NZ Championship Race 2

Wanganui’s Leighton and Kellie Minnell have taken the overall lead in the Suzuki Super boat category of the Jetpro Jetsprint series having set fastest time at the second round of the 2010 championship held near Featherston on Sunday. The water-course set inside the Tauherinikau horse race track threw a number of upsets in to the three category series that saw favourite and defending Suzuki Super boat champions Richard Burt and Roger Maunder (Palmerston North) eliminated early. Renowned for spills amongst the high-speed action, Burt beached during the top-four eliminations, although less spectacularly than Waitotara’s Duncan Wilson and navigator Jo Rathbone. However, it was the return of Queenstown’s Chris Munro and navigator Brent Scammell to the vee-eight powered water-jet propelled competition fans had been waiting for. Running off for the top-spot against Minnell, it was Munro’s first time behind the wheel in over three years – finishing 1.6 seconds adrift of the new point’s leader.“A great way to finish a day,” a delighted Minnell said. “We really wanted to get a win today and with fortunes going our way we got there.” “I really wanted to beat Richard (Burt) on the track and to be honest he was quicker than all of us. But with Chris Munro getting his boat going, Duncan (Wilson), he’ll get his boat fixed, Pat (Dillon) is getting there; we’ve got a five-team race on our hands. So now I’m really looking forward to the next round – and to come back blazing. ”The Scott Waterjet Group A formula saw defending champion Bevin Muir and Kathy Barker (Thames) return to form, topping the time sheets during qualifying to front each of the elimination runs. However when the pressure came on in the final, early points leader Baden Gray and Tanya Iremonger (Auckland) took their second successive round win.Against 14 other contenders, Gray’s final time of 51.492 was fastest overall to be a half-second clear than Muir’s best attempt.Another upset came in the Jetpro Lites category for the entry-level restricted class with defending champion David Stone and navigator Steve Grieves when mechanical woe sidelined their day early. Offered a share drive in another boat to continue, Stone came up short against Te Kuiti pairing of Ray Thompson and David Toms in the finals. With a win a-piece they now sit tied on 59 points.Heading to the half-way mark in the six round series, teams have four weeks until the third round at the Meremere venue (21 February).