Fuel Doctor (320), with Gordon Robinson and Allan Branch, and CRD Automotive (5) made up of Colin and Corey Dunn, race neck and neck against each other.
Fuel Doctor (320), with Gordon Robinson and Allan Branch, and CRD Automotive (5) made up of Colin and Corey Dunn, race neck and neck against each other.
Will their Napier victory prove to be a lucky omen for Auckland powerboat racers Andrew Koolen and Warren Lewis again?
After their one and only previous visit to Napier in 2011 when the pair, who race Fairview Windows and Doors, won the Superboat class in the Red Steel 100 theywent on to claim the 1NZ title in the New Zealand championship. With two rounds remaining the pair lead the championship and are on target to repeat the feat.
In flat conditions off Napier on Saturday, Koolen and Lewis stopped the clock at 57m14s after completing the 100 mile segment of the incident-free race which attracted 21 crews.
Second place went to the other superboat crew and last year's winners of the Napier leg Wayne Valder and Chris Hanley of Auckland in Profloors with a time of 58m55s.
Third place overall went to the Superboat Lite class winners Michael Fletcher and Jason Way of Auckland in Total Home Developments.
There was plenty of Hawke's Bay interest in the Sport 150 class which was raced over 60 miles. It was won by the Napier-based Red Steel team of two-time national champion drivers Tony Carson and his daughter Charlotte.
"It was a great win for Tony on home water. We were so proud of Charlotte as this was only her fifth race ... she is going to be a real tiger in the sport," Charlotte's grandmother and event stalwart Colleen Carson said afterwards.
They recorded a four minute win over the Auckland-based D & H Steel crew of Charlotte's cousins, Jamie and Max Carson, and multiple national title teams member Wayne Carson. Third place in the class went to the Wellington-based New Zealand Home Loans crew of Nick Campbell and Chris Haeger.
First place in the Classic class went to favourites Haaka Le Seuer of Taupo and Phil Rawlinson of Auckland in Gull Force 10. They were the overall winners of the 60 mile race in which second place went to the Sport 300 class winners Haydon Spiers and Paul Ludeman of Whangarei in Outward Pro.
Third place in the 60 miler went to Sport 200 class winners Alex and Josh Smith of Auckland in Triple Trouble.
There were only three DNFs, the Superboat Lite Global Security crew of Steve Bone and Peter Jonas of Auckland, and two Classic class teams, Topaz raced by Whangarei's Bryan McLean and Taupo's Alistair Reeves and another Total Home Developments crew of Shannon Martin, Shane Fletcher and Paul Greenfield of Auckland.
