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Introducing Ivan Pizzini, Patron of the Thundercat Racing Association of New Zealand Inc.
Ivan’s powerboat racing background:
Ivan first started circuit powerboat racing in 1961 with the Waikato Powerboat Club and has always raced “flatties”.
His first boat was named “TAMARIE” powered with a 1937 side valve Ford V8 motor.
This boat was soon replaced with “ALLEGRO” the boat in which Ivan won his first NZ Championship in 1964.
Ivan’s third boat “ALLEGRO II” became very much a short-term project in 1967, the same year NZ changed to decimal currency.
The 1967 season started very well with Ivan winning the South Island and
North Island Titles. Ivan then won the 1967 National Championship Title. Ivan’s new generation boat was quick but things turned bad when it broke in half right through the cockpit area while at speed during the Easter Regatta at Horeke on
25th March.
“ALLEGRO II” sank in shallow water trapping an injured Ivan within the wreckage.
After the plaster casts were removed from Ivan, “Allegro III” was built and launched in 1968. At the first race meeting for “ALLEGRO III” Ivan got tossed from the boat immediately prior to a race.
A lesser man might have quit about then but Ivan got straight back into the boat and won the race to a standing ovation.
Ivan went on to enjoy great success with “ALLEGRO III”, featuring at most NZ race circuits over a 13-year period.
In addition to numerous Island & National titles, Ivan in “Allegro III” became the first “flatty” to win the coveted “King of the Nationals Title”.
The event was in January 1974 and was truly memorable being against hydroplanes driven by Peter Knight Snr in “BELAIR III” and Bill Stokes in “VOO-DOO” at Lake Karapiro.
“Allegro III” won the “King of the Nationals Title” for a second time a few years later at Lake Rotoiti, South Island.
Up to this time all of Ivan’s race boats were built of timber and plywood materials.
Ivan retired his very successful “ALLEGRO III” to race a new generation ‘plastic boat’ called “HOO-DAT” in 1982. Except for the very first boat, all Ivan’s boats have run “chev V8” motors of different
sizes.
Ivan retired himself from competitive powerboat racing in 1998.
Since that time, Ivan has been the Official Starter for many a Championship and other powerboat racing events including Thundercat Racing.
Ivan’s administrative background:
Over the years Ivan and his wife Delia have served NZ powerboat racing and their local community in many ways.
Ivan served on the New Zealand Power Boat Association’s Executive Committee for 14 years, for 9 of those years he was the Vice President.
Ivan was President of the Waikato Power Boat Racing Club for two terms, a grand total of some 15 odd years.
Ivan is a Life Member of the Cambridge Waikato Powerboat Club.
Not content to serve just powerboat racing, Ivan and Delia have served their local community of Tauwhare on committees such as Bowls, Badminton, PTA’s and the District Hall Committee.
This would have made impressive reading had Ivan only attended committee meetings and the like, but Ivan always did much more than that. The physical effort and workmanship from Ivan & Delia Pizzini always took their personal contributions extensively beyond any committee room table.
In 2000 Ivan and Delia Pizzini were presented a Community Service Award by the Hamilton East Rotary Club in recognition of there many generous efforts and for giving so much back to the community.
In 1997, the key personal that founded the NZ Inflatable Boat Association Inc. called upon Ivan Pizzini as a mentor and advisor. With Ivan’s lifetime experience of powerboat racing and club administration to call upon, and his ready support for the NZIBA, Ivan was the obvious choice to become the Associations first Patron. The NZIBA purchased the Thundercat Racing brand and as a consequence became the Thundercat Racing Association of New Zealand Inc.