Almost 200 truckloads of dirt are being trucked out of ASB Baypark from today as the stadium prepares to host a world-first jet boating event.

Baypark will host round two of the high-octane ENZED V8 Jetsprint Championship series on Saturday, January 25 – the first time V8 jet sprint races have been held in an enclosed seated arena.

World number one super boat driver Leighton Minnell and NZ Jet Sports Association chairman Erik Hoeksema setting out the temporary track at ASB Baypark. Photo: Zoe Hunter.

Diggers are on site today, moving about 1800 cubic metres of soil – about 180 truckloads – out of the centre of the stadium during the next three days. The channels, as deep as 70centimetres, will then be filled with 2000m3 of fresh water.

World No.1 super boat driver, Leighton Minnell, took SunLive on an exclusive test drive around the temporary circuit featuring five-metre-wide channels covering 450 metres on a straight and twisting rotation yesterday.

Leighton says the Auckland Anniversary Weekend event has been more than two years in the making with the New Zealand Jet Sprint Association teaming up with event promoters, Jetsprint BOP and ASB Baypark, to bring this world-first spectacle to Kiwi audiences.

'It's great to finally get here. It's been a massive goal to get here for a stadium event,” says Leighton.

'It's been a dream to get it this far.”

Leighton and wife Kelly will be racing their 1000hp superboat at next weekend's event.

He says racing in an enclosed stadium for the first time is going to be different for everyone.

'All the other tracks that we go to are actually purpose-built tracks. That are actually left running for the whole year and we go back time and time again.

'The difference is that we're on a track that no one has used. We're here, it's been dug, it will be put back to grass the following week.”

Leighton says speeds of up to 130kmp/h can be expected, with crews of two racing individually against the clock through the channels, providing fast-paced action for spectators.

NZ Jet Sports Association chairman Erik Hoeksema says the stadium setting will give spectators a unique opportunity to get 'up-close” to the racing action.

'If they [audiences] want something that is different and exciting, they should definitely be here.”

As many as 50 teams from NZ, and six from Australia, will compete in three classes – Suzuki Superboats, PSP Ltd Group A and Jetpro 400's.

With NZ scheduled to host the 2015/16 World Jetsprint Championships, Erik and Leighton hope to bring the event to ASB Baypark again.

'With Tauranga being a big speedway-based town and used to a lot of racing, I think the people are going to go away from here and say why didn't we do this years ago?” says Leighton.

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