Ryan’s attempt to join exclusive club

Press, 1 May 1981, Page 24

Ryan’s attempt to join exclusive club

Jack Ryan has lodged an aplication for membership to one of the most exclusive clubs in New Zealand — it has just five members. On Lake Aviemore, in North Otago, this week-end, Ryan will attempt to become the sixth New Zealander to do a two-way flying kilometre at an average speed of 200km/h and to thus qualify for the Jim Beam 200 Club and its prized certificate. A successful attempt would also bring Canterbury back to equality with Auckland in club membership: Peter Knight — senior and junior — are the Canterbury members, while Auckland can boast Keith McGregor, Frank McLeod and Doug Cameron.

The North Otago Power Boat Club has organised the record attempt meeting, in which most attention will be focused on Ryan and Mainland Mjss, the only supercharged hydroplane boat in New Zealand.

But Peter Knight senior will also be there, looking at a speed in the region of 250km/h. This would seriously challenge the New Zea-

land record of 252km/h, set by McGregor in Air New Zealand, a boat now in Sydney and which Knight, ironically, races when in Australia.

Two others seeking their 200 Club badges are Steve Nugent, in CRC, and maybe Gary Hawkins (Leopard Coachlines), who has a prior target of 160,km/h (100m.p.h.), however. Ryan said yesterday he was confident he could get his boat up to 220 or 230 km/ h: “but it depends on the conditions. We’ve run it at that speed before, but I wouldn’t like to over-stretch it and miss out.”

If Knight is encouraged by his own performance, he will look at a record attempt on Lake Karapiro some time in the winter, “if I have time.” In May, the Masport Cup winner will be racing Air New Zealand in a 110 km bridge-to-bridge race on the Hawkesbury River, near Sydney. Knight also raced it last season, when there were 120 entries, and confesses to having got lost on the skm stretch from the launching area to the start proper.