Ports Victoria have an exclusion zone fo...
Club Marine is an icon in Australia as the country’s largest boat insurance provider, underwritten by Allianz, operating since 1959. Whilst synonymous with recreational boats, thanks to a new association with the Australian Offshore Powerboat Club [AOPC], they are now offering specific cover for race boats whilst on land.
“We’ve had a fantastic relationship with Club Marine for a number of decades,” AOPC Commodore Antony De Fina acknowledged. “In the past they have been a sponsor of the Series, more recently we’ve been looking at solutions to insure our race boats in storage and transit, and are pleased to confirm that Club Marine is able to now offer this cover.
This new offering provides race boat owners cover for accidental loss or damage, theft or malicious damage to their boat, specifically while it is on land and on its own trailer. Policyholders will also be covered for up to $2,000 (incl GST) for non-refundable powerboat race and tournament entry fees, when a covered incident caused you to withdraw.
“Insurance like this had previously been non-existent, so thanks to the tireless efforts of Billy Powell (Club Marine, VIC/TAS State Manager) and other senior members of Club Marine, it’s come to fruition, highlighting Club Marine’s commitment to boating, and strengthening their partnership with the Australian Offshore Superboat Championship.”
“We are delighted to enter into a new relationship with the Australian Offshore Powerboat Club,” Club Marine CEO Tim Wiles added. “This partnership reflects our commitment to supporting the sport and strengthening our connection with passionate boating enthusiasts across Australia.”
Aside from delivering this opportunity to competitors, Club Marine’s support of the sport also extends to coverage of the AOPC Shark Cat vessel used to support race day events.
“We can’t thank Club Marine enough for developing this cover to deliver it to the racing community,” De Fina added. “It’s always a challenge with racing, we understand damage can occur under the pressures of competition, but it’s the fear of damage during transit, or even worse, theft of equipment whilst stopped overnight or locked away in a factory, so this provides some welcome relief.
The news also adds to our growth as a category, support from renowned industry experts like Club Marine is another fantastic tick in the box as we continue the push with the sport heading into what is one of our biggest seasons for more than a decade. Lake Macquarie’s record entries and fantastic crowd support during Race 1 are testament to this.”
About Club Marine
Club Marine is dedicated to providing a truly local approach, with offices and experts in each major Australian city, with their team ready to offer support when needed. Their team of specialists live and breathe boating, offering trusted experience, deep industry knowledge and strong connections across the country. Club Marine is about more than just insurance, they’re passionate about supporting the boating community through local yacht clubs, regattas, tournaments, boat shows and marine initiatives around Australia.
For more information contact Club Marine on 1300 88 CLUB (2582) or email vic@clubmarine.com.au.
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2025/266 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships – calendar
R1. Lake Macquarie, NSW – 18-19 October, 2025
R2. Wyndham Harbour, Victoria – 21-22 February, 2026
R3. Geelong, Victoria – 14-15 March, 2026
R4. Port Adelaide, SA – 09-10 May, 2026
Round two of the Australian Offshore Superboat Championships will see the iconic race boats back on the waters of Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay for what will be back-to-back events in Victoria across the coming three weeks, Wyndham Harbour always popular with the purists for its changeable conditions, conditions which can often have a big impact on the result.
With the sport enjoying an upward swing in interest over the last 18-months, there will be no shortage of outright competition for the points leaders, although since the season-opener at Lake Macquarie last October, there have been some changes. Most notable will be a livery change for the reigning Supercat Extreme Champions, ‘222 Offshore’ now sporting a green, black and white livery, with the addition of Mobile X which also adorns their boat in the US.
For their 2024/25 rivals ‘ACME Racing’ there has also been a change, although this one isn’t quite as welcome, the popular Andrew Searle/Tom Barry-Cotter combination sidelined for the immediate future with some technical challenges uncovered at the opening round. As former champions, and passionate Offshore ambassadors, they will be back, but concede they have some work to do to trouble-shoot some niggling issues before mounting a comeback.
Despite their absence and based on the performance of the rookie entries at the season opener, 222 will have no shortage of competition this weekend.
