Wyndham Harbour on Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay played host to round two of the 2024/25 Australian Offshore Superboats Championship with one of the biggest fields of the last decade, more than 20 crews competed across two days in some of the most challenging conditions they’d ever contested in front of a big vocal Victorian crowd.
Ultimately, despite a strong challenge from their title rivals, it was the stunning ‘Boost Mobile’ Supercat Extreme machine of Darren Nicholson and Peter McGrath who extended their points lead in the elite open class, whilst in Supercat Outboard a fantastic battle ensued across all three 30-minute races between old rivals ‘The Sting’ and reigning Champions ‘The Mantis’, Mike Ratcliffe and Karl Wall turning the tables on the reigning title holders to claim three-from-three.
In Supersports 85, the ongoing battle between Mark Pecherzeswki’s ‘Special Edition’ and reigning Champions ‘The Colonel’ continued, Pecherzeswki claiming two wins across the weekend before a storming recovery after a navigational setback in the tough conditions opened the door for his rivals, Mick and Jason Kelly going on to their second win of the season, in the process building a solid points lead heading into Geelong for round three.
Supersports 65 saw an impressive field of boats, although the tough conditions soon thinned out the field, the smaller boats suffering the most in the big wash, but that didn’t deter the experienced campaigners. In the end it was reigning champions Patty and Michael Paczkowski who claimed all three race victories, although as the pair are not contenders for the Championship this year, they weren’t eligible for Series points, the round win going to Danny and Dean Caelli over opening round winners Hary Bakkr and Shane Paton.
Wyndham Harbour also saw the introduction of the new ‘Super V 85’category designed around the big inboard ski boats that dominate the rivers and waterways of the country, the initiative designed to provide the many ski racing teams who are off the water at the moment a chance to compete. Led by dual Southern 80 winner Tim Pickford with fellow Victorians Sam Livesley and Adrian Bishop, the trio turned in some impressive laps, although all admitted to experiencing some of the biggest waves they’d contested during a race. Ultimately Pickford claimed the top honours in the opening race, whilst Livesley overcame some big moments to claim the win in races two and three.
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Supercat Extreme
It had been a couple of years since the Supercat Extreme boats had competed at Wyndham Harbour, so the fans were more than ready to see them back in action, title rivals ‘222 Offshore’ with their ‘Boost Mobile’ machine going head-to-head once more with old foes ‘ACME Racing’ who in the long break since Lake Macquarie had made some significant leaps in development and were fired up to be back in action.
Saturday saw just one 30-minute race and whilst tough on all the competitors, the experienced Supercat Extreme teams enjoyed arguably the better ride, the longer heavier boats pushing through the conditions with relative ease, although behind the wheel there was plenty going on. Ultimately the ‘ACME’ pairing of Andrew Searle and Tom Barry-Cotter proved the value of their pre-event testing with a competitive run in the heavy conditions, although they were forced to play second-fiddle to Darren Nicholson and Peter McGrath, crossing the line just over half a minute in arrears.
Race two saw the mighty red ‘ACME’ machine attack hard off the line, jumping into an early lead with an aggressive run into the opening turn, but the ‘Boost Mobile’ team were quickly through to the front, ultimately charging away to a comfortable win, another victory in the final race providing the reigning champions with their sixth win from six starts this season, opening a solid points advantage heading into Geelong. The good news for the fans though is rumours of more big boats attending the third round, with as many as five teams expected to make a return to Corio Bay.
“We thought Saturday was going to be a little bit tougher so we took the cautious approach and put some more weight up front,” ACME’s Andrew Searle explained. “That meant we couldn’t get the nose up to get that top end speed, but we sorted that for Sunday, but whilst we were quicker, we’ve still got some work to do. You have to remember Tom [Barry-Cotter] and I have only been together for five races and we’re racing against former World Champions ‘222’ that have had ten years with the same boat and with all that experience they very rarely make a mistake.”
Supercat Outboard
Lake Macquarie delivered some fantastic racing for the Supercat Outboard teams, none better than the battle for the top spot between long-time rivals ‘The Mantis’ and ‘The Sting’, Antony De Fina and Matt Kelly ultimately emerging victorious in all three races although they did have to overcome a strong challenge from the new ‘Sting’ hull, which led for much of the second race.
