Howzat, nearest camera, in action.
He has numerous New Zealand and Australasian titles already, but (arguably) Ōtorohanga’s fastest panel beater, Scott Coker, rates his most recent win as one of his best yet.
On Lake Karapiro last weekend, his grand prix hydroplane – named Howzat – bowled the competition over in round three of the Lucas Oil Hydro Thunder Series. The win helps keep Coker’s chances to claim a series win alive.
“I’ve been racing in this series for about three or four years and, although I’ve had three or four thirds and a couple of seconds, it’s the first time I’ve won a round,” he said.
“It’s hard work as you have to be quick and reliable every time. There’s a lot more competitors these days as well, so it’s definitely more of an achievement than anything else I’ve won.”
With vessels almost literally flying, split second decisions can make the difference between triumph and tragedy with next to no margin for error.
“[Howzat] runs a 510 cubic inch, supercharged big block Chev’ with about 1300-1400 horsepower,” Coker said.
“When we’re racing, we’re moving really quick, doing about 150 miles an hour on an 1800 metre track in around 35 or 36 seconds. The race itself only lasts a few minutes, so you have your head in the game.”
Despite fast and furious races, winning on the water in his craft was only possible for Coker due to hard graft in the workshop midway through the event.
“We blew up a supercharger in one heat then had a massive oil leak in the spare engine in another.
The drive back to Ōtorohanga was not prohibitive “so we took the engines home, pulled them apart, worked all night and we were able to make one engine out of the two.”
While the setback cost Coker points in the overall series, moving from ‘blow’ to go was an achievement in itself.
“It put me out of a couple of heats, and I was the last qualifier for the final. I started on the outside but ended up winning it from the outside, which doesn’t happen that often.”
Racing since he was 18, Scott Coker (43) is riding his father’s wake to some degree – Selwyn Coker is also a veteran of the sport.
“I was only about four days old when I first went to watch Dad, so I’ve been around the sport my whole life. He had some wins that are right up there – he was very competitive in the early ‘90s then had an accident, had some time out and came back in the early 2000s. Dad’s retired now and spends all his time helping me out.”
Considering the high speeds achieved, the sport is not just dangerous, it can be fatal. However, safety measures have improved.
“When Dad had his accident, the equipment wasn’t as good. We’re now fully enclosed and on air, so if we hang upside down, we can still breathe, and we have great rescue craft. It might look dangerous, but it’s pretty safe. I spun the boat out on Sunday while doing about 130 miles an hour and I got out of it just fine.”
It’s not a team sport as such, but having the right crew – including his dad as crew chief and his radioman, Garry Denham – is essential, Coker adds.
He said he had also been helped out over the years by sponsors.
The first three rounds were held close to home for Coker lakes Maraetai and Karapiro. The South Island hosts the final two instalments of the Hydro Thunder Series next month.
Sitting in sixth out of 10 overall, Coker concedes a series win is unlikely, but as points gained in the heats go towards final standings, there’s still plenty more water to flow under this bridge.