2005 Bathurst 1000 Champion and part-time boat racer Todd Kelly will start his third Offshore event at Wyndham Harbour; home venue for team-mate and boat owner Stuart Eustice. The pair showed impressive pace at Lake Macquarie in their maiden event as team-mates, Kelly making his debut on throttles with Eustice on the wheel. Second in their maiden race was a highlight, although two retirements with prop failures weren’t a great follow-up, although Kelly admitted it did give them the opportunity to replace the second-hand units with which they’d purchased the boat with new props, providing them some level of confidence in being able to push the boat closer to the limit.
Speaking of Kellys.. arguably the performance of Lake Macquarie was that of reigning Supersports 85 Champions Mick and Jason Kelly in their new ‘Hornet Racing’ Supercat Extreme package. A former title-winning boat purchased in the off-season from New Zealand, the outright rookies looked anything but in the opening round, finishing second twice to ‘222 Offshore’ after third in the opening race, to be second in points heading into their home race.
Acknowledging that they’ve still got a long way to go, the stunning fluro ‘Hornet Racing’ package will be sure to attract plenty of attention, and they showed last year in their fight against ‘Special Edition’ in the rough water, that mother-nature isn’t going to hold them back!
Joining the Kellys as rookies in the class; and also reigning class champions – are Antony De Fina and Matt Kelly in their former ‘Team 3’ outfit, now rebadged as ‘Venturi Offshore’. The reigning – and multiple – Supercat Outboard Champions are looking forward to a return to competition after some educational laps at Lake Macquarie, an event that saw them twice make the podium despite some teething issues, one of those almost costing De Fina a couple of fingers..
A water pressure issue which was difficult to address on-site at Lake Macquarie has been rectified and recent testing saw smiles all round, and as their home event, they’ll be looking for some big steps forward in performance and a chance to take the fight to the Hornet team; it may be a six-boat Championship as things stand right now, but there will be Championship like celebrations in Melbourne’s south-east for one of those two teams come Sunday night; bragging rights just as important..!
Sadly for the returning ‘Team Australia’, they too have been forced to sit out the Wyndham Harbour round; post-Lake Macquarie investigations revealing some maintenance issues the team needed to address as a result of the boat having sat unused for some time, they’re feverishly making those updates ahead of a return in Geelong where new boat-owner Phil Wiley is expected to take over from former Supercat Outboard Champion Paul Fowlds, alongside Darren Apps.
12-months ago, the Supercat Outboard category was dominated by the mighty ‘Sting’ entry of Mike Ratcliffe and Karl Wall, the duo turning the tables on title rivals De Fina and Kelly who had clean swept the opening round at Lake Macquarie. This season it was Ratcliffe and Wall who claimed three-from-three at the season opener, which is ominous news for their rivals as they return to Victoria, although despite their favouritism, they also remember only too well that they were co-points leaders with ‘The Mantis’ last year after Wyndham Harbour’s success, before a dramatic off in Geelong’s penultimate round brought their season to a sudden end.
For Steve Lancaster, who last year sat alongside Craig Dove in ‘DLR Offshore’, he’s the proud new owner of ‘The Mantis’ and after a strong debut with his new boat in Lake Macquarie, which saw the new-look ‘Kess Racing’ machine grab second, he’s convinced that the points leaders aren’t too far from reach, promising to amp up the pressure this weekend, although he’ll have to keep one eye firmly on the mirror as he also knows what’s coming..
Last year the ‘DLR Offshore’ team were the real giant-killers of the class, finishing second in points to ‘The Mantis’ with Lancaster at the wheel. This year Craig Dove is joined by son Lachlan, and whilst there might be a crew change, the team are well versed with how to get the most from the boat, the same applies with Scott Richardson and Steve Kelly in ‘TCR Offshore’. Both campaign older model powerplants which feature less outright pace than their rivals, but both are well sorted boats with two experienced crews, so more than capable of featuring in the result.
The Wyndham Harbour round was a standout event for Mark Pecherzeswki’s ‘Special Edition’ ‘Cootacraft’ – the rougher conditions really suiting the deep-vee monohull in his title battle with the Kelly family in ‘The Colonel’. One of the real highlights of the 2025 season, the two rivals have gone in different directions this season, the Kellys graduating to the outright class, whilst Pecherzewski was forced to sit in the jump seat of Ian Tricker’s mighty ‘TR Racing’ ski-racing inboard monster at Lake Mac in order to score vital Championship points after engine parts delays sidelined his own boat at the eleventh hour.