At Wyndham it was clear that both teams had done their homework, but it was Mike Ratcliffe and Karl Wall who emerged victorious claiming all three race wins in comfortable style, although they were forced to overcome ‘The Mantis’ who battled hard out the gate in the opening race before ‘The Sting’ worked their way back into the lead to claim maximum points for the round, the two teams tied at the top of the Championship heading into Geelong.
For De Fina and Kelly, they were confident of claiming a race win, but an electrical issue part way through the second race on Sunday morning saw the boat drop into ‘fail-safe’ mode, the engine management system detecting an issue. That dropped their pace significantly as they searched for the problem, ultimately a system reset resolved the issue and they were able to rediscover their outright pace, but by that stage they’d dropped back to third behind Steve Lancaster and Craig Dove in ‘DLR Offshore’ the pair keeping the crowd entertained with their wave-jumping antics, ‘The Mantis’ ultimately taking back the position ahead of the flag.
For Scott Richardson and Steve Kelly, they lucked in by drawing pole one for the opening race on Saturday, but they too struck problems, dropping to the rear of the field early before retiring with a fractured oil bottle. They recovered strongly to claim third in Sunday morning’s second race, but again suffered a DNF in race three, this time broken engine bolts, such was the ferocity of the conditions, fortunately though damage was repairable although not during the race.
“It was so tough out there but the boat’s so good,” Mike Ratcliffe admitted. “Sunday’s first race was a real mind-game battle with ‘The Mantis’ but the second race was just a race of endurance.”
“We had to learn this [new] boat and the only way to learn the limits of the boat was to race as hard as we did this weekend,” Karl Wall added. “The Mantis, they were sticking it to us but we came out on top and it really shows that the boat has a lot of potential, and I think we’re only going to get quicker and quicker from hereon in.”
Ominous news for their rivals, but don’t think that they won’t be regrouping, ahead of Geelong!
Supersports 85
After a tough season debut at Lake Macquarie for Mark Pecherzewski and Melanie Nelson with an ongoing injector issue, the ‘Special Edition’ team made changes to their ‘Maritimo’ inboard powerplant to go back to a carburettor in an effort to stem the loss of points. It proved the ideal solution for Wyndham, the former champions claiming a par of wins in their mighty ‘Cootacraft’ which many felt was perfectly suited to the conditions.
For their title rivals – reigning champions and points-leaders – ‘The Colonel’ they fought hard in the twin-hulled, outboard powered ‘Skater’ and whilst without the top speed of their rivals, were able to charge strongly off the line in an effort to hold Pecherzewski on the outside. The tactic worked in Sunday’s final race although both teams admitted to being temporarily blind to the navigation in the rough water, the Kelly’s though quicker to discover the error leaving ‘Special Edition’ well behind. Pecherzewski charged over the closing laps but was unable to shut the leaders down, ‘The Colonel’ claiming their second win of the season. The ‘Hornet Property Services’ supported team closing out the round with a comfortable points lead.
Sadly for Ryan Shan and Scott Kelly, their weekend ended prematurely, the ‘RS Motorsport’ team suffering a broken transom during the opening race on Saturday, the rough conditions uncovering an issue with the structure of the boat, historical water damage weakening the transom which holds the twin rig engine setup, Shan admitting he was just grateful to return to the ramp with the motors still attached. The team now faced with a significant rebuild to the back of the boat in the three weeks leading up to Geelong.
For the Supersports 85 teams, they were also faced with a new challenge at Wyndham Harbour with the inclusion of the new ‘Super V 85’ category for inboard engined ski boats. The new class attracted plenty of interest, in the end, three boats joining the field for their first run in Australian Offshore.
The starting procedure saw the ‘Super V 85’ boats hold the inside running for the start, with the expectation that they would get the jump off the line, but ultimately they were run down by the Supersports 85 teams who quickly established a lead before resuming their Championship battle, the chance to fight in a bigger field though a welcome opportunity for the Series regulars.
“The boat ran brilliantly all weekend, it ran like a freight train,” Mark Pecherzewski admitted. “Today was a little bit flatter, and we made a navigational error, so ‘The Colonel’ got ahead and we had to chase them down. Look, we’ve got a great boat for the rough water, we can win all the races in the rough water, but in the flatter water we have to work a lot harder to keep up with the cats [catamarans].”
