N.Z. supremacy ends

Press, 13 November 1982, Page 64

N.Z. supremacy ends

New Zealand supremacy s at international river boating came to an end in Mexico 1 yesterday ‘when a Mexican < entrant won the 1982 world ( jet boating championships. ( The three Canterbury boats which endeavoured to i retain the world crown for' i New Zealand for a fifth 1 consecutive year all experi- s enced bad luck. ( The three-man crew of 1 Christchurch’s Think Big ( paddled their way across the ( finish line for fifth place < over all after running out 1 of petrol in the final i

stage. The boat, piloted by John Roberts, Warren Meredith and Merve Moore, was the only one of the three to complete the 1000 km event. Norman Bagrie, of Hinds, who at last report had been running third, was disqualified after not finishing a stage of the race on Thursday. The third boat, driven by Gordon Chamberlain, of Christchurch, had been eliminated on the second day of the five-day race after hitting a rock at high speed.

Spectators at yesterday's final stage offered the Think Big crew assistance when the boat stopped just short of the finish line but this was declined. The Christchurch men did well to recover for fifth place after difficulties with cooling hoses and gaskets had kept them in eleventh place earlier in the race. New Zealand first won the world championship event in Canada in 1978. Successes followed in Mexico in 1979, in New Zealand in 1980, and in Canada in 1981.