Hero or zero at Meremere

ONE FALSE MOVE: Wanganui's Paul Tulloch and navigator Paul Bass found the grass at Mount Maunganui during qualifying at Round 2 of the national championship in January. They will be wanting to avoid a similar fate at Meremere tomorrow.PHOTO/FILE A-BN270115SW13

THE Meremere Sprint Bowl near Auckland is the longest running track on the PSP New Zealand Jet Sprint Championship circuit and is known for providing two outcomes for title contenders - the quick and the dead.

The third round of the series tomorrow will be crucial for Wanganui driver Pat Dillon and expat Leighton Minnell as they try to maintain consistency and keep their lead over the Suzuki Superboats' franchise player - Canterbury's Peter Caughey.

Both Dillon and Minnell took advantage of Caughey's engine dying during Round 1 at Shelterview in December, while they finished right behind the multiple-time world champion at Mount Maunganui last month.

Minnell, trying to get back to the form which won him national and world titles in 2011-12, knows the Auckland course, with its long straights and 28 rotations, favours the fast.

"She's a harsh track - hero or zero stuff," he said.

"It's one track you've got to respect. But how the championship is unfolding, for me and Pat, you've got to put the hammer down.

"It's crucial, it's make or break time this round.

"I'm after a victory, hopefully we can stay on top."

Minnell believes alterations to his Taranaki Hardcore craft have given him the extra boost in horsepower to make the difference.

"We've done a lot of prep work on the hull. Took engine out, changed the bottom. Tweaking the boat."

While these three drivers remain the top contenders for the crown, the whole dynamic between them could be changed by a spoiler who does well with the extra speed of Meremere.

Minnell has nominated Wanganui's Rob Coley, who came second in the non-series ENZED Stadium Jetsprints Cup at Mount Maunganui, and Hamilton's Glen Head as the dangermen.

As Meremere is Hamilton racer Head's 'home track', he may well deliver on the potential he showed in the first two rounds, where he was making blistering times before crashing out.

"He's got a hell of a package, and he's done a lot of laps around Auckland," said Minnell.

"It's really going to be a game of chess up there."

Studying the chess board is exactly what Biolytix 400s series leader Ross Travers intends to do.

Travers remembers the dominance of his fellow Wanganui drivers at Shelterview in Round 1 and with nine Auckland Jet Sprint Club members likely to front at Meremere, local knowledge is key.

"It's their home track. At Shelterview, you've got to know where the islands are.

"At Meremere, you have 28 turns. I'm still learning where the islands are."

Having picked up Radioactive yesterday with a new fuel system installed by Marton's Ian Coleman, Travers said it doesn't matter what time they do on their first qualifying run.

Once completed, he and navigator son Shane Travers will review their GoPro camera footage repeatedly to familiarise themselves with the turns.

"Shane will be a big benefit this weekend," said Ross Travers.

"We have the intercom in the helmets and he'll be screaming out, with the hand signals."

Also wanting full concentration will be defending series champion Hayden Wilson, after the disaster at the Mount.

Co-driving White Noize with 2013 champion Gerry Linklater, Wilson had a hard crash that left the boat submerged and himself with a concussion,

"It wasn't too flash, just a little memory loss," he said.

"I'm pretty good, get back on the horse and carry on.

"We're both down on the points, but I've had my bad round and we can do it."

Wilson won at Meremere last year but acknowledges it will take maximum effort to rein in Travers.