Defending world superboat champion Peter Caughey set a blistering pace in his TOTAL superboat in today’s practice and qualifying rounds at the UIM World Jetsprint Championships.

With two qualifying races to go, the Rangiora racer hit a 39.73-second time around the complicated track. His nearest rival, Australian supecrar racer Nathan Pretty, clocked a 41.16, with expat Kiwi Darryl Hutton currently third on 41.32.

Caughey is stoked at the track conditions. “The track here is just fantastic. It’s such a professionally presented venue, with all the UIM country flags waving in the breeze and it’s all grass, perhaps the only green in the state!”

“The World champs promoter, Phil Dixon, usually races one of our Sprintec superboats and he’s put his heart and soul into it,” Caughey says.

This is a new track to the Kiwis racing for the world title. “It’s technical, and there’s so much to learn I feel like a kid on his first day at school. But our Sprintec boat suits a technical track, the team is working really well, and I’m now trying to find a better line between the islands,” he says.

“But the track’s so technical that making one mistake means three or four turns to get back to where you should have been, which comes with a huge time penalty. You cannot afford to make an error.”

Meanwhile, the high air pressure and hot air made conditions difficult for the Kiwis. “When we arrived yesterday it was 42 degrees,” Caughey says. “Stepping out of the air conditioned car was like stepping into the world’s biggest hairdryer. Unbelievable. Touching the boat’s paintwork hurts, and we got a lot of use out of the Eaton umbrellas!”

Fortunately it hit ‘only’ 35 degrees during today’s practice and qualifying rounds, “though it wasn’t that nice in the boat, around 60 degrees with a black suit on and the motor just inches from your kidneys, but that’s racing.”

“We’re setting the pace at the moment,” Caughey says, “but I don’t know how much time is left in the track, as it’s so new to us. I’d like to see a 38 when we race in earnest tomorrow, but we’ll have to see.”

ENDS

Jetsprint calendar

November 21-22 - World championship opener – New South Wales, Australia
November 28-29 – world championship final – Victoria, Australia