This summer, Kiwi jet boat racer Nigel Cromie swaps water for the tarmac, confirming his commitment to the inaugural Super GT series.
“It’ll actually be nice to race something that has brakes,” Cromie, whose usual weapon of choice is a 1500 horsepower jet boat, said.
Jet boating has always been in Cromie’s blood.
His father, Mark, is one of New Zealand’s best and is a multiple world champion.
Nigel placed third in the 2019 world championship in Canada.
He’ll be racing a McLaren 570S GT4 in the four-round Super GT series.
“There aren’t too many similarities between the jet boat and the McLaren.
“The boat is incredibly fast. We could get 242km/hr out of the boat when the conditions are right.
“It’ll be nice to race something without getting wet and certainly having had a couple of big accidents in the boat, the car will be a lot safer.”
Thirty cars are expected to show up for the first Super GT series, which has two rounds in the North Island and two rounds in the South Island over summer.
“I think we’re going to four of the best circuits in New Zealand, and the compactness of the calendar of the summer is really great.”
Cromie’s McLaren will be competing against other GT4s, Porsche 911 GT3s and Ferrari Challenge cars.
“I’ve got no real expectations for the season. I would like to be consistently in the mid pack in the GT4 class.”
The McLaren has just had its signwriting done at Hampton Downs. But Cromie will have to wait until Covid Alert Levels drop to an appropriate level to test the car.
Highlands Motorsport Park opens the Super GT season on January 15-16.
2022 Super GT calendar:
| Rnd | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Highlands | Jan 15-16 |
| 2 | Ruapuna | Jan 22-23 |
| 3 | Hampton Downs | Feb 12-13 |
| 4 | Taupo | Mar 26-27 |