Waverley father and son annihilate Australians
Taranaki Daily News | Saturday, 06 December 2008WAVERLEY hydroplane pilot Warwick Lupton, right, wrestled back the EC Griffith Cup off holder Australia at Yarrawonga, near Melbourne this week.
Piloting Annihilator, Lupton easily won his qualifying heat, giving him second position on the grid for the eight-boat final.
After a battle with No 1 qualifier Grant Harrison, who had to withdraw after throwing a prop, Lupton raced away to a comfortable win.
Making it a Waverley quinella was Lupton's team-mate and son, Ken, who took second.
Former Kiwi and now Australian-based Dean Gleeson was third, with Aussie favourite Brett Niddrie next home.
Warwick Lupton previously won the annual event in 2001.
Meanwhile, the third member of the Waverley-based Annihilator racing team, David Alexander, was lucky to escape serious injury when competing in the Yarrawonga Gold Cup event last Sunday. Alexander crashed on lap two and the boat spun and rolled over. Alexander was pulled to safety by a rescue team.
The Kiwi Annihilator racing team is now looking forward to defending the cup on New Zealand waters next year.
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