AWESOME ARMADA: Rowers of all age groups and abilities will be in the field of 40 for tomorrow's race.
THE first annual The Hits Billy Webb Challenge has attracted a strong diverse field of around 40 rowers of all various skill levels for tomorrow's 5km dash on the Whanganui River from Aramoho down along the Taupo Quay.
After being changed from a biennial event to a 12-month rotation, the entry list for the mass start, which is modelled on the Aramada Cup in Switzerland, has increased considerably from the 22 rowers last year.
Event director Bob Evans was a little disappointed to only have a headline group of five for the Men's Elite, including the race's franchise attraction in three-time challenge winner Mahe Drysdale.
But the veteran Olympic and former world champion will have the latest batch of young guns coming out of the Southern RPC programme to contend against.
Cameron Crampton from Timaru was second in the men's coxless quad at the Under-23 world championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Andrew Potter was part of the Otago University Racing Club eight that won their test series against Russia's St Petersburg University, while fellow OURC member Bryce Abernethy came fourth in the lightweight double at the U23world champs.
Flying the local flag will be Aramoho Wanganui Rowing Club's Tom Monaghan, a NZ National champion in the men's senior quad and club four.
The race for the Philippa Baker-Hogan Women's Elite trophy is much more wide open with ten entries, including nine from the current New Zealand training squad, of which eight are scullers trying to get into the quad boat which needs to be qualified for the Rio Olympics.
This includes last year's elite women's winner Lucy Spoors of Canterbury, while joining them is another obvious favourite in Canada's Carling Zeeman, who was in the country training after coming sixth in the women's singles at the 2015 world championships in Aiguebelette, France.
The other name demanding no one forgets about her is the 2014 single scull world champion Emma Twigg, who has not been entered to Billy Webb by RowingNZ.
It is well documented how Twigg and RNZ reached an impasse after she was not selected for the New Zealand team this year due to wishing to study fulltime in the United Kingdom and Europe.
Fences have been mended and Twigg is now getting back into the swing of things as she will look to qualify for Rio in early 2016.
The men's and women's elite winners will each pocket $1000 for their victory.
There are around eight other age group categories in the field, who will pocket $100 for their wins.
"Down through the field we've got local talent [and] kids from Wellington and Hawke's Bay, all keen to have a go," said Evans.
The Women's Under-17 field has a good entry list of seven competitors, with the other grades ranging from two to four participants.
Support events tomorrow include the sprint challenge between two Wanganui Collegiate teams and another from the Union Boat Club.
In a relay race, each team will enter a single, a double scull and a pair.
The annual corporate eight's race will only be a straight challenge between the Whanganui District Council team and a Whanganui conglomerate crew.
A number of the young racers in the Billy Webb will be backing up from the 550rowers who are entering today's Aon Jury Cup Regatta, a number also slightly down from 2014.
Starting at 8am and finishing around 3.45pm, there will be a race every 15minutes.
"There's a lot of these events with 16-17," said Evans.
"We run a max of seven boats in any race, and if we've got more than that we run divisions."
There are 29 entries for the Under 17 women's, along with 16 for the men's club grade.
The Billy Webb race starts at 11am tomorrow.
BILLY WEBB ENTRIES
Men's Elite: Andrew Potter, Bryce Abernethy, Cameron Crampton, Mahe Drysdale, Tom Monaghan.
Women's Elite: Brooke Donoghue, Carling Zeeman, Claudia Hyde, Emma Twigg, Erin-Monique O'Brien, Fiona Bourke, Georgia Perry, Lucy Spoors, Olivia Loe, Sarah Gray.
Men's Under 20: Harry Lillington, Sam Wilkins.
Men's Club: Cameron Steedman, Troix Kokich, Kyle Malone, Mark Brocklehurst.
Men's M40: Martin Bridger, Patrick Carroll.
Men's M60: Peer Nielsen, Richard Brock, Trevor Rush.
Men's U17: Morgan Davies, Tom Walsh, Kyle Ryland.
Women's U20: Georgia King, Rachel Gill, Renee Harrison.
Women's Club: Abbie Pritchard, Jessica Turfrey, Anna Thomson.
Women's U17: Celine Henare-Murton, Dakota Barry, Edin Harvey, Erin Henare-Murton, Jaedyn Thompson, Jessica Norris, Rebecca Harrison.