Sadly, ‘The Colonel’ has been put back in mothballs for the immediate future, round one Supersports 85 rookie and reigning Supersports 65 Champion Hary Bakkr moving back to his own boat for his home event, although he admitted his opening round taste of twin hull racing was more than addictive; the ‘Razorcraft’ boss looking to make a return to the faster class with a new boat in the not too distant future.
With ‘The Colonel’ sidelined, Pecherzewski will be alone for the weekend although he’ll be in full entertainment round, loving nothing more than running the mighty ‘Maritimo’ inboard wide open as often as possible, he’ll also be looking to re-pay his new team-mate after Tricker did all the heavy lifting at Lake Mac as the driver, Pecherzewski keen to turn the tables..!
As always, the Supersports 65 category has been well subscribed, and at Wyndham Harbour – led by the reigning Champions ‘Nut Case’, Shane Paton again expected to join Hary Bakkr in the mighty green ‘Razorcaft’. 12-months ago they didn’t have the best of luck, a broken electrical connection impacting their opening race, before other setbacks dropped them back down the order, although having clean-swept Lake Macquarie in 2024, the impact on their title chase was minimal. This year they’re back in the points race, and will have no shortage of competition, including 2024 Champion Patty Paczkowski who won the event last year.
For Geelong’s Charlie Di Iorio, he takes over sole duties in the family-owned ‘Cardiac Arrest’ with Greg Walters looking to return to his own boat in the weeks to come, Di Iorio currently the points leader after two class wins in the opening round, although with Brendan Weeks and Sophie Lancaster just 18 points behind and second overall, he’ll have his work cut out for him this weekend, although he knows only too well that rougher conditions perfectly suit his ‘Cootacraft’.
Add Ben Embleton and the experienced Liam Sutherland in ‘Team 38 Offshore’ and Darren and Kristy Milgate in their ‘Angler’s Rest Hotel’ entry and you have all the ingredients for another memorable weekend!
For anyone attending the event, teams will again be based at Wyndham Harbour, just 10-kilometres south-east of Werribee. The Wyndham Harbour precinct is within minutes of some of Melbourne’s best attractions including the Werribee free-range Zoo, Werribee Mansion and Halifax Winery to name a few. The venue provides plenty of entertainment, fantastic cuisine at 3030 Waterfront, and no shortage of great locations from which to view the racing.
Three 30-minute races will run on Saturday, February 21 with races scheduled at 1:00pm, 2:00pm and 3:00pm, whilst on Sunday, February 22, races will run at 11:00am, 12:00pm and 1:00pm.
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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2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships
Supercat Extreme Championship (after round one of four)
1. Darren Nicholson/Steve Jellick (Boost Mobile/222 Offshore) – 105-points
2. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (Hornet Racing) – 86
3. Stuart Eustice/Todd Kelly (MOJO) – 53
4. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (Venturi Offshore) – 53
5. Darren Apps/Paul Fowlds (Team Australia) – 23
6. Andrew Searle/Tom Barry Cotter (ACME Racing) – 1
Supercat Outboard Championship (after round one of four)
1. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (The Sting) – 105-points
2. Steve Lancaster/Scott Kelly (Kess Racing) – 90
3. Scott Richardson/Steve Kelly (TCR Offshore) – 78
4. Craig Dove/Lachlan Dove (DLR Offshore) – 66
Supersports 85 Championship (after round one of four)
1. Mark Pecherzewski/Ian Tricker (Special Edition/TR Racing) – 95-points
2. Hary Bakkr/Scott Kelly/Steve Kelly (The Colonel) – 70
Supersports 65 Championship (after round one of four)
1. Charlie Di Iorio/Greg Walters (Cardiac Arrest) – 100-points
2. Brendan Weeks/Sophie Lancaster (The Con) – 82
3. Hary Bakkr/Antonio Fazzolari (Nut Case) – 70
4. Pat Paczkowski (Valentus) – 57
5. Ben Embleton/Liam Sutherland (Team 38 Offshore) – 49
6. Zac Gould/Michael Agius (Degen) – 18
Melbourne’s iconic JV Marine World will join the Australian Offshore Superboat Championships as the Series returns to Victoria for back-to-back rounds at Wyndham Harbour and Geelong across the coming weeks, Australia’s largest boating superstore adding their support as part of their 50 year birthday celebrations.
