Photo: Wanganui’s Leighton and Kellie MinnellCounting down to the two-round Wanganui.com Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) jet sprint World Series starting on 11 February in the Wairarapa, Wanganui.com have picked up naming rights sponsorship as part of a campaign to showcase their region’s business and recreation talents and their lifestyle and holiday offerings.
Teams’ from Australia, New Zealand and Canada will compete in two categories for the coveted World Series title.
Contested across consecutive weekends, the final round will be held near the river city 18-19 February, with an awards dinner on the Sunday evening to present the winning trophies.
Seeing the high action and adrenaline series as the ideal hook to carry their work hard play hard message, having the world title decided in their region became an ideal opportunity to take the campaign global.
Backed by the Economic Development team from the Wanganui District Council, they have also added 21st century technology to the series by live-streaming the Sunday of each event to the www.wanganui.com website (in the Events – Jet Sprints Live section).
Economic Development Manager Mr Allan MacGibbon says their ‘made in Wanganui, lived in Wanganui, educated in Wanganui’ promotion fits perfectly with the jet sprint boat series: “The top-four teams in the competition’s Superboat category are all from Wanganui, headed by Leighton and Kellie Minnell, New Zealand’s current Super Boat Champions. They feature in a television commercial accompanying the broadcasts that illustrates our region as home to successful hard-working families that play hard – at home.
“The jetsprints are family oriented, family crews and a great spectacle for the whole household – a great audience to show Wanganui is a place to visit and live – it’s all about lifestyle.”
Jet sprint boats have a driver and navigator that have to navigate a multi-channel aquatrack against the clock. Using water jet propulsion powered by mainly V8 engine configurations, the light-weight boats exert high G-forces for its occupants. Speeds on the small track regularly exceed 100km/h.
Teams’ generally have four qualifying runs before entering one-shot eliminations, cutting from twelve to eight, five and three, to decide the day’s podium placings.
The first round of the Wanganui.com World Series will be held at the Tauherinikau race course Saturday/Sunday 11-12 February, and is signposted 4.5km north of Featherston on SH2.
The final round will be held at Wanganui’s Shelterview raceway Saturday/Sunday 18-19 February, and is located eight kilometres inland toward Upokongaro adjacent to SH4. Following the racing teams’ will head to Wanganui’s War Memorial Hall for an evening gala dinner where the titles will be awarded.
