Jet boat marathon lead goes to Butterfield

Press, 16 September 1976, Page 6

Jet boat marathon lead goes to Butterfield

Staff-reporter Westport .Driving through blinding rain, the veteran Christchurch jet boater John Butterfield took over-all lead in the first stage of the South Island section of the Citizen Watch marathon yesterday.

The course covered 70 miles of the Waiau River froin Spotswood to Glen Hope. The first two stages were held on the Wanganui River two weeks ago.

There were 42 starters in the marathon.

Yesterday’s race was highlighted by a number of minor dramas. Undoubtedly the most spectacular was staged, unintentionally, right in front of a National Film Unit camera near the Leslie Hills bridge. “We saw this boat coming flat out so started the film rolling,” said the camera man, Martin Barriball. Suddenly it seemed to go out of control and went spinning clear of the water and on to the bank. “The action was tremendous — we even got a great shot of one of the crew flying through the air.” Peter Phillips, who was driving, was the unfortunate human missile. He said later “we were going along very nicely at about 60 mph then I tried to get past a willow. The next thing I knew I was upside down in the mud wondering where in hell the boat was.” PDL Jet was in fact further up the beach with the other crew member, Clyde Collins, still clinging inside. Apart from bruising and a scratch or two neither man was hurt. The boat, too, escaped unscathed, but 10 minutes of valuable time passed before it was pushed back into the water. A mishap of another kind cost Dick Farrant of Christ-

church, (who was leading in D class) all hope of taking the title.

“We were just below the Hanmer Bridge when I noticed a large pool of oil lapping around our feet,” he said.

The oil — all seven pints of it — was supposed to have been in the engine, but was pumped out through a broken gauge pipe. Farrant and his son Gregg were forced to withdraw

“I would be lying if I didn’t admit to being a bit sad,” said Farrant.

“In the North Island stages we built up a comfortable 34-minute lead and now we have lost it all.”

In Westport last night however mechanics repaired the boat and it will be racing again today.

Butterfield’s over-all time in Outlaw is 6 hours 31 minutes 37 seconds, five minutes ahead of Peter Phillips of Christchurch, who previously held the lead in PDL Jet. Colin McCall (Christchurch) driving Rod Reagan’s boat, Mighty Smoove, is in third place with 6 hours 46 minutes 24 seconds. Another Christchurch competitor, Allan Bull, was not so lucky. He could not get a replacement for the burnt out piston in his turbopowered V 6 and is now out of the marathon. Neville Sutherland twice winner of the Mexican Rio Balsas International, and tipped as a hot favourite to win yesterday’s stage in Rod Coleman’s Mister Suzuki lost about seven minutes at the start with plug trouble. For many competitors the trials of the marathon really began before they got to the river. The Transport Department seemingly had turned out in force with its radar speed detectors, a ploy criti-

cised by many competitors and the marathon’s organiser, Mr Jim Stanley. “Mr Dunlop of the Transport Department telephoned me a couple of days ago seeking information about the time of the start on the pretext that he was concerned about traffic congestion at Spotswood,” said Mr Stanley. “The four radar traps he set up at various points seemed to indicate that he had other motives in mind. We expect he will give us the same treatment when we return to Canterbury on Saturday.” A number of traffic offence notices were issued to competitors and their followers.

Today’s stage of the marathon will take competitors up the Boiler River from Westport to Lyall and then down the Grey River from Ikamatua to Greymouth. Stage results for yesterday were: A Class.—Outlaw (J. Butterfield) 1:17.29, 1; Mighty Smoove (R. Reagan), 1:22.7, 2; PDL Jet (P. Phillips), 1:24.54, 3.

B Class.—Fury (D. Matterson), 1:38.40, 1; P 76 (N. Jefferies), 1:44.06, 2; Tangarua (E. Loney), 1:06.29, 3. C Class. I —Golen Key (B. Binnie), 1:44.56, 1; Areba (G. Raxworthy), 1:48.16, 2; Topsy (D. Wemvss), 1:48.55, 3.

D Class.—Cee Jay (C. Hanner), 1:44.45, 1; Pasang (D. Urquhart), 1:52.39, 2: Volvo Jet (T. McKenzie), 1:52.45, 3.