Record sought in new boat

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32797, 23 December 1971, Page 24

Record sought in new boat

The former world speedboat record-holder, P. R. Knight (Christchurch) will have his new hydroplane Road Runner ready for the New Zealand Power Boat Association’s national championship regatta at Lake Rotoiti on January 1 and 2.

This has been made possible by the arrival of a gearbox from the United States and its release by the Customs Department on Tuesday.

Knight will now be taking three boats—Latimer Lodge

(Alfa Romeo), Bel Air (Zephyr V 6), and Road Runner—to the championships. Latimer Lodge (formerly named Wynns) has won many national championships in the 100 cu. in hydro class, while Bel Air set the world record of 114 m.p.h. in the 150 cu. in. class three years ago, Knight becoming the first New Zealander to hold a world speedboat record. He held it for a year before an American driver broke it by 6 m.p.h. Road Runner, an 18ft hydroplane, is powered by a five-litre (3000 c.c.) Boss Ford engine. The engine has Gurney Weslake cylinder heads which were proved most successful in car racing at Le Mans.

The V 8 engine also has Weber down-draught carburettors and has a dry-sump system developed by Knight and his team of mechanics.

Knight is confident that Road Runner, with picklefork bow, will be fast enough to break the New Zealand ' 3000 c.c. power-boat record I of 130.34 m.p.h. at present • held by J. and K. McGregot > (Auckland) in Air New Zea- ■ land. The McGregor brothers i have a new 400 cu. in. ■ Chevrolet motor in Air New i Zealand, the boat having moved into the unlimited ■ class to become New Zea- ; land’s fastest at 151 m.p.h., i a record set last Saturday. The Boss Ford engine i weighs only 201 b more than ; the Zephyr V-6 motor in Bel i Air, and Knight is confident » that Road Runner will eventi uallv do 140 m.p.h. and hopes to break 150 m.p.h.

t The world record for the 1 3000 c.c. hydroplane class is - 157 m.p.h. • Knight is not expecting to i do anything spectacular by > way of top speed in Road , Runner at Lake Rotoiti, as I he had not even had the boat

in the water, and the dry sump system is not yet proven. But he is hopeful that better acceleration will enable him to keep up with Air New Zealand and Miss Print IV (D. Cameron, Nelson, who held the New Zealand record at 149 m.p.h. for three weeks) in national title events raced over a triangular course.

Knight has his eye on the Masport Cup—a premier New Zealand race—to be held on the Estuary in Christchurch late in January. The Ford Boss engine is capable of producing 500 h.p. and turning the propeller at more than 7000 r.p.m. .

Knight is shown working on the new motor in the workshop at his home.