BOAT NAME: Melton Toyota
BOAT COLOURS: White with blue & red striping
CLUB: M.R.S.B.C.
DRIVER: Grant Rollason and Grant Harrison
NICKNAME: Kiwi and Harro
OCCUPATION: Race boat designer & builder, specialist in Carbon Composites and vacuum bagging. Grant Harrison is the dealer principal for Melton Toyota
CREW: Paul Morrow, Glen (Terra) Harrison, Grant Harrison, Geoff Sheldrake & Keith Harrison
HULL TYPE: Jones Hydroplane
HULL BUILDER & BUILD DATE: Steven Scott in 1991 and modified by Grant Rollason in 2008
ENGINE BUILDER: Geoff Sheldrake
SPONSORS: Melton Toyota, Harrison Motoring Group F series trucks, Melton Suzuki Automobiles, Harrison Hyundai, Western Suzuki Motorcycles, Pitstop Model Car, All american Driveline & Auto Accessories, Grant Rollason Hydroplanes, VDO instruments and Revolution Race Gear.
YEARS INVOLVED IN CIRCUIT RACING: Kiwi has been racing for 24 years, started racing at 16.Harro has been racing for 22 years starting at 18.
HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED IN CIRCUIT RACING: Father was a rescue boat driver so I've been around racing for 36 years. Built my first model race boat at 4 and started racing a 25hp that I built out of composites at the age of16. Built Peter Knights 'Boss Mobil 1' at 20 then built 'Thunder Pumper/Big Chief' at 26. Moved to Canada to build Hydroplanes for Jamie Auld of Brockville-Ontario for 2 years. Moved back to NZ and designed and built 'Warlord' in 1999, started a company called KRB racing in 2001 building Formula 1 tunnel boats out of Carbon Fibre. Redesigned the hull on 'The Wasp' in 2003 and built GP1 for Keith Harrison in 2005. Harro become involved thru his father Keith, watching him as a kid growing up and was given his first opportunity at 18. Harro's first race was in a 6 cylinder displacement at Albert Park lake in Melbourne.
FAVORITE RACING VENUE: Overseas - Valleyfield & in Australia Lake Glenmaggie. Harro likes Wisemans Ferry on the Hawksbury in Sydney.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: As a hull technician, winning 2.5 Stock & GP world championships in 1998 in Canada this included winning Valleyfield in 2.5 Stock Hydroplane with Bert Henderson. My Hulls winning NZ, Australian and World Championships. Running my F1 tunnel in the 2002 UIM World Championships. Harro's career highlights include winning back to back EC Griffith Cups 2003 & 2004, winning the UIM World GP Championships in New Zealand in 2004 and just competing.
THE MOST DIFFICULT THING IN CIRCUIT RACING: Getting enough time to get organised. Harro finds the lack of venues and assistance for Hydroplane racing the most difficult thing to deal with in circuit racing.
MOST RESPECTED DRIVER: Tom Baker Queenstown USA, one of the prolific Grand National & GP Hydroplane winners of all time and a gentleman. Harro respects all drivers who are on the water competing and having a go.
OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION: Currently designing & building a new 1.6lt Oz lite composite Hydroplane with full Safety Capsule. Harro recommends if you get the chance to have a holiday and want to see the best racing venue... get to Valleyfield in Quebec Canada, it's an amazing experience and worth the trip.