“Yesterday was horrendous out there,” Mick Kelly admitted with a shrug. “Mark [Pecherzewski] builds a boat for those conditions, that’s what he does, so congratulations to him, it was great to watch him out there but once the weather dropped a little we decided we didn’t want him to have it all his own way.”
Supersports 65
Nine boats were entered for the Supersports 65 category at Wyndham Harbour including a mix of outboard ski boats alongside the reigning champions, Patty and Michael Paczkowski returning in ‘Valentus’ after missing the opening round. For points leaders Hary Bakkr and Shane Paton in ‘Nut Case’ their weekend went sideways on Friday night, the pole-draw seeing them draw ninth position for the opening race, whilst title rivals ‘Villain’ claimed inside pole..
The reigning champions made short work of the field in all three races to claim the round win, but as non-Series entrants, they were ineligible for Championship points, those honours going to the father-and-son due of Danny and Dean Caelli who claimed second in both of Saturday’s races to close in on the ‘Nut Case’ team, Bakkr and Paton though returning fire in Sunday’s race with their second win of the season, in the process maintaining their points lead in the title race.
For the smallest boats in the field the challenging conditions had the greatest impact, a number of boats pulling out early during Saturday’s races, whilst for those that endured the constant battering, they paid a heavy toll.
For Greg Walters in the popular ‘HUN74’ ‘Haines Hunter’, he suffered damage during the opening race, the ageing hull ultimately forced to retire early in race two with a split down the port side, something Walters was quickly aware of, the Victorian facing immediate repairs in order to continue his Championship assault in Geelong.
For others, they elected to withdraw before suffering too heavy a beating, but they weren’t alone, all the boats in the field telling tales of the battering they’d faced, the ‘Nut Case’ team ultimately ending Sunday with a bent steering wheel, displaying in dramatic fashion just how tough it had been during the final race, a race in which they’d fought hard to overcome their rivals to work themselves into a strong Championship position heading into Geelong.
Whilst the experienced teams knew what they’d be facing, for many of the rookies it was a baptism of fire, Adrian van der Sluys and Corey Robson earning themselves immediate respect with their efforts in ‘NFORCEN’ the ski racing regulars grabbing a podium finish in the opening race as the last of the boats to complete the full race distance, before going on to claim fifth in race two and fourth in the final race to be one of few boats to complete all three races.
“We build the boat with these sorts of conditions in mind – it’s been a really good test to see how far we can really push the boat, so we’re stoked with the result,” Patty Paczkowski admitted. “Due to outside commitments we couldn’t commit to a title defence this year, but we’ll make as many races as we can.”
Super V 85
There had been a great deal of anticipation from the ski racing sector heading into the Wyndham Harbour event, with a number of teams flagging interest in getting themselves back on the water for the event. Sadly, pre-event weather predictions saw some elect not to make their debut at Wyndham Harbour, but many did, the addition of two-time Southern 80 Champion Tim Pickford, recent car racing graduate Sam Livesley in ‘Gone Mental’ and ‘Avenger’s’ Adrian Bishop and Lachlan Pannam tackling the course alongside the Supersports team.
Not surprisingly the powerful ski boats charged off the line, but were ultimately run down in the testing conditions as the dedicated Offshore boats cut through the waves in conditions they were more accustomed to.
‘Sapphire’s’ Tim Pickford claimed top honours in Saturday’s opening race, with Livesley second and Bishop third. Both Pickford and Bishop missed Saturday afternoon’s second race, Livesley though entertaining the crowd with his antics through the waves, the conditions clearly not holding him back – he doubled up with victory in the final race earning him a cheer of respect from his new peers, all of whom were impressed with his commitment. His wide smile suggesting he’ll be back for more in Geelong..!
“It was tough but we had a great time,” Livesley admitted. “I can’t thank the Offshore guys enough for making it as easy and comfortable as it was to be a part of their Championship, I’m really looking forward to having another run at Geelong, although hopefully the conditions might be a little bit kinder and give us a chance to show what the boats can really do.”
