Jet sprints: Elite field to make a splash

THRILLS AND SPILLS: Spectators are in for some high-octane action at ASB Baypark today and tomorrow.PHOTO/FILE

Everything is ready for the second staging of the Western Bay's most spectacular sporting event.

Round two of the PSP New Zealand Jetsprint Championship Series will explode into action at ASB Baypark today with the inaugural ENZED Stadium Jetsprints on Sunday featuring a top-class international field from Canada, the US and Australia joining the best of the Kiwis.

One of the leading drivers in action today is defending New Zealand and world champion Peter Caughey. The Cantabrian is having to race in a borrowed boat he last raced in 2012 after his new craft's 570-cubic-inch engine broke a crankshaft in round one of the New Zealand championships in Wanganui earlier this month.

"We had put up some really good lap times and were setting the pace then suddenly broke a crank," Caughey said. "It did a huge amount of damage. Our normal boat is usually 40 to 50 kilos lighter than this [borrowed] one and similar in power, although my motor is a lot livelier on the throttle. So it will be more of a challenge for us and I'm hoping we have enough performance to make it all the way into the finals."

Caughey raced at Baypark last year and says the event is a special one for all the drivers.

"I have been racing for over 20 years and this is the opportunity we have been dreaming about and looking forward to for a long time. This stadium is just perfect for it but at the end of the day if we didn't have a good product this would not work."

Caughey says people would be amazed to know the G-force pressure drivers go through during a race.

"I am commonly experiencing four G's and on the worst of the tracks up to eight, but here I would be surprised if we have more than six G's on this track as it is a more flowing track. The boats roll into the turns so it is like a roller coaster and the load goes up your your spine. If you haven't got the helmet and seat restraints then you are in trouble."

Top female rally car driver Emma Gilmour will also be jumping behind the wheel to try her hand at the sport.

One of the world's best female rally drivers, Gilmour was the only woman in the Global Rallycross series last year. Staged in the US, the rallycross events are run with heavily modified production cars called rallycross SuperCars.

"I've seen the jetsprints and Suzuki V8 superboats on television - it looks exhilarating. I enjoy the thrill of going really fast, so I think the 0-100km/h in under two seconds will definitely deliver."

-Gates open to the public at 12 noon today and Sunday with racing from 3pm-10pm.