Speedboat Cup Won By P. Knight

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32253, 23 March 1970, Page 6

Speedboat Cup Won By P. Knight

Driving a superbly judged race, P. R. Knight, in Team Lexington 111, yesterday won the Rothmans Challenge Cup race for the second year running on Lake Ellesmere. Eight 100 cu- in hydroplanes started in the final after eight had been eliminated in two heats. Knight also won the Dulux Cup in his bigger hydroplane, Bel Air 111, and in the same boat outclassed the opposition in the drag-racing. The New Brighton Power Boat Club’s regatta was watched by about 3500 spectators in fine but cold weather. In the last race of the day, Knight, driving Bel Air 111, had accelerated from the rolling start to more than 106 m.p.h. when the port sponson broke. He skidded round the south and headed straight for the shore, which was lined by hundreds of spectators. Knight switched off the en-

• gine, and his crew rushed a trailer a few feet into the water to get the sinking Bel Air 111, with Knight still in the cockpit, safely ashore. The > sponson broke right off. Knight had the inside position of eight starts when the flag , on the pole-boat dropped in the Rothmans Challenge Cup but did not make his usual burst. He was level with Cosl-A-Lot <R. iDenson) and Mlstra Dollar (K. N. Bickerstaff) as they went :round the buoys on the south bend. However, Knight had his boat comfortably in the lead after the first lap of the six lap. 10 mile race. Denson, another New Brighton driver, held on to sec- > ond place, while the Auckland : hydro. Miss Pall Mall (F. McLeod> was third. Knight and Denson fought a duel over the last two laps, i drawing well clear of the rest of the boats, Knight kept in ■ front throughout, but going ; round the south bend buoys for the last time. Denson, with the outside running, kept his - foot down hard on the accelera- , tor to almost draw level with > Team Lexington 111 as they ’ came down the straight to the 1 finish at 90 m.p.h. Knight man- ; aged to draw away to win by 15 yards. McLeod came third —the first 1 time he has lasted the distance ! in a final. In the third lap. Knight had put Team Lexington 111, . powered by a Fiat 125 engine. . more than 200 yards in front of Cost-A-Lot. Miss Pall Mall. How Bout Dat (K. Blair, Otago), and Mista Dollar were still fighting keenly for the minor placings. Hot Spot (G. O’Kane, Southland', Miss Paula II (D. Crowe. New’ Brighton), and Solo (C. A. McLean, Napier'. were well back. Knight is the first driver to ]win two Challenge Cup races in succession, and has now won | the race three times out of five attempts. A North Island driver has still to win the cup. and the race will be staged by the !New Brighton club again next, (season. Knight had another good win in the Dulux Cup race, for unlimited class boats, in Bel Air I 111, with the 180 cu. in Zephyr V 6 engine. W. L. Stokes, also of the New Brighton Club, driving Team Lexington IV, powered with a much bigger engine, shot into ithe lead down the front straight ion the first of the six lap irace. Knight chased stokes (hard for a lap. but throttled ;back when Stokes shot away from him on the back straight of the second lap. Stokes had opened up a lead of 600 yards by the third lap. and was still driving hard when his motor failed. It was bad luck for Stokes, and possibly bad driving, because he could well have slowed down with such a big lead. Knight continued on to win comfortably from Allegro (I. Pizzini, Waikato), and Panther <D. Alsop, New Brighton), twp SK boats. A. Johnson. New Brighton, drove Atom XII skilfully to win the New Zealand 75 cu. in. racing runabout championship from Power fly te. Visiting boats were to the fore in the South Island 100 cu. in. stock motor racing runabout championship, U.2. <N. Dobson. Waikato), winning easily from Cabre (R. W. Cook. North Otago). Miss Supertune (D. B. Grant. Aucklandi proved too good for the opposition in the New Zealand 100 cu. in. racing runiabout championship, winning by half a straight. Results:— New Zealand 75 cu. in Racing, Runabout Championship.—Atom ] XII (A. Johnson, New Brighton), 1. Powerflyte (A. Givine, New; Brighton) 2, Vendetta (B. ■ Parker, Wairarapa) 3. South Island 100 cu. in Stock Motor Racing Runabout Championship.—U.2 (N. Dobson. Waikato) 1, Sabre (R. W. Cook, North Otago) 2, Saffron (G. Bell. New Brighton) 3. Dulux Cup (unlimited class). —Bel Air 111 (P. R. Knight. New Brighton) 1, Allegro (I. Pizzini, Waikato) 2, Panther (D. Alsop, New Brighton) 3. New Zealand 100 cu. in Racing Runabout Championship.—Miss Supertune (D. B. Grant. Auck-1 land) 1. Javelin (B. Savage.; New Brighton) 2, Juella (J. t Stokes, New' Brighton) 3. Carl Augustin Trophy (for inboards up to 100 cu. in).—Hot Spot 1. Miss Supertune 2, Juella 3.

Canterbury Skiff Championship.—Panic (D. Parker, New Brighton) 1, Mayhem (J. Mogue)

2. Miss Zenith <D. Chun, New Brighton) 3. , King of the Lake.—Allegro 1, Panther 2.