NZ's quickest boats get ready to fly

Warwick Lupton, of Waverley, will be the one to beat when he lines up his hydroplane Annihilator in the Downtown Thunder Wanganui next month. PHOTOS/SUPPLIED

THE battle lines have been drawn as 20 of the fastest boats in New Zealand vie for line honours in the Downtown Thunder 5000 on the Whanganui River next month.

The November 15-16 event marks round one of the New Zealand Formula One Powerboat Tour where the grunty GP hydroplanes take on the more nimble F1 Tunnels in a pack-racing environment for the first time on the Whanganui River.

Traditionally each craft races against the clock, with the best time awarded the win, but for the first time in the River City the amped-up machines will race as a pack with the smaller, less powerful tunnels gaining an advantage on the turns over the 2km circuit.

The hydroplanes, however, have the grunt to haul them in on the straights, reaching speeds of up to 290km/h.

And four of the fastest hydroplanes in the country are raced by Waverley pilots Warwick Lupton and his sons Ken and Jack, and neighbour Dave Alexander.

Warwick Lupton, a two-time World Grand Prix champion, races Annihilator, Ken the American-designed Cheetah, Alexander guides Steeler and Jack climbs aboard GP57. As an 18-year-old, Jack steered the craft to become the youngest driver to win the Masport Cup when a rookie last season.

This upcoming meeting will be his first on the Whanganui River.

Placings in Wanganui determine grid positions for the next round at Mangakino on January 15-17, with other rounds at Lake Karapiro on January 31 and February 1, Lake Rotoiti in Nelson on February 28 and March 1, with the final round on lake Dunstan in Cromwell on April 25-26.

Warwick Lupton's daughters, Jaimee and Brittany, have been handed the task of promoting the Downtown Thunder regatta.

Alongside the exciting racing action, the Lupton girls have helped organise the Miss Downtown Wanganui contest in which $1000 cash will go to the winner, plus $500 worth of vouchers. The beauty event is sponsored by Summit Electrical and co-promoted by More FM 92.8.

"We're hoping to get as many women as possible for this event, with one of them being crowned Miss Downtown Wanganui," they said. "We are also trying to create the world's biggest ice challenge."

The ice challenge has become a global phenomenon largely through Facebook and involves people being doused in ice when challenged by friends or charged with donating money to charity.

"We will attempt to get hundreds of people to take on the challenge over that weekend and each will be given a bucket of ice to douse themselves with. There will be a gold-coin donation for the bucket of ice and for every dollar raised we have sponsors willing to match it and that money will go to charity. Mitre 10 Mega is providing the buckets.

"But apart from those events, the racing is pretty full-on. These boats get up to some crazy speeds on the water ...

"The big boats cover the 2km course in well under 40 seconds - pretty furious stuff," the Lupton girls said.