“This is great news for the Offshore Championships heading into JV Marine’s back yard,” AOPC Commodore Antony De Fina admitted. “They are icons in the boating industry in Australia with the country’s largest boating superstore in Melbourne’s Braeside, which has operated since 1976. In fact, I can remember in those formative years going to their original premises in North Road and picking up a second-hand runabout with my father, so I remember them fondly as part of my boat racing journey.
“At Wyndham Harbour in just over a week, a mighty Boston Whaler, fitted with a pair of 400-hp Mercury outboards from JV Marine World, will lead the field away as the start boat, putting them front and centre for what we expect will be a fantastic weekend of world class Offshore action.”
Established by John Stav half a decade ago, JV Marine has grown to house Australia’s largest indoor boating showroom, the facility hosting all manner of new and used boats and jetskis across 10-acres at their 878 Springvale Road location, the business also has its own café, ski shop and dedicated dive shop, catering for all aspects of boating.
“To have JV Marine continue to support us – especially in their 50th year – is fantastic and says something about where the sport is heading; we can’t thank them enough,” De Fina added.
“There’s no question that Offshore Superboats are the pinnacle of boating performance, not just here, but around the world,” JV Marine World’s Mark Stav explained. “They’re a fantastic spectacle, especially out on rough water, really pushing the boundaries of what extreme boating is all about, testing man and machine.
“For JV Marine World it gives us a great platform to promote our boating involvement both around the country, and around the world.”
“It’s an exciting time for the sport,” De Fina added. “For the first time in more than a decade we have strong fields of outright boats, with a likelihood of six or more Supercat Extreme boats battling for the Championship title this season, whilst the Supersports classes too are seeing fantastic interest with new boats underway to take the fight to the established stars; it’s going to be a great season.”
The second round of the 2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships will take place off Wyndham Harbour in Melbourne’s south-west, with six 30-minute races across the weekend; Saturday, February 21 will see the action start from 1:00pm through to 3:30pm, then on Sunday, February 22, from 11:00am to 1:30pm.
About JV World Marine
Located in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburb of Braeside, JV Marine World is Victoria’s largest boating dealership with hundreds of boats and jetskis on display. They are committed to providing excellent customer service and offer a great range of New and Used boats and jetskis, genuine spare parts and accessories, and an experience Service Department. They are located at 878 Springvale Road, Braeside.
For more information visit; www.jvmarine.com.au
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2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships – calendar
R1. Lake Macquarie, NSW – 18-19 October, 2025
R2. Wyndham Harbour, Victoria – 21-22 February, 2026
R3. Geelong, Victoria – 14-15 March, 2026
R4. Port Adelaide, SA – 09-10 May, 2026
The 2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships will return to the New South Wales Hunter Valley and the waters of Lake Macquarie for the highly anticipated opening round of the new season, a season which promises some of the biggest fields in more than a decade, led by the stunning outright Supercat Extreme category that will feature a number of new and returning boats campaigned by both rookie and experienced crews.
Having worked tirelessly to re-establish themselves after setbacks post-Covid, the Australian Offshore Powerboat Club has been rewarded for their efforts with what will be the best field of boats to contest the Championship for more than ten years. Led by the impressive outright Supercat Extreme boats, there has been a big shakeup in every class of competition for the coming season leading to an air of excitement about what’s to come at Lake Macquarie.
Clear favourites to start the new campaign in Supercat Extreme will be Lake Macquarie locals ‘Boost Mobile/222 Offshore’ with reigning champions Darren Nicholson and Peter McGrath strapping in again to weather the coming storm, but whilst the team will use their immense experience; which includes World Championship victory – they know the new season will present some big challenges.
12-months ago at Lake Macquarie, Andrew Searle and Tom Barry-Cotter debuted their new look ‘ACME Racing’ Maritimo, the team having debuted in the final round of the previous season on the Gold Coast as a shakedown, the 2024/25 Offshore season their first real assault with the new boat where typically of a debut package, there were teething issues. This time around though after a big off season preparing new powerplants and making some further adjustments to the package, the multiple national champions are convinced they will present a much greater challenge to the ‘222’ team and are excited about the prospect of the season ahead.
But as they say in the commercials, that’s not all..!
