13 March 2007

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With the New Zealand Jet Boat Marathon set in his sights, Sergeant Callum McKenzie is fast closing in on a second national title.

SGT McKenzie (in the Royal New Zealand Artillery and posted to the Limited Services Volunteer Company in Burnham) only began racing in 2004 but has already compiled an impressive racing CV.

In 2004 he won the New Zealand Marathon, and in 2005 he claimed an international title with a win in the World Jet Boat Marathon.

Racing in D Class, he is currently ranked first equal in New Zealand for the 2006 inter-provincial one-day race series, which ends shortly. His main focus this year will again be the Canterbury leg of the New Zealand Marathon.

A recent re-enlistment, SGT McKenzie left the Army four years ago to become operations manager at Thrillseekers Canyon in Hamner Springs, which provided him with on-the-job experience for a number of his passions.

SGT McKenzie’s initial introduction to competitive racing was as a navigator for his boss at Thrillseekers. This experience encouraged his love of speed, and although he had purchased his first boat in 1999, he now realised it was time to trade up to something with more grunt.

The new race boat D70 has become a significant investment. Powered by a four-litre V8 Toyota Lexus engine, the craft is capable of speeds up to 120 kph, carries 235 litres of 100% octane aviation fuel, and consumes gas at the rate of two litres a minute. Rebuilt from the hull up, SGT McKenzie purchased D70 as a wreck in 2005 and knows the boat intricately, having completed all modifications by himself in the backyard.

“There’s more than a bit of number eight wire holding this baby together”, he admits. After returning to the Army in 2006, SGT McKenzie continued jet boat racing, but he is all too aware of the financial demands of the sport.

“It costs around $700 for a one-day race, including fuel and maintenance”, he says. “A marathon will put a $7,000 dent in the budget, so I have to make the most of each day on the river.”

Attracting a major sponsor would make life easier for SGT McKenzie. “Sadly jet boating doesn't fit the profile of an Army sport, but I'm sure if the (Army) brand was attached to this boat it would certainly start to turn some potential sponsors’ heads.”

SGT McKenzie, together with navigator Warren McGregor, pitted the D70 against 20 fellow competitors on the Waimakariri River in Canterbury recently.

Graded as a technically braided river, the Waimakariri was running low due to a recent spell of dry weather, making life doubly difficult for drivers and navigators.

“Not the flashest day on the water”, he says. “A good upriver leg, but on our way back down we hit the shingle doing 120 kph and ended up 50 metres from the river.”

Despite this minor setback, SGT McKenzie remains a top contender for a 2006 title, and is firmly on course for future national and international honours.

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