Australian duo win superboat class at World Jetsprint Championship in Whanganui

Australian duo Narelle Pellow-Djukic (left) and Phonsy Mullan won the superboat class. Photo / Jeremy Ward-Shot360 Photography

Australian duo Phonsy Mullan and Narelle Pellow-Djukic emerged victorious in the Building King Superboat Class at the UIM World Jetsprint Championship in Whanganui.

The action at the Shelter View Jetsprint Track at Ūpokongaro over the weekend was the sequel to the previous weekend’s racing in Wānaka.

New Zealand Jetsprint Association president Julia Murray said the entertainment was exhilarating.

“It was an awesome day of racing. It was so close that it was actually nail-biting watching these boats race – they were so close in times,” Murray said.

“The weather was good, the crowd [was] good; everything just flowed nicely.”

There was less than 0.6 seconds separating first and second place in the superboat class.

Reigning world champions Mullan and Pellow-Djukic followed up their success in Wānaka with another victory, finishing with a time of 43.262s.

Reigning world champions Narelle Pellow-Djukic (left) and Phonsy Mullan clocked a time of 43.262s. Photo / Jeremy Ward-Shot360 Photography

Bastian Mullan and navigator Tahleah Mullan won the title of MTW LS Class world champions, while Ollie Silverton and navigator Amanda Kittow won the A Class.

Bastian Mullan, Phonsy Mullan’s son, became the first champion in LS Class, as that class had not previously been raced at the world championships.

Whanganui couple Rob and Ange Coley just missed out on the top nine, falling short by 0.141s.

Murray said many of the past and present jetsprinters felt this world series was the best field of jetsprint boats ever assembled worldwide.

She said the feedback from the athletes was positive.

“They just thought it was a really well-run event – it ran smoothly with no hold-ups,” Murray said.

“There weren’t any major crashes, so no one [was] hurt.”

Up next in the jetsprint scene is the final round of the New Zealand Championship at Shelter View, Ūpokongaro on February 23.