In Port Adelaide back in April, another former Maritimo package made its return to the water under the flag of 2005 Bathurst 1000 winner Todd Kelly, the new-look ‘MOJO’ program put together in the two weeks ahead of the event with new owner Stuart Eustice and Kelly planning a full assault on the 2025/26 season, but electing to run Port Adelaide as a shakedown.
A big off-season for the ‘Kelly Performance’ supported team will see them look to push for podium finishes off the back of two wins on debut at Port Adelaide, although Kelly is quick to point out that they came at the expense of penalties and technical setbacks for their rivals; regardless, they impressed on debut and will be looking to send a message to the established teams that they’re looking for a championship!
And that leads us to the ‘new’ teams, led by two Championship winning crews; multiple Supercat Outboard Champions Antony De Fina and Matt Kelly, and multiple Supersports 85 Champions Mick and Jason Kelly (and yes, three of those Kellys are related, but interestingly, not to Todd Kelly..!)
For AOPC Commodore Antony De Fina, much of his life has been dominated by the sport, his father a pioneer in the category during its formative years, and like most competitors in the sport, his dreams had always centered on the outright category where finally, after many years of success in the Outboard classes, he’s made the leap after purchasing the former Team 3 Victory cat formerly campaigned in Australia by Adam Gilbert.
Joined again by wheel-man Matt Kelly, the pair are under no illusions about what to expect in their maiden season as they work the intricacies of managing a longer, heavier inboard engine boat against some very serious competition, but one thing is for certain, the package has the credentials and the team have immense experience in the sport, and like their rivals, they’re not entered just to make up the numbers, so will be good to watch in their debut season.
For reigning Supersports 85 Champions Mick and Jason Kelly, their plan had been to step into the Supercat Outboard class for season 2026, but through a number of changing circumstances found themselves faced with a 34-foot ‘Skater’ hull which once held both the Australian and New Zealand #1 titles; Hornet Racing the evolution of that, with what is arguably the most stunning paint scheme in the sport – they’ll be hard to miss.
Both teams know they have plenty of work ahead, experience teaching them that with graduation comes a whole new learning experience, but like the other experienced campaigners in the field, they’re not starting from ground zero so could present a challenge to the category’s more seasoned campaigners, especially if they face a setback.
Meanwhile for Philip Wiley and Darren Apps, two long time mates brought together over a passion for ski racing, they’ve emerged from the off-season break with their own project having taken delivery of Brett Luhrmann’s ‘Team Australia’ Maritimo. The duo will spend the new season coming to grips with a very different boat to what they’ve been accustomed too, but have also drafted in the experienced Paul Fowlds, the multiple outboard Offshore Champion running alongside Apps for the opening few races in accordance with regulations, which requires at least one experienced campaigner in the boat for the team’s first four races.
With their size, speed and sound, the Supercat Extreme boats are the most iconic in Offshore competition, but will by no means present the only focal point across the six 30-minute races at Lake Macquarie.
There’s been change in the Supercat Outboard category too in the off-season, most notable being that of reigning Champions ‘The Mantis’. Post-Port Adelaide the Antony De Fina built catamaran was sold on to rival Steve Lancaster of DLR Offshore fame, Lancaster campaigning the multiple championship winning boat under the ‘Kess Racing’ banner this season with the experienced Scott Kelly alongside.
They might be the ‘underdog’ as a new combination, but with the extra speed of twin Mercury 300Rs at his disposal, Lancaster will be able to take the fight directly to the ‘Sting’ pairing of Mike Ratcliffe and Karl Wall who despite missing Adelaide after their big off in Geelong, come into the new season fully repaired and fully prepared. They’re also looking for redemption after holding the championship points lead with De Fina and Kelly at the mid-point of last season, both teams having claimed three wins apiece to that point; for them, 2026 is about completing the job!
Whilst ‘Kess’ and ‘The Sting’ campaign the more powerful 300R engines, for ‘TCR Offshore’s’ Scott Richardson and Steve Kelly, they will have their hands full this season against ‘DLR Offshore’s’ new-look crew, with Craig Dove now joined by son Lachlan in the popular Victorian boat, both teams campaigning the older 300XS Mercury powerplants. Having completed the 2025 season second in points, DLR will be looking to maintain their place in the Championship and based on their reliability last season, will present a real threat to the faster teams.
