Racing fuel, adrenaline, and the roar of V8 jetboats kicked off the 2025-26 New Zealand Jetsprint Championship in fine style and clear weather at Featherston’s Tauherenikau race-course on Sunday, the 7th of December 2025.
Spectator areas on three sides of the Kiwispan Jetsprint Track were packed as qualifying got underway at 9 a.m. After three rounds, a total of thirty crews qualified for the elimination rounds.
Southern Jet Superboat drivers Reuben Hoeksema (navigator Suzi Katavich) and Sam Newdick (navigator Shama Putaranui) battled for supremacy all day. Going into the final “Top 3”, Hoeksema looked best with a “Top 6” elapsed time of 47.498 seconds, the quickest ET of the day: So far.
In the final, Newdick was too good, clocking a loud, spectacular, and faultless 47.165 to Hoeksema’s 47.481. Veteran Rob Coley and navigator Toby Edmonds took third with 49.273.
Group A featured a close, multi-round tussle between eventual winners Matt Hareb and navigator Hayden George (final round ET 49.366 seconds), defending champions Ollie Silverton and Amanda Kittow (49.550), and Kris Rasmussen and navigator Holly Sutherland (50.019).
Competition in the popular MTW LS Class was intense, with five crews in the “Top 6” elimination round separated by less than 1.6 seconds. John Verry and Grace Alder took the win (52.598) ahead of Tim Edhouse and Debbie Edhouse (53.702), followed by Jackson Hopkins and Dana Doyle (53.856).
Greg Wilson and navigator Katie Wilson quickened pulses during the MTW Group B final round when they went sideways into a tyre barrier and their boat “No Idea” spun along the grass. Still, third place was a great result for the rookie.
Next up, fellow rookie Gemma Johnson and navigator Richard Currie clocked their best ET of the day: 57.434 seconds. It wasn’t good enough. Hamish Clarke and Lisa Seaton took the win, completing their run in 56.957 seconds.
The day also featured a training demonstration of the Nextgen class: Single-seat jet sprint boats powered by a jetski engine that’s powerful enough to challenge younger drivers without overtaxing them. Seven drivers shared three boats, driving a shortened course that retained the difficult hairpin and the long front straight.
Summer Hareb clocked the quickest ET (46.024 seconds), earning the right to practice a victory lap flying the chequered flag. Cooper Silverton clocked a very close second place with 46.247, while Mason Hareb finished the day with a 56.085.
The meeting packed a lot of action into a single day. NZ Jet Sprint Association President Julia Murray summed it up.
“That was a great start to the season! We are all super proud of the new Nextgen Class and how they handled their event day training! In the competition classes, one crash with both driver and navigator walking away, maybe a little battered and bruised, but otherwise fine. Your heart always sinks when you see a crash. It’s a testament to the safety within the boats, and a relief to have them both home and relatively unscathed.”
Racing continues on the 27th of December, with the Lincoln Automatics Round 2 at Shelter View Jet Sprint Park, 598 State Highway 4 (12 km north of Whanganui).
Header Image: Jeremy Ward/Shot360 Photography
