Tight courses and changing surface conditions made their presence felt at the New Zealand Jet Sprint Championships in Taranaki, when Boat 66 left the racing line and struck the safety fence during a run.
At the wheel was Bryce Barton, with Kylie Barton in the navigator's seat. Footage from the live broadcast offered some context for what happened: pooled water on the racing line appeared to catch the crew's attention as they closed in on a corner, and in managing that wet patch, the turn came up faster than they could account for. Boat 66 ran wide and made contact with the fence at pace.
The impact looked significant as it happened. Safety crews were on the scene without delay, racing was paused, and officials set about resetting the fence line and inspecting the course before competition could continue.
The news that matters most is that both Bryce and Kylie Barton walked away uninjured. Early indications also pointed to the boat having escaped serious damage, which will have come as considerable relief to the crew and to those watching from trackside.
Jet sprint racing leaves little room for error at the best of times. The combination of tight course layouts, split-second decision-making, and a surface that can change between runs means both driver and navigator are working at the edge of what is manageable. A fractional hesitation, a small shift in attention, and the racing line can move by metres in an instant.
Officials indicated that the delay was expected to be short, with commentary set to resume once the circuit had been cleared and the competition was ready to restart.
