Power boat race won by Miss Print IV

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32776, 29 November 1971, Page 10

Power boat race won by Miss Print IV

New Zealand’s fastest power boat. Miss Print IV, with the Nelson owner-driver, D. Cameron, at the helm won the "King of the Lake" race on Lake Forsyth yesterday after tailing the former world champion, P. R. Knight in Bel Air, by half the length of the straight half-way through the six-lap event. Miss Print IV just missed running Bel Air down when Bel Air stopped mid-course. The short course on Lake Forsyth, with tight corners, did not suit the 19ft 6in long hydroplane, Miss Print IV. Knight, from the New Brighton Power Boat Club, made the best start of the eight boats in the event and was first round the buoys at the west end of the course, leading from Glasskraft Tunnel (C. Cooke), with Cameron well back in the field. , Cameron took half the length of the straight to get Miss Print IV up to speed, and was on full throttle for only a second, or two before having to slow down for the east end buoys. Knight showed that Bel Air, a smaller boat powered by a Zephyr 6 engine which held the world record at 114 m.p.h., had much the faster acceleration and increased his lead over Miss Print IV by being faster round the turns and quicker out of them.

However, Miss Print IV was in second place at the start of the third lap, but still half the length of the straight behind which was fortunate. The driveshaft on Bel Air slipped back, and the propeller hit the rudder snapping it off and twisting the steel brackets that held it. Bel Air veered to port, and took only two seconds to slow from 95 m.p.h. to a stop. Miss Print IV was hurtling down the straight about 100 m.p.h. and heading straight for Bel Air, with Knight standing on the sponson of his boat and ready to make a dive for it.

A crash boat sped to the scene with a yellow flag up. Cameron slowed for the turn, and steered Miss Print IV between Bel Air and the east buoys, missing Bel Air by about 12ft.

Cameron kept Miss Print IV throttled back to win the race with ease from Glasskraft Tunnel with Palomine (C. Perham) third.

It was bad luck for Knight, who had beaten Miss Print IV in a handicap event earlier. In a demonstration ,run after the race, Cameron got Miss Print IV up to 110 m.p.h. but the lack of room obviously did not allow him to go on full throttle for long enough to show the craft’s true speed. Canterbury titles Suzy Wong (T. Torrens), a New Brighton boat powered with a 135 h.p. Mercury outboard, and Bossanova (M. Scholfield), a Rotoiti club boat powered with a Johnson 125 h.p. engine, had a good duel in the Canterbury unrestricted outboard racing runabout championship. Suzy Wong led iiom the start, but Bossanova held on grimly and the race to the east buoys was won narrowly by Suzy Wong, which held the advantage to the end. Torrens, who won his first championship for some time, was given the traditional “ducking” for champions by his fellow drivers to the amusement of the crowd of about 2000.

The weather was fine and sunny, and the water on the lake the calmest it has been on race days for several seasons. J. Stokes, the Waikuku farmer and holder of several national titles in his racing runabout, Juella, won the Canterbury championship 1650 c.c. title from P. Norriss in The Joker. Stokes got Juella in the clear from the clock start and had a lead of about 30 yards over The Joker going down the back straight for the first time. However, Norriss got in front on the third lap and held on to go round the west buoys first on the last lap. Stokes was slowed when Juella hit the wake of The Joker but showed superior acceleration to be first into the east turn and held on for a two length win. Saffron (G. Bell) was third to make it a dean sweep for Brighton boats. An inboard hydroplane, Cost-a-Lott (R. Denson) and an outboard tunnel boat, Glasskraft Tunnel (C. Cooke) battled it out for the Canterbury 1650 c.c. hydroplane championship. Glasskraft Tunnel got the best start and led into the first bend and it was bow to bow at the end of the first lap. But Cost-a-Lott had too much speed in the straights; Glasskraft caught up on the turns, but Cost-a-Lott won by 30 yards. Paomine (C. Perham) was third.

Puppet (S. Callaghan) led all the way to win the first Canterbury 45 cu. in outboard championship from Smokey (J. Thompson). Flickaway (P. Jamieson)

was third, and the boats held the same position throughout the race.

Craft from the North Otago, Rotoiti, and Marlborough clubs made it a most competitive regatta. Additional results Pleasure craft handicaps.—First race: Sabrina (A. Ambler) 1, Thunderbird (N. McVicar) 2, Aqualark 3. Second race: Suzy Wong (T. Torrens) 1, Enchantress (B. Palmer) 2, Aqualark 3. Third race: Bossanova (M. Scholfield) 1, Sabrina 2, Enchantress 3. Racing runabout handicaps.

[First race: Magpie (T. Wilson) 1. Juella (J. Stokes) 2, Manaroa (D. Harkerss 3. Second race: The Joker (P. Norriss) 1, Casine (D. Hancock) 2, Magpie 3. Third race: Juella 1, The Joker 2, Crescond (J. Duffield) 3.

Hydroplane handicaps.—First race (division one): Easy Rider (R. Sharp) 1, Gold Cat (P. Jamieson) 2, Osprey n (S. Ireland) 3. Division two: Bel Air (P. Knight) 1, Palomine (C. Perham) 2, Miss Print IV (D. Cameron) 3. Second race (division one): Gold Cat 1, Osprey n 2. Division two: Palomine 1, Cost-a-Lott (F. Denson) 2.