mmg.com.au

Stinga won last year’s President’s Dash and the team bettered its time again on Saturday to break the record.

With driver Greg Houston, observer Kevin Boylan and skiers Ben Hackett and Jack Houston, Stinga became the first boat to break seven minutes in the event, finishing in 6:57.90 to also claim the top seed in yesterday’s unlimited inboard expert class.

Young skier Jack Houston said it was an ‘‘awesome’’ run.

‘‘We were taking it kind of easy in the first few corners because Dad’s not so used to the river, but as we started getting into it, the speed starting getting faster and it was an awesome run,’’ he said.

‘‘Massive buzz, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.

‘‘Benny (Hackett), my ski partner, skied awesome, so we’re all set for tomorrow (Sunday)’’.

Houston said it was a ‘‘kick in the guts’’ when the competitors heard of the red flag after the incident involving Blazen.

‘‘Any time they red flag it, it’s a worry because you know someone’s been hurt or something’s gone wrong which is bad,’’ he said.

‘‘We’re like family, all the ski racers, so it’s a kick in the guts.

‘‘But as soon as they said it would restart, everyone focuses in and we sort of got back into race mode.’’