New Zealander Peter Knight Jr returns to Regets de Valleyfield

Salbery de Valleyfield The Régates de Valleyfield annually attracts sports personalities from all over the world. This year, there will be a great European visit as Swede Stefan Verdi will be attending the event for the second time.

Peter Knight Jr., who was photographed at the 50th Régates de Valleyfield in 1988 with his father, Peter Sr., will return to the event as a spectator.

(File photo – Denis Bourbonis)

What’s more, the Lupton family and crew won’t be the only New Zealanders reviving the Régates de Valleyfield this year as Peter Knight Jr. will be back. To the event as a spectator with his wife, Ali. The couple, who welcomed their fourth grandchild last December, will reconnect with longtime volunteer Ron O’Neal and his wife.

For those who don’t have the recent 50th Régates de Valleyfield in their memory, Peter Knight Jr. led the way. The “Latimore Lodge” GP-50 finished second in the Grand Prix class in the final countout for the American and Canadian World Championships. PJ has followed in the footsteps of his father, Peter Knight Sr., the legend who became a pioneer of New Zealand’s seaplane business.

Although his son Andy decided to indulge his passion for motorsports in motor racing, Peter Jr. still a fan Regatta was closely followed by the Lupton family. “We’re getting along really well with Warwick children Tell PJ Ron O’Neal. In addition to seeing the action at Lake Rotoiti for 5 years, Knight Jr. visited Lake Karapiro in February.

A new trophy has been unveiled in honor of Peter Knight Sr., and it will be awarded annually to the New Zealand season points champion. the Peter Knight Sr. Memorial Trophy It was won in 2023 by David Alexander (Miss Waverley GP-777) who bested Ken Lupton (Lucas Oil GP-577) by just 26 points in the cumulative standings.

Note that Peter Knight Jr. The boat still has the 2.5 liter class modern The “Bel Air 3” that his father drove at the Régates mondials de Valleyfield in 1967 as well as the “Wa Too” F-247, twice winner of the Baie Saint-François (1967, 1969), which are being restored. The Grand Prix seaplane “Boss Mobil One” is in a museum in New Zealand.

Last week, his friend Mark Perrier revealed that two more New Zealanders had decided to attend the 83rd Reiget de Valleyfield as spectators, Garth and Vic Haggerty of the GP-273 “Lady Liz”, Bert’s former GP-777 “Stellar”. Henderson and later David Alexander, cousin of Warwick Lupton.