They might be single-engined crafts but at least one of the Mount Maunganui IRBs at this weekend's national championships will be running twin thrusters.
Identical siblings Chad and Kirby Wheeler will be chasing the under-21 title in Whangamata, with their natural partnership a big advantage in the high-octane, high-speed racing.
"I guess
it helps out, we know what we're doing in the boat and can hit waves and punch through a bit smoother because we're working together - it's just a little more instinctive," Chad Wheeler said. "We're feeling pretty confident. We've had a good season but we'll just see what happens up there."
The 18-year-old former Mount College students will be defending the assembly rescue title and looking to add wins in mass rescue, single rescue and tube.
They'll join a 19-strong Mount contingent heading up, along with 12 Papamoa lifeguards, including top senior crew Troy Walsh and Mitchell Brady.
Both crews took out overall honours at the North Island championships earlier in the season in Waihi.
But the Bay ranks will be dwarfed by Taranaki club East End, who are bringing a super-sized contingent of 40 athletes to the three-day championships which start today.
East End's production line of talent includes current world champions Andrew Cronin and James Morwood in the premier division, Scott Busing and Mitchell Gregg in the seniors and Kirsty May and Laura Begg in the women's.
Fitzroy's top women's crew of Emma Crofskey and Katie Watts will be looking for their sixth consecutive overall women's title, although Mount Maunganui's Lauren Assink and Mare Haitsma were the top women's crew at the North Island championships.
