OK not cars but what the heck.

[marcus]

still part of motorsport though.
this weekend my pitcrew took part in a meeting of Jet sprint boat racing..not sure if you all know what that is but its big in New zealand and coming on well here in OZ..anyway they went in as navigators and did an excellent job..both claiming second in their classes and it was good to see our pit crew being the main attraction for our team for once.


head mechanic Adam in the passenger seat.

allthough the meeting was marred by a very nasty crach when (we think) mechanical failure put one boat straight up a bank and flipped into the spectator area..this was a frightening crash from which i just had to look away from because of what I saw..but fortunately the spectators only recieved minor injuries but the navigator was rushed to hospital with serious leg and head injuries after his helmet was cracked right open..my thoughts are with him in this terriblr time and it was another stark reminder that all motorsport can be very dangerous.

[Graham]

It sure is motorsport. Clarkson had a go in a jet boat, didn't he? I think the Brits on here might know something about it from that (and other progs).

Anyway, you haven't made it clear whether it was one of your pitcrew's boats that went into the spectators...?

Sounds a rather nasty accident. What kind of safety fencing is there? Is the course marked out by air or water-filled barrels, which might deflect a boat slightly?

[Custom Glock Racing]

I have watched jetsprinting on ESPN a couple times and it is way cool! One of the most exciting sports I have ever seen. When I first saw it on I was wondering why a boat needed a rollbar. I discovered rather quickly that while pushing it the jetspringters often put thier boats on land.

Very cool sport, I'll bet being a navigator rates extremly high on the pucker scale.

hoss

[marcus]

sorry Graham..no it wasnt one of my guys that ended up in the crowd..i believe he was the new zealand champion..reading in the paper today the navigator is OK but has a fracture of the skull but he is awake alert but rather sore..good news to hear.

as for safety barriers...all they have is water filled barrels placed in front of a wire fence...Ive been a few times and never thought about the safety fences but now im not standing anywhere near them again...the boat actually cleared the fence completely not even touching it so maybe they need catch fencing like at speedway tracks.I still dont know how anyone wasnt killed in this crash as it did hit several people ..but they stood up brushed themselves off and walked away..very lucky indeed.

the guy in the navigators seat in the pic had his second attempt at it this weekend after finishing 4th last weekend at a place near Phillip Island...not sure what the pucker scale is Glock ..but he impressed me with the way he went about things because last week the first time in the boat the driver rolled the damm thing ..only to come out later and roll it again..2 times in one day and Adam still came back for another crack this weekend.

apparently they put one of these boats up against an F1 car..so i was told but im not sure if its reliable info...the F1 car took 2.3 seconds to reack 100kph (60 mph) and then the boat took 2.0 seconds to do the same..if this is true then that is totally increddible as it has not only wind against it but water to contend with as well where the car only has the wind...

[Green_man4421]

What I have seen of Jet boat racing I love but we don't get very much on T.V here.

[KC]

There was a comparison in Road & Track one time with a top fuel drag boat, top fuel rail, and a prostock bike. The boat was quickest off of the line witht he rail pulling by quickly and exploiting is much lower drag coefficient. The boats come out so hard it boggles the mind. I have seen 7000hp top fuel hydros run and the sensation is almost beyond human comprehension.