In keeping with the graduation of champions through to the faster classes, the Supersports 85 category will have a new look to start the 25/26 season, but unlike the Supercat classes, this one has a twist.
Over recent years the battle for supremacy between Cootacraft’s Mark Pecherzeswki and the ‘The Colonel’ of Mick and Jason Kelly has been a highlight, two very different boats competing gunnel-to-gunnel at almost every round, and whilst the Kellys have emerged on top the last two seasons, there has been no doubt about which of the two boats is faster (remembering that the class is capped by GPS to 85mph), Pecherzewski though, lamenting a lack of reliability last season.
Sadly that lack of reliability saw a major overhaul in the off-season where frustratingly parts delays kept the mighty ‘Special Edition’ from readiness for Lake Macquarie, forcing a change in direction, and here’s the kicker..
Graduating to the Supercat Extreme class saw a vacancy in the Kelly family’s beloved ‘Colonel’; enter newly crowned Supersports 65 Champion Hary Bakkr.. Bakkr had designs on building a new ‘Razorcraft’ for the 2026 Supersports 85 season but work commitments (building Razorcrafts for customers) had sidelined the project, delivering the Kellys a solution to keeping their ‘Skater’ in the field. That vacancy and subsequent challenges to Shane Paton’s graduation to driver of ‘Nut Case’ for the new season saw the mighty green-machine available for Lake Macquarie, and yep, you guessed it, Pecherzewksi and Mel Nelson will jump aboard to earn points towards their tilt at the 2026 Supersports 85 title, although acknowledging that they might not be in contention for the class win this weekend.
In keeping with the strong growth of the category, the Supersports 85 class will have no shortage of depth, Bakkr and Pecherzewski joined by Aaron and Jack Panozza in ‘Skater 28’, Darren Penfold in ‘Thunderstruck’ and Anthony and Hunter McEnally in ‘Watersports Marine’ all in contention for a race win across the weekend, and if 2024 was any guide (three different winners across the Lake Mac weekend), anything is possible.. And just a tip, don’t discount the mighty little green boat..!
With Bakr having graduated for the 2026 season, the path is open for a new champion in the Supersports 65 class and again, there’s no shortage of contenders although all will need to be on their A-game with the return of 2024 Champion Patty Paczkowski in ‘Valentus’. Family commitments kept the team from a full program last year, although a return at Wyndham Harbour did nett three race wins, but for the 2025/26 season, Paczkowski is intent on regaining the crown, although he won’t have it all his own way.
Charlie Di Iorio is back in the family-run ‘Cardiac Arrest’ with Greg Walters again alongside despite repairing his much-loved ‘HUN74’ Haines Hunter in the off-season, the Di iorio and Walters combination a serious threat for the outright title, whilst Ben Embleton – again with the experienced Liam Sutherland alongside – will look to press their intentions in their first full season in the Championship.
Throw in the returning Brendan Weeks and Sophie Lancaster in ‘The Con’, Aaron Jackson in ‘All Coast Marine’; who claimed three podium finishes at Lake Mac 12-months ago – Zak Gould in ‘Degen’ and Patrick Bonnici in ‘Power Marine’ and you have no shortage of action across all four classes.
For anyone attending the event, teams will again be based at Empire Marina at Marmong Point with the boats traversing a 6.5-kiloemtre course that runs from the start/finish line at Marmong Point south towards Bolton Point, then east towards Warners Bay, up close and personal to The Esplanade at Speers Point, on towards The Five Islands then back to Marmong Point presenting many great vantage points around the rotation.
Three 30-minute races will run on Saturday, October 18 with races scheduled at 12:00pm, 1:00pm and 2:00pm, whilst on Sunday, October 19, races will run at 11:00am, 12:00pm and 1:00pm.
