Eight gruelling days of jet boat racing in both islands

Press, 3 September 1982, Page 15

Eight gruelling days of jet boat racing in both islands

~ It has been called the longest Jet Boat Marathon in the World, and there is no doubt in the competitors’ minds that this year’s annual Citizen Watch Jet Boat Marathon is just that — 14 laps on 11 rivers in both islands, over eight days and 1148 km of racing. It is longer than last year — there are more rivers to boat and there is one extra day with which to contend.

Each driver not only has to keep his boat and motor together and many of them burn the midnight oil to do this, but he has the normal hazards as well, of rocks just under the surface, sun in his eyes, rivers in flood or fresh, shallow unreadable areas, rapids, pressure waves, to name but a few. It is tough, not only on the motors’ jet units and hulls but on the drivers as well. A little over 11 hours in total will be needed by the “big boys” — the twin-turboed 454 ci powered boats and others in that class — to finish, but boats in the smaller classes will take up to three and four hours longer and only if they have trouble-free runs. The marathon begins in the Wairarapa on Sunday with an 87km run up the Ruamahanga River to Masterton in the morning; about one and a half hours towing the boat to Ngawapurua Bridge; and then down the Manawatu River to below Palmerston North — a 52km race which includes the White Horse rapids in the Manawatu Gorge. Crews then drive to Hastings to be ready for the Ngaruroro River the next day, a 47km race upstream in the morning and back again in the afternoon. Then it is back to Palmerston for the night for the run up the Rangitikei on Tuesday for 121 km.

The last day in the North Island zone is the longest leg, the 234 km run down the Wanganui with its 239 named rapids from Taumarunui to Wanganui. An idea of the speeds by the fastest boats can be gained by the time put up last year by Paul and Darryl Isaacs in “Lombard Finance.” They did the 234 km in Ihr 56min 7s, which is an average speed of 120.91 km/h. After a four-day break, the marathon continues in the South Island with the first day’s 140 km run up and then down the Rakaia River. On September 16, the survivors of the field attack the Waiau for a distance of 102 km to the confluence with the Hope River in the Lewis, Pass. There are three laps on three different rivers on the West Coast the following, day. Lap 10 is from Greymouth, up the Grey, and then into the Ahaura River up to Earthquake Rapids. Later in the morning, the field races back to Greymouth and in the early afternoon, race up the Taramakau River. This total section is 156 km. ■ Then the field crosses the Southern Alps that night to be ready for the last day on September 18 — the two-lap 150 km run up and down the Waimakariri River with the finisfi at the Motorway Bridge. ’ For those who even finish, it will be an achievement.

The current world champion jet boat marathon river racer is a Taumarunui builder, Max- McKenzie. In his “ANZ Bank” he won the title last year on'the Athabasca and Smoky Rivers in Canada’s Northern Alberta.' He is not, however, defending his title on the Rio Balsas in Mexico in November, but has elected to race in the Citizen Watch marathon here. “It’s mainly a question of economics” he said, "but it’s also the challenge—the rivers here demand far more than the Balsas.” His boat, a 5.6 m Alicraft built in aluminium in 1974, is the same boat that as “Miss Kiwi” won the famous Rio Balsas race in 1974 and was well placed for another victory in 1975 when an unfortunate accident put them out. A Mexican crane driver dropped the boat and the jet unit hit the gravel and bent it, stopping any further participation in the race. However, another New Zealander went on to win the race that year. In the crew in 1974 and 1975 were McKenzie and Alan Johnson, of Featherston, who is crewing again this year, and Bob Stout. Stout has since given up jet boat racing and the third crew member this year is McKenzie’s brother-in-law, John Little, a launch master of Napier. He was in the crew in Canada last year. The boat has had a rebuilt deck and bottom repairs since 1974 but is basically the same boat and is easily the oldest hull in the event. Motive power is from a 495 cubic meh alloy Chevrolet motor of 8100 cu cm easily

the biggest capacity motor entered. There are other motors of greater horsepower sporting twin turbo chargers but none are as big in capacity. McKenzie feels the naturally aspirated motor has less to go wrong in such a gruell- . ing event as the marathon. Another racer to watch in this Champion Spark Plug class (for motors 5100 cu cm and above) will be another who has won the world championship crown, Mark Cromie, a garage proprietor from Rakaia. He won the title in 1980 when it was held in New Zealand. A young and forceful driver, he has his boat going very fast at the moment. In- winning the Bridge-to-Bridge race on the Waimakariri early in August, he was clocking 150km/h on the downstream leg. In defending his 1980 title in Canada last year, Cromie had some major mechanical problems on the second day. By working around the clock, he and his crew repaired the damage after a local enthusiast had lent them his plane to fly the damaged engine block 350 km away to have a cylinder bored and sleeve fitted. He showed he would have been a force to be reckoned with, for on the last day he easily did the fastest time. With his crew, Greg Thomson of Rakaia and R. Brown, Cromie is one of the favourites, though another to watch is Don Johnstone of Feilding in “Aorangi” a steel Burling hull with a twin turboed 454 Chev.’ Johnstone was runner-up to another New Zealander, Reg Benton, in the workd championships in 1978. The

Isaac brothers Paul and Darryl, of Taumarunui, have built a new alloy boat for this race. Last year, they smashed the record on the Wanganui leg, averaging just on 121 km/h. Two Christchurch drivers •complete the South Island entry, but both Wayne Wilkinson (Fiveways-3ZM) and Angus McFarlane (Murray Baker Engines) are racing only on the South Island rivers.. In the Rajay Turbocharger class (4201—5100 cu cm), Hilton McLachlan, of' Whakatane, in his new glass Ameri-can-designed hull, “Lochwood Lifestyle,” with a 307 Chev V 8 has had plenty of experience. He has raced with success in Mexico and Canada as well as competing in five previous Citizen Watch marathons. To keep him pushing hard all the way are such other seasoned campaigners as Warren Meredith, Trevor Allan and Noel Jefferies, also of Christchurch. Jim Larking of Greymouth, in Assassin, is contesting the entire marathon, but John Blackett (Christchurch, Vapormatic) is racing only in the South Island. John Watson who grows vegetablesfor a living on the outskirts of Christchurch has a new hull and motor this year. In the Savage marine class (3401—4200 cu cm) he still holds two records he set in the 1980 marathon. He says his new boat is going much faster.' Stu Parsons, of Waitotara, in "Crown Finance,” has previously done well and will

have to pedal harder this : year to hold Watson off. Ross Murdoch, of Ashburton, ’is • racing only in the South > Island section. The smallest class is the Hamilton Marine for boats > up to 3400 cu cm. There Ron I Hardie from Palmerston North in his “Orinoco” should set the pace. In 1978, he won . this class and in doing so set five lap records in the North Island and one in the South Island which still stand. He did not attain these same speeds in 1980 when he finished second and last year when he broke down.

Owen Wood, of Waitara, in "Y-Tara,” is the only driver to have driven in every marathon since 1970 and is always up near the leaders. This could be his year. Ross Butterick of Ashburton, who finished second last year, is another to watch. The other South Island entrants, Bruce Street (Dalgety’s Real Estate) and Mervyn Cox (Greenfinger), both of Christchurch, are also racing only in the South Island rivers. . There are 38 entries this year, down a little on the 42 of last year.