Super season for BOP jetsprint team
Tauranga jetsprint team Loose Units Racing has gone from strength to strength this season, finishing in the top five
overall as part of the New Zealand JetSprint Association 2015 championship.
Papamoa farmer Tristan Hynds (driver) and Te Puke engineer Matthew (Jimmy) Fagan (navigator) enjoyed the highs that the
season presented.
Their success began with a second placing in Whanganui in December. “We retained a high points-margin against the other
competitors right through the season to preserve our placing as 2NZ in the championship points for the entire season,”
says Hynds.
In their first competitive season (2013/2014) Loose Units Racing received seventh place overall in the Group A
championship and were New Zealand JetSprints’ Rookie of the Year.
“To end our second season as 2NZ in the PSP Group A Jetsprints Championship is a huge achievement for us. The result is
testament to the hard work and dedication of our team. I’m extremely proud of the entire crew.”
The season also presented its share of challenges in Hastings and Featherston. The team had engine problems in Hastings,
which despite hard work by the entire team were not completely resolved on race day and ended in a top eight finish.
“Featherston was an entirely new track for our crew which was a challenge in itself, but we also suffered an incident in
the qualifying rounds which led to some impromptu panel beating in the pits. The repairs weren’t perfect but were good
enough to help us make it through to the top five final, resulting in a fourth place finish.”
The hull of Loose Unit Too was purchased from Sprintec in Christchurch. The components include a Sprintec G Force hull
with a Sprintec/SDM 8.5” jet unit which is powered by a 406 chev engine that was proudly built and maintained by Brian
(Ned) Kelly of Performance Hynds secured sponsorship from the Coresteel Buildings Bay of Plenty franchise after
contracting Coresteel to build a shed on his farm. “We’ve had awesome support from Adrian Sage from Coresteel throughout
the season, including the use of his Coresteel ute to tow the boat into the stadium at the Bay Park round.”
The team’s support crew includes Robert Harkness and Jono Murphy. Loose Units Racing is proudly sponsored by Coresteel
Buildings Bay of Plenty, Charlie's Earthworks, Commercial Signs Print & Promotions, Nexus Insurance and TNT Engineering.
Loose Unit Too will be on display at the Coresteel Buildings site during the New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays®
2015 which runs 10-13 June.
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