Cromie favoured in jet boating

Press, 1 June 1985, Page 12

Cromie favoured in jet boating

The 1980 and 1983 world marathon jet boat champion, Mark Cromie, of Whangarei, and formerly of Rakaia, has enterd the Rakaia Promotions race today, and with his Kwikkraft tunnel-hull, powered by a twin-turboed 454 Chevrolet motor, should go out as favourite. The race is the second in the Businessworld Computers South Island series and has drawn entries from throughout New Zealand. Cromie has Tony Ward, the boat designer from Tauranga, in an identical hull with a turbo-charged Chevrolet, as main opposition for fastest time, with the wellknown Reg Benton, of Featherston, doing the driving. There are five entries from Southland, the balance mainly from Canterbury, in the 60-strong field. Angus McFarlane in Businessworld Computers, who won the initial race of the series, will have to work hard to beat such top class opposition. Also in the open class are Norman Bagrie, of Hinds, also running a twin turbo-powered 454 Chevrolet, and Michael Pooley, of Motunau, last year’s open class winner of the South Island series. Derek Busch, of Ashburton, is beginning to get his boat sorted after a few failures last year in class five and, according, to locals, has been putting up some fast times on his home river. Ken McDonald in Cee Bee Marine won the first race but has had some real problems since. His garage has been broken into twice, his special carburettors stolen and his motor “sabotaged,” he says, but offers of help from other boaters will almost certainly see him face the starter. Last year’s series winner, Steve Kirner, managed a second in the first race in his 3ZM “Hit Radio” series but now has the mechanical problems sorted. With Don Sollit and Peter Munro in P.D.L., John McLaughlan in Detroit Clothing, Doug

Lawry in Loose Metal and Kevin Aitchison from Winton among the other 14 starters this should be the toughest class. Of the nine entries in class four, it is anyone’s guess who the winner will be. Dave Matterson has his motor right at last after having to change an engine early in the morning of the first race in the series. He won the class last year. Peter Muff, Richard Brons and Warren Walker are all excellent performers, and two newcomers to this season’s races, Vaughan Workman, a boat builder from Nelson, and Brian Scott, of Geraldine, will all be looking for the prize money. A feature of class three is the two all-woman crews. Margaret Roberts, who was a very creditable fourth in the last race, will be driving Black Magic with Shona Harrison as crew, and Elaine Hulme will be driving with Jenny McGregor as crew in Mellow Yellow. This is a first. Barring an accident, the winner should be the wellperformed John Watson, of Christchurch, in Butler Auto Spares but Brian Roberts, who was not going to race originally, has relented and will be a starter. He unoffi-7 cially broke the New Zealand record in this class recently. There are 14 starters in the class. Merv Cox in Greenfinger and Selwyn Paynter in Hovercraft Manufacturers, are the only two entries in class two, and Geoff Taylor and Clayton Scott the lone entries in class one. Eight entries will contest the Ford V 6 class, with Mark Towler driving Bruce Street’s boat, Shotover Jet, as Street is crewing for Mark Cromie. Trevor Crowe cannot give up speed. He is driving his Piglet and giving horse-racing a “miss” this week-end. Jim Lapslie from Southland is a fresh entrant in a newly-designed Aitchison hull, and Keith Miller is another Southland entrant.