Long jetsprint season fires up in Taranaki

Barring the unforeseen, Canterbury's Peter Caughey is set to lock up another national title after the sixth round of the jetsprint championships today in Waitara.

It's been a long season, but the titles will finally be decided when the sixth round of the Altherm Window Systems New Zealand Jetsprint Championships concludes in Waitara this afternoon.

The six-round series, which began in the first week of November, was supposed to finish in March, however the dry weather abandonment of the December event at Masterton's Tauherenikau Racecourse saw an extra event added, with Waitara getting to host two rounds.

The national body giving the nod to Waitara acknowledges the success of expat Whanganui driver Leighton Minnell in building such a challenging, technical course in the past two seasons.

In the Mouth Fresh Super Boats class, it should be a victory lap for Canterbury's multiple time national and world champion Peter Caughey, who has a virtually uncatchable 18-point lead from Whanganui's Rob Coley, who was runner-up by a point to him in 2017.

Caughey has had a fault-free season to dominate the class again, although Coley began to challenge him with the new Nissan twin turbo in Poison Ivy for the latter half of the season.

Fellow Whanganui driver Richard Murray has also shown steady improvement after some tinkering under the hood, currently in fourth overall.

In the Fowler Homes Group A class, Whanganui's Ross Travers will likely have to be content to finish third overall for the season, as he sits 9-11 points behind Canterbury's Si Gibbon and Hamilton's defending champion Ollie Silverton, who will fight it out for the title.

Similar to Coley, Travers has been more focused on the end game – making alterations to his Radioactive boat in order to have it fully ready for the World Series in Australia later this year.

In the Stinger Boats Group B, Whanganui's former champion Hayden Wilson is eight points behind the top three, while expat Whanganui competitor Kellie Minnell is on her home track has a chance to overtake fellow Taranaki racer Daniel Reade in second place, although Te Awamutu's Patrick Haden should be safe to retain his national title.

Points standings

Superboats: 1. P Caughey 150; 2. R Coley 132; 3. N Berryman 128; 4. R Murray 121; 5. B
Gray 109.

Group A: 1. O Silverton 147; 2. S Gibbon 145; 3. R Travers 136; 4=. S Rice 112; 4=. A Ryan 112.

Group B: 1. P Haden 146; 2. D Reade 136; 3. K Minnell 133; 4. H Wilson 125; 5. J Simmons 119.