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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2024/25 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships
Supercat Extreme Championship (after four rounds of four)
1. Darren Nicholson/Peter McGrath (Boost Mobile/222 Offshore) – 376-points
2. Andrew Searle/Tom Barry Cotter (ACME Racing) – 323
Supercat Outboard Championship (after four rounds of four)
1. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (The Mantis) – 440-points
2. Steve Lancaster/Craig Dove (DLR Offshore) – 347
3. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (The Sting) – 226
4. Scott Richardson/Steve Kelly (TCR Offshore) – 206
Supersports 85 Championship (after four rounds of four)
1. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (The Colonel) – 361-points
2. Mark Pecherzewski/Melanie Nelson (Special Edition) – 241
3. Ryan Shan/Scott Kelly (RS Motorsport) – 92
Supersports 65 Championship (after four rounds of four)
1. Hary Bakkr/Shane Paton (Nut Case) – 377-points
2. Charlie Di Iorio/Greg Walters (Cardiac Arrest) – 156
3. Danny Caelli/Dean Caelli (Villain) – 131
4. Greg Walters (HUN74) – 32
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2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships – calendar
R1. Lake Macquarie, NSW – 18-19 October, 2025
R2. Wyndham Harbour, Victoria – 21-22 February, 2026
R3. Geelong, Victoria – 14-15 March, 2026
R4. Port Adelaide, SA – 09-10 May, 2026
The Australian Offshore Superboat Championships have revealed a fantastic new addition to the coming season, with Melbourne’s legendary JV Marine World and Porta Products coming on board as a event partners ahead of the opening round scheduled for stunning Lake Macquarie in just over a week’s time.
“This is fantastic news for the Offshore Championships heading into the opening round of the season,” AOPC Commodore Antony De Fina admitted. “JV Marine are icons in the boating industry in Australia with the country’s largest boating superstore in Melbourne’s Braeside operating since 1976. They’re also Australian dealers for the respected Porta Products of American Scott Porta, a multiple World Champion, Key West winner and a legend in the Super Stock classes in the US. For those who have been following us over the last 12 months they’ll remember that Scott was scheduled to join the field at Geelong last season in a Donzi he’d been preparing for an Australian client. Sadly time was against the team, but the finished product is now a work of art.
“To have these two great icons of boating offer to come on board and support us and our development this year is fantastic news, and continues this great upward trend we’re currently enjoying; we’re really excited for what the coming season has to offer.”
“There’s no question that Offshore Superboats are the pinnacle of boating performance, not just here, but around the world,” JV Marine World’s Mark Stav explained. “They’re a fantastic spectacle, especially out on rough water, really pushing the boundaries of what extreme boating is all about, testing man and machine.
“For JV Marine World it gives us a great platform to promote our boating involvement both around the country, and around the world, whilst it also gives us a platform to introduce our relationship with Porta Products renowned worldwide for their hydraulic transom brackets allowing engines more range in shallow water with their innovative vertical lift design.”
“It’s an exciting time for the sport,” De Fina added. “For the first time in more than a decade we have strong fields of outright boats, with a likelihood of six or more Supercat Extreme boats battling for the outright win this season, whilst the Supersports classes too are seeing fantastic interest with new boats underway to take the fight to the established stars; it’s going to be a fantastic season and it all gets underway in just over a week at beautiful Lake Macquarie for their ’Lake Mac Action Fest’.
The opening round of the 2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships will take place off Empire Marina in Lake Macquarie, with six 30-minute races across the weekend; Saturday, October 18 will see the action start from 12:00pm through to 2:30pm, then on Sunday, October 19, from 11:00am to 1:30pm.
About JV World Marine
Located in Melbourne’s Braeside, JV Marine World is Victoria’s largest boating dealership with hundreds of boats and jetskis on display. They are committed to providing excellent customer service and offer a range of New and Used boats and jetskis, genuine spare parts and accessories, and an experience Service Department. They are located at 878 Springvale Road, Braeside.
For more information visit; www.jvmarine.com.au
About Porta Products
The Porta Hydraulic Transom Bracket is a moveable parallelogram that allows the engine to remain at the same trim angle throughout the entire range of travel of the Porta Bracket. A traditional hydraulic jack plate can raise and lower the motor a short distance (usually 150mm max) but does not offer the advantages of a transom bracket. With the Porta Hydraulic Transom Bracket you get a vertical movement range – of 50mm to 550mm – much more than is offered by any other system.
For more information visit; www.portaproducts.com
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2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships – calendar
R1. Lake Macquarie, NSW – 18-19 October, 2025
R2. Wyndham Harbour, Victoria – 21-22 February, 2026
R3. Geelong, Victoria – 14-15 March, 2026
R4. Port Adelaide, SA – 09-10 May, 2026
With the 2024/25 Australian Offshore season coming to its conclusion after a sensational debut round in Port Adelaide less than three weeks ago, you could expect teams were ready to wind-down and prepare for a six-month off-season, but nothing could be further from the truth, with some big moves taking place across recent weeks, moves that will have a big impact on the coming season.
