Jet set revved for unique event

Wanganui's Leighton and Kellie Minnell do not have the horsepower of their competitors, but are hoping the new narrow track at ASB Baypark Stadium will favour driver skill. Photo/File

Wanganui racers ready for Baypark battle

Wanganui's jet sprint drivers are in uncharted territory now, making up history as they go along.

Today will be a big occasion for the veterans who are used to racing on small inlet tracks in front of a few thousand fans, as they take to the biggest jetboating stage in the country at ASB Baypark Stadium in Mt Maunganui.

After two and a half years of planning, the ENZED V8 Jetsprints will be a spectacle where the Wanganui racers get to show the mainstream public what they can do.

Helping his event-organising cousin's Pip and Matt Minnell with setting up over the last couple of days, Superboat world champion Leighton Minnell has had plenty of opportunity to inspect the new track.

"It's going to be gnarly, it's going to catch a few," he said.

"It's a day track, temporary, that the team dug up in eight days, so it's going to be narrower than what we're used too.

"The big horsepower boys are going to be fighting it - it's a leveller for the field. There will be a few sky jumps and the crowd going on their feet a few times."

Beginning on January 13, it is estimated 1800 cubic metres of dirt - about 180 truckloads - would be taken out of the centre of the stadium to create a twisting course covering 450m, at depths between 40-70cm.

The channels were filled with water over this past week, and the soil was stored on the ASB Baypark fields, ready to be returned to the site and re-turfed when it's over.

It will be a charged atmosphere as the elimination rounds for the three classes - Superboats, Group A's, 400's - start at 2.30pm, followed by a dinner and entertainment break around 5.30-6.30pm, before the big lights are turned on to see the event through until 10pm.

For Minnell, everything about today is bigger - from the record 51 entries across the classes to the fact that 8000 tickets were pre-sold online with the prospect of a big walk-up due to Auckland Anniversary weekend.

"It's huge, the organisers were saying it's bigger than the Super 15 games up here," he said yesterday. "The teams are just buzzing, they've been coming in all afternoon, setting up in the pits, which are concrete.

"We're after it, we'll be chasing it like everyone else.

"I don't think I've raced in a field [this size], this even exceeds the World [Championships]."

Minnell sits third in the standings after round 1 of the Jetsprint Championship Series behind Australian Phonsy Mullan and Wanaka's Dave Hoskins, with defending national champion Peter Caughey of Christchurch keen to return to form after a costly missed turn at Shelter View in December.

Wanganui's other title contender is defending Group A champion Richard Murray, who drove up yesterday afternoon with wife Julia, who will be an official timekeeper.

"He's really looking forward to it because it's so different and there's so many people there," Julia said. "We've heard it could be a sellout so that's 15,000-17,000.

"Our [Shelter View] track's probably the biggest otherwise, and that's 3500, so this is huge."

The Murrays will be hoping the racing comes down to guile as opposed to engine power, as they look to keep pace with points leader Sam Newdick of Hamilton while also holding Australia's Paul Gaston at bay.

Like last season, where Richard Murray won at the Wanaka round on a new track, no one will know who adapts best at the Mount until they get out there.