“Despite the conditions, it was a very successful event,” Australian Offshore Powerboat Club Commodore Antony De Fina agreed. “From the success of the new ‘Super V 85’ category to the racing in general, apart from smooth water, we couldn’t have asked for much more. There’s a few people we need to thank including the team from Hornet Property Services for their ongoing commitment to the growth of the sport, to Steed Sherriff and the team at Wyndham Harbour, Whitepointer Boats Australia for their support with starting the boats, but also Anthony May and his team from ODLS who supply the cranes that put the big boats in and out of the water, they’re an exceptional team that work tirelessly to ensure the process works seamlessly and that helps contribute to the success of our events.”
For the teams, focus now turns south to Geelong’s Corio Bay – still in Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay – for the third round of the season, a season which will feature both national (7mate and 7plus) and international television exposure.
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R2, 2024/25 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships presented by Hornet Property Services
Wyndham Harbour, Victoria
22-23 February, 2025
RND#2 – Race#1
Supercat Extreme
1. Darren Nicholson/Peter McGrath (#222 Boost Mobile) – 00:31:17 (14-laps)
2. Andrew Searle/Tom Barry-Cotter (#441 ACME Racing) – 00:31:56 (14-laps)
Supercat Outboard
1. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (#99 The Sting) – 00:32:21 (12-laps)
2. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (#22 The Mantis) – 00:34:03 (12-laps)
3. Steve Lancaster/Craig Dove (#81 DLR Offshore) – 00:34:48 (10-laps)
DNF. Scott Richardson/Steve Kelly (#161 TCR Racing) (4-laps)
Supersports 85
1. Mark Pecherzewksi/Mel Nelson (#07 Special Edition) – 00:25:56 (8-laps)
2. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (#161 Colonel Racing) – 00:26.30 (8-laps)
3. Ryan Shan/Scott Kelly (#888 RS Motorsport) – 00:26:53 (8-laps)
Supersports 65
1. Patrick Paczkowski/Michael Paczkowski (#13 Valentus 25) – 00:35:30 (9-laps)
2. Danny Caelli/Dean Caelli (#300 Villain) – 00:31:43 (8-laps)
3. Adrian van der Sluys/Corey Robson (#150 NFORCEN) – 00:33:50 (6-laps)
DNF. Greg Walters (#72 HUN74) (5-laps)
DNF. Hary Bakkr/Shane Paton (#17 Nut Case) (3-laps)
DNF. Charlie Di Iorio/Peter Cogliandro (#46 Cardiac Arrest) (2-laps)
DNF. Lance Muus/Ben Browne (#61 Wastin Dough) (2-laps)
DNF. Jaxon Bishop (#2 Avenger F2) (1-lap)
Super V 85
1. Tim Pickford (#3 Sapphire)
2. Sam Livesley (#13 Gone Mental)
3. Adrian Bishop/Lachlan Pannam (#63 Avenger F1)
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RND#2 – Race#2
Supercat Extreme
1. Darren Nicholson/Peter McGrath (#222 Boost Mobile) – 00:30:46 (14-laps)
2. Andrew Searle/Tom Barry-Cotter (#441 ACME Racing) – 00:31:40 (14-laps)
Supercat Outboard
1. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (#99 The Sting) – 00:30:48 (12-laps)
2. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (#22 The Mantis) – 00:30:57 (12-laps)
3. Steve Lancaster/Craig Dove (#81 DLR Offshore) – 00:32:13 (12-laps)
4. Scott Richardson/Steve Kelly (#161 TCR Racing) – 00:31:17 (11-laps)
Supersports 85
1. Mark Pecherzewksi/Mel Nelson (#07 Special Edition) – 00:22:18 (7-laps)
2. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (#161 Colonel Racing) – 00:24.33 (7-laps)
DNS. Ryan Shan/Scott Kelly (#888 RS Motorsport)
Supersports 65
1. Patrick Paczkowski/Michael Paczkowski (#13 Valentus 25) – 00:23:38 (6-laps)
2. Danny Caelli/Dean Caelli (#300 Villain) – 00:23:23 (6-laps)
