Caughey speeds to another super win
The top three placings remain set in stone after Canterbury's Peter Caughey stayed one step ahead of his Wanganui rivals at round four of the New Zealand Jet Sprint Championships.
Caughey and navigator Karen Marshall put up a stunning 41.55 second run on a Sunday afternoon where they were constantly able to lower their times at the Riverside Jet Racing Track near Hastings.
It was 1.5 seconds better than anyone else could manage in the superboats, with defending champion Leighton Minnell having to settle for second with his rebuilt engine the first time he had been beaten without suffering a major breakdown.
Riverside is a tight and technical course, so Wanganui's Pat Dillon couldn't really utilise the full power of his supercharged Ford.
He was happy to take the third place, which keeps the same three drivers on top of the championship ladder heading into the fifth round at the new track at Wanaka on Easter weekend, March 30.
Several drivers found out the hard way just how unforgiving the track can be if they get their lines wrong.
Taupo's Garry Stephen was just starting to push hard when a moment's indecisiveness saw him launch over an island and land upside down in the water. Both he and navigator George Meyer were shaken up but all right more than could be said for their boat.
In PSP Group A, Hamilton's Sam Newdick and Glen Mason chipped away at their times for their fourth win of the season.
In the chasing pack there was chaos. Queenslander Paul Gaston went out in the Top 8 Elimination after he made a wrong turn.
Wanganui's Richard Murray and Kesty Manning rolled out heavily in the Top 5 Elimination, while Auckland's Baden Gray went out of the water on the same part of the course in the final, being left with third. Thames Bevan Muir was back on form and finished second.
Murray holds second overall on the points ladder.
In the entry level JetPro 400 class, Tim and Debbie Edhouse put the blown engine from Meremere behind them in fine style by taking their first win.
Wanganui driver Gerry Linklater's second placing elevates him to leading the championship outright. Hawke's Bay driver David Simmons finished third on the day.
Points after Round Four
Suzuki Superboat Championship: Peter Caughey (Canterbury) 119, 1; Leighton Minnell (Wanganui) 109, 2; Pat Dillon (Wanganui) 105, 3.
PSP Group A Championship: Sam Newdick (Hamilton) 120, 1; Richard Murray (Wanganui) 111, 2; Paul Gaston (Queensland) 107, Bevan Muir (Thames) 107, 3=.
JetPro 400s: Gerry Linklater (Wanganui) 112, 1; Tim Edhouse (Owhanga) 102 points, 2; Brett Thompson (Piopio) 100, Warren Farr (Taupo) 100, Ray Thompson (Whangamata) 100, 3=.