“There have been more boats change hands over the last few weeks than perhaps at any time in the last 30 years,” Australian Offshore Powerboat Club Commodore Antony De Fina confirmed.
And he should know, he’s part of the new look field for the 2026 season, the former AUS#1 title-holder and multiple Supercat Outboard Champion having taken delivery of a new mount, a mount that will see he and Matt Kelly take the fight to the outright boats in their ‘new’ Victory Cat.
“To be honest, it’s probably Dave Pitman’s fault,” De Fina explained, his long-time sponsor and friend having planted the seed after a discussion late last year. “Dave had said to me I should look at going to an outright boat, something I’d often dreamt about but never really seriously considered, but that was the catalyst to start me thinking about it, and a lunch meeting with former boat owner Adam Gilbert ultimately sealed the deal.”
Originally built by the Victory Team in Dubai in the early 2000s as a Class 2 boat, at one stage it featured twin BMW engines in a joint venture with the German auto maker, but now features twin 525-horsepower Mercury powerplants with BPM shaft drives, something which De Fina admits he will stick with in the short term.
“The boat is beautiful. It’s a full carbon-fibre hull and whilst it was built as a Class 2 boat at 36-feet in length, it will be lighter and corner faster than the bigger boats (‘MOJO’ at 39’ and ‘222’ at 42’), something we will look to use to our advantage,” he explained.
“Presently the boat is with Peter ‘Muddy’ McGrath at 222 Offshore on the Gold Coast where they will go over it and help us prepare it for a return to action as it’s been a few years since the ‘Team 3’ boat was last on the water. Then we’ll bring it back to Melbourne where we’ll install some new MoTeC dashboards and updates just to bring it up to scratch then do some serious testing.”
The boat is currently resplendent in ‘Team Victory’ blue, a departure from the livery that De Fina and Kelly campaign on their own Supercat Outboard package, a package which has also changed hands, its new owner having already taken delivery, De Fina admitting that it was sad to see the ‘MANTIS’ leave after such a successful partnership, but acknowledges that the team are excited by the new challenge.
“Matt and I obviously had some long discussions about the move and we both agreed that as racers, you always look to try and make it to the big league, and this is our chance to do that. The “MANTIS’, which we built ourselves, was a fantastic boat and delivered us multiple Australian Championships, but as we’re both getting closer to the end of our racing careers than we are to the start, it was definitely time to make the move!”
The 2025/26 Australian Offshore Championships will begin in Lake Macquarie in mid-October, giving teams a six month window to prepare for the new season, a season De Fina expects will be one of the best in the history of the sport.
“This year things have taken a dramatic leap forwards, with more boats changing hands in the last six months than perhaps at any time in the 30 years prior, and that’s fantastic,” he admitted. “We could see five to six outright Supercat Extreme boats on the water at every round next year, with yet another new boat arriving from New Zealand in coming weeks, alongside the recent purchase by Stuart Eustice and Todd Kelly with ‘MOJO’ which debuted at Port Adelaide. MANTIS has also moved on, and there’s a few changes too within the Supersports classes promising for one of our biggest seasons in the last 20 years, and that’s exciting. Roll on October!”
Whilst there’s been plenty of movement amongst the teams, organisers have also been busy off the back of the success of the sport’s debut in Port Adelaide, with a five or six round schedule in the planning stages for the coming season, details of which will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
pic|pureart creative images
The Australian Offshore Superboats Championship makes it’s South Australian debut next weekend (12-13 April), bringing the popular category to Port Adelaide for the fourth round of the 2025 season, and whilst big news for motorsport fans, the addition of a former Bathurst 1000 winner is sure to attract plenty of attention.
Todd Kelly’s relationship with boats stretches back decades, the Mildura local spending much of his childhood following his parents around the major ski racing venues in the country, a passion which would ultimately filter down to their sons.
For Todd and Rick Kelly, they ultimately shared their passion for competition between Supercars and ski racing, continuing to compete on the water where time allowed, that relationship keