Sport: Familiar faces to test themselves on the water

Bulls brothers Pete and Andy Walker will be the first to enter the Rotorworks Celebrity Challenge at the opening round of the 2014 NZ Jet Sprint Championships at Shelterview on Friday. PHOTO/NEIL JONES INSHOT PHOTOGRAPHY

Shelterview spokeswoman Julia Murray has a very simple equation she can't wait to see answered.

"Can celebrities, who have possibly never driven a boat before, handle a V8 in a track the size of a rugby field with six islands?"

We can all find that out on Friday during the opening round of the 2014 NZ Jet Sprint Championships as for the first time, organisers have put together a special celebrity boat to race in between the main classes, with the first contenders to be TV3 reality television personalities Pete and Andy Walker.

The Rotorworks Celebrity Challenge will have the brothers from Bulls taking turns with a modified V8 Quad Cam Toyota boat, developed especially for the purpose by veteran driver Pat Dillon (Paintworkz) and mechanic Tim Patterson from Engine Rebuilders.

"Just like Top Gear doesn't give their guests a Porsche to drive, our boat won't be a methanol sucking monster, but the restricted motor will mean that the best time will come from the celebrity with the best driving ability," said Murray.

"The hull has been given a new lease of life with a lick of paint at Paintworkz, so she will come out looking shiny and new for her new adventure."

The brothers will get three runs each over the course of the day, during which they will get their times posted on the leaderboard in the same manner as the popular Top Gear programme. "We have allocated them an experienced navigator The gitS Stig spelt backwards cause The Stig was busy," said Murray.

"So we know they can build houses pretty good and we know that Pete is pretty handy in a digger but can they drive a boat under pressure and keep it in the water?"

Full details and timetable of the day is available at www.v8jetsprints.co.nz.

Running Order Round

2014 NZ Jet Sprint Championships (Wanganui names in bold)

400 Class: 11a Paul Tulloch; 12a Richy Carr; 24a Ray Thompson; 17 Clayton Tisdall; 27 Pip Thomson; 34 Ross Travers; 26 Jason Reade; 31 Ollie Silverton; 07 Hayden Wilson; 29 Donna Thomson; 08 Patrick Haden; 06 Tim Edhouse; 3NZ Warren Farr; 11 Bevan Linklater; 12 Neil Marshall; 2NZ Brett Thompson.

PSP Group A: 37 Baden Gray; 42 Tristan Hynds; 57 Simon Gibbon; 40 Garry Stephen; 18 Blair Gibbard; 52 Blake Briant; 39 Andrew Guthrie; 158 Harry Wheelans; 77 Duncan Wilson; 222 Ric Burke; 38 Russell Dodds; 3NZ Paul Gaston; 2NZ Sam Newdick; 1NZ Richard Murray; 37a Bevin Muir.

Suzuki Superboats: 92 Mark Newdick; 99 David Simmons; Dave Hopkins; 88 Nick Berryman; Phonsy Mullan; 27 Greg Mercier; 232 Graeme Hill; 53 Steve Bron; 121 Peter Huijs; 111 Rob Coley; 3NZ Pat Dillon; 2NZ Leighton Minnell; 1NZ Peter Caughey.