Round 2 of the New Zealand Jetsprint Championship continues tomorrow at Shelter View, Wanganui, with a packed schedule designed to keep boats on the water and the racing flowing from first light through to late afternoon.
The launch ramp opens at 7 am, giving teams time to prepare before it closes again at 7.40 am for the driver’s briefing. From there, the focus turns firmly to racing.
Action gets underway at 8 am with the first of three back-to-back qualifying rounds for all classes. These opening qualifiers set the tone for the day, with crews balancing outright pace against consistency as the field works through the course repeatedly under similar conditions. By the time the third qualifier is complete, the morning programme will have delivered a clear picture of who has found speed and who still has work to do.
A lunch break is scheduled at 12.30 pm, offering spectators a chance to reset before the afternoon builds toward finals racing. At 1 pm, the fourth and final qualifying round begins, running through to approximately 2.30 pm. With points now locked in, the margins matter.
From mid-afternoon onward, the format tightens. At 2.30 pm, the Top 9 competitors return to the water, excluding the Next Gen class. An hour later, at 3.30 pm, the Top 6 race off, again without Next Gen entries. The day culminates at 4.30 pm with the Top 3 finals for all classes, where outright pace and clean execution decide the podium.
For category A, the race track will follow these legs:
Start, 1, 9, 7, 3, 8, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 1, 10, 9, 8, 3, 4, 5, 1, 2, 8, 9, 7, 4, 5, Finish
For category NextGen, the race track will follow these logs:
Start, 1, 9, 7, 3, 8, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 1, 10, 9, 8, 3, 4, 5, 10, 7, 4, 5, Finish, 10, 7, 4
Racing is expected to conclude at around 5 pm, followed immediately by prizegiving at the venue.
With four qualifying runs and three separate finals phases, Saturday is a long and demanding day for both crews and machinery. For spectators, it promises a clear rhythm: steady pressure through the morning, then high-stakes racing as the field narrows in the afternoon.
