circled past Andrews in Casper and tossed him the starting rope before going back on course and setting off after Mercury, which was almost a straight ahead. Andrews tried desperately to start Casper’s engine but had no success. Justine (M. Bain), the only other boat left in the race, was about 50 yards behind Mercury at the end of the first tap, and the three New Brighton club boats settled down to hard racing. Mercury pulled steadily away

from Justine and was leading by 200 yards at the end of the second lap. Williams, who had lost so much ground In his efforts to help Casper, gained steadily on Justine and was in second place at the end of three laps. Cornering Well Wilson was driving Mercury steadily and cornering very well. But Williams got Hustler til up to more than 70 m.p.h. into the breeze on the fourth lap. He lost ground slightly going round the southern buoys, and was still 200 yards behind Mercury at the start of the last lap. 1 Williams had Hustler 111 flyIng down the back straight for the last time. He-got the inside running to round the bottom buoys, but Mercury cornered exceptionally to be ievel as the two boats straightened up for the 700-yard run to the finishing line. Mercury got a bow in front, but Hustler 111 came back to win by a length. Justine took third place, about a straight behind.