Jetsprint: Females to get serious ... next season

FUN TIME: Navigator Megan Brodie (left) and driver Pip Thompson. PHOTO/Duncan Brown

Check out the name on Hawke's Bay driver Pip Thompson's jetsprint boat ... "The Bitche's Box."

"It's related to Jess, one of the dogs in the Footrot Flats cartoons. We have a lot of fun in this boat and when we come out for each rotation the event commentator plays the Who Let the Dogs Out? song over the sound system," Thompson explained.

"That's what this season is all about. We're running third to last with two more rounds in this series after Sunday ... we'll have heaps of fun and then get serious next year," Thompson said yesterday as she completed arrangements for tomorrow's Crownthorpe-hosted fourth round in the national series.

After navigating for her partner David Simmons in the same Group A boat (when it had the name Close Shave last year), Patoka's Thompson decided to become a driver this year and has formed an all-female crew with Canterbury shepherd Megan Brodie as her navigator.

"David decided to go up into the Superboat ranks and suggested I give driving a crack. He races Blue Flame with Napier's John Verry navigating and I've got an all girls boat," Thompson said.

Brodie is in her third season of navigating. During her previous two seasons she finished second with Pio Pio driver Brett Thompson in the Group A class.

"Megan wanted a change of scene so I poached her," Thompson quipped.

Apart from Brodie missing a couple of flights from Christchurch to the North Island the combination is working well. Brodie missed a flight from Christchurch to Tauranga for the Mount Maunganui round in January but managed to get one to Rotorua and arrived in the Mount in time for scrutineering.

"I missed a return flight on another occasion too. That's why I've come two days early this time ... I don't want to be late for Pip's outing on her home track," Brodie said.

"I've never liked this Hawke's Bay track ... the islands are so low and there aren't many landmarks. Fortunately Pip likes the track and I know Wanganui like the back of my hand," Brodie said referring to the venue for the fifth round on April 5.

While Thompson, a customer services and operations manager for NOW, did a promotional drive at Crownthorpe this week she wasn't allowed tomorrow's rotations.

"I'll be happy with a top 12 finish on Sunday. I just have to be brave enough to fully test the boat," Thompson said.

She is enjoying the stress associated with being a driver.

"It's a different kind of stress to being a navigator when I just sat there. Now I have to learn the rotations ... they're spinning around in my head as I wait for the green light."

While Thompson and Brodie share the same pit tent as Simmons and Verry and give each other plenty of support there is also plenty of teasing between the two crews.

"We're always comparing how many seconds there were between us after each rotation. All the male crews give us plenty of advice on which lines to take but they've warned us ... as we sneak up towards their times the advice will decrease," Brodie said.

Wanaka will host the sixth and final round in the series on April 18. Thompson won't have to worry about Brodie missing flights that day.

The Hawke's Bay crew of Graeme Hill and navigator Tracey Webster in Liquid Gold will be all out to maintain their lead in the Suzuki Super Boat Championship.

Experienced Hawke's Bay navigator Tanya Iremonger is in her sixth year with Auckland driver Baden Gray in the Group A class. Another Bay navigator, Glenn Mason, and Hamilton driver Sam Newdick are leading this class.

Fellow Group A teams Richard Murray and Kesty Manning, racing Mean Machine, and Garry Stephen and George Meyer of Taupo, racing Rapids Jet, will be approaching Crownthorpe with some caution after spectacular crashes last season. Both boats clipped banks and landed upside down.

Forty two crews, including one from Australia, will be in action tomorrow.