3. Hary Bakkr/Shane Paton (#17 Nut Case) – 00:25:59 (6-laps)
4. Charlie Di Iorio/Peter Cogliandro (#46 Cardiac Arrest) – 00:24:32 (5-laps)
5. Adrian van der Sluys/Corey Robson (#150 NFORCEN) – 00:26:11 (5-laps)
DNF. Greg Walters (#72 HUN74) (2-laps)
DNF. Lance Muus/Ben Browne (#61 Wastin Dough) (0-laps)
DNS. Jaxon Bishop (#2 Avenger F2) (1-lap)
Super V 85
1. Sam Livesley (#13 Gone Mental) – 00:24:24 (6-laps)
DNS. Tim Pickford (#3 Sapphire)
DNS. Adrian Bishop/Lachlan Pannam (#63 Avenger F1)
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RND#2 – Race#3
Supercat Extreme
1. Darren Nicholson/Peter McGrath (#222 Boost Mobile) – 00:30:50 (13-laps)
2. Andrew Searle/Tom Barry-Cotter (#441 ACME Racing) – 00:31:31 (13-laps)
Supercat Outboard
1. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (#99 The Sting) – 00:33:59 (10-laps)
2. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (#22 The Mantis) – 00:32:55 (9-laps)
3. Steve Lancaster/Craig Dove (#81 DLR Offshore) – 00:34:44 (9-laps)
DNF. Scott Richardson/Steve Kelly (#161 TCR Racing) (4-laps)
Supersports 85
1. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (#161 Colonel Racing) – 00:30.52 (11-laps)
2. Mark Pecherzewksi/Mel Nelson (#07 Special Edition) – 00:30:54 (11-laps)
DNS. Ryan Shan/Scott Kelly (#888 RS Motorsport)
Supersports 65
1. Patrick Paczkowski/Michael Paczkowski (#13 Valentus 25) – 00:33:01 (9-laps)
2. Hary Bakkr/Shane Paton (#17 Nut Case) – 00:33:36 (9-laps)
3. Danny Caelli/Dean Caelli (#300 Villain) – 00:33:52 (9-laps)
4. Adrian van der Sluys/Corey Robson (#150 NFORCEN) – 00:31:07 (7-laps)
DNS. Charlie Di Iorio/Peter Cogliandro (#46 Cardiac Arrest)
DNS. Greg Walters (#72 HUN74) (2-laps)
DNS. Lance Muus/Ben Browne (#61 Wastin Dough)
DNS. Jaxon Bishop (#2 Avenger F2) (1-lap)
Super V 85
1. Sam Livesley (#13 Gone Mental) – 00:34:03 (10-laps)
DNS. Tim Pickford (#3 Sapphire)
DNS. Adrian Bishop/Lachlan Pannam (#63 Avenger F1)
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2024/25 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships
Championship Points (after round two)
AUS#1 Championship
1. Boost Mobile (210-points), 2. The Mantis (145), 3. The Sting (144), 4. ACME Racing (128), 5. DLR Offshore (103), 6. The Colonel (93)
Supercat Extreme
1. Boost Mobile (105-points), 2. ACME Racing (32)
Supercat Outboard
1. The Mantis (105-points), 2. The Sting (90), 3. DLR Offshore (78). 4. TCR Offshore (0)
Supersports 85
1. Colonel Racing (95), 2. RS Motorsport (91), 3. C-52 (74), 4. Special Edition (35)
Supersports 65
1. Nut Case (105), 2. All Coast Marine (82), 3. PFM Revolution (52), 4. HUN74 (30), 5. Villian (23)
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2024/25 Offshore Superboat Championships – calendar
R1. Lake Macquarie, NSW – 19-20 October, 2024
R2. Wyndham Harbour, Victoria – 22-23 February, 2025 (sponsored by Hornet Property Services)
R3. Geelong Harbour, Victoria – 15-16 March, 2025 (sponsored by Hornet Property Services)
R4. Port Adelaide, South Australia – 12-13 April, 2025 (sponsored by Symons Clark Logistics)
Further dates and locations released soon.
For more information on the Australian Offshore Superboat Championships, visit us at;
www.superboat.com.au
www.facebook.com/OffshoreSuperboats
www.facebook.com/ausopc
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About ODLS
ODLS (Overdimensinal Lift & Shift) specialise in heavy and Over Dimension ventures – including transport, lifting, installation and construction, and storage, Based in Melbourne’s Dandenong South, they are the heavies of Heavy Haulage with over 40 years experience in the industry. For more information, visit https://odls.com.au
