Fans had a hard time picking winners at the Jetsprints on Saturday, the 21st of March. Taranaki served up warm, cloudless weather for the sixth and final round of the 2025-26 New Zealand Jetprint Champs at Mountain View Jetsprint Track near Stratford.
By midday, it was clear that accuracy would be rewarded, with many drivers going the wrong way or beaching their boats, sometimes doing both in the same run. The high spin-out rate prompted organisers to shorten the programme, with the “Top 6” eliminator determining the final results.
Luke Walters and navigator Andy Giles kicked off the Southern Jet Superboats final with a confident 46.622 elapsed time (ET). Next up, David Simmons and navigator Pip Thompson soldiered on to a blowerless 49.982-second ET after their supercharger belt snapped earlier in the day. Rob Coley and Toby Edmonds spun out. Points leaders and defending champs Sam Newdick (navigator Shama Putaranui) lost time correcting a wrong turn and finished with a total elapsed time of 54.142 seconds. Then came Mike Hessell and Shaun White, roaring into first place with an exuberant 43.330-second ET.
The Group A final opened with a very tidy 47.713 by Sam and (navigator) Vanessa Gray. Scott Andrews and Andrew Baikie finished in 58.685. Brett Thompson (navigator Alex Devonport) spun out. A wrong turn stretched Ollie Silverton and Amanda Kittow’s ET to 55.821. Ross Travers and Jackie Hawker came out wild and wrapped up their season with an aggressive 42.690. Kris Rasmussen and (navigator) Holly Sutherland vanquished them all, stopping the clock at 41.874.
MTW LS Class became very interesting after points leaders Paddy and Jay Haden made a wrong turn during the first (“Top 9”) elimination round, ruling themselves out of the final. The uncertainty deepened when David Hopkins and Shelley Redford opened the finals with a spin-out and flip. While spectators speculated about the wider impact of Hoppy’s crash, Tim and Debbie Edhouse put in a blistering rotation, complete with spin-out, navigational error, and 59.163-second ET.
With Haden out of the final, rookie driver Conner Nairn (with James Tuckey) had a shot at the championship. Looking wildly aggressive, Nairn and Tuckey spun out. Then came a loud and ferocious run by Sam Tweedie and Shervon Willis, spinning out for a “DNF”.
Jackson Hopkins and Dana Doyle, driving the boat recently dented by Jackson’s father, David, completed the course in 46.633 seconds, only to be disqualified for installing the wrong timing device on the boat. Finally, D’Arcy and Emma Redstone drove into second place (behind the Edhouses) with 62.959.
Razor-sharp rivalry in MTW Group B continues to thrill the crowd. Kane Hatchard and (navigator) Joe Stevens opened the Top 6 eliminator with a smooth 50.927. Greg and Katie Wilson followed with 52.531.
Andrew Craig and Scott Gouman entertained fans with an adventurous tour of the track, jumping two islands on their way to an 80.518-second ET. Hamish Clarke and (navigator) Lisa Seator put a faultless 47.878 on their timesheet. Andy Darling and (navigator) George Darling recorded 56.466.
Then came Gemma Johnson and Richard Currie. After playing second fiddle in Rounds 1 and 2, they had won against Clarke and Seator three times in a row. Could they do it again? They were smooth, confident, loud, and ever so slightly too slow at 48.011.
In addition to the four established categories, Mountain View Jetsprints also hosted a demonstration of the new Nextgen class for younger drivers. The meeting attracted seven drivers sharing four boats. Every participating Nextgen driver reported having a boatload of fun, which appears to suggest that those boats, and others, will get plenty of racing next season.
After a busy and successful day, NZ Jetsprint Association President Julia Murray was looking very happy.
“Not often does the season’s final eliminate the championship leaders from the top step on the podium. Some didn’t even get on the podium! Have to say a massive thank you to our sponsors and all the volunteers that have supported jetsprinting for another season, we really appreciate you all!” she said.
NZ Jetsprint Association officials will announce the 2025-26 NZ Jetsprint Champions after all results have been thoroughly reviewed. With round 6 as hard-fought as the season opener in Featherston, there’s plenty of depth in all categories. This season’s champions will face tough competition defending their titles next season. Jetsprint fans are looking forward to that.
Header Image: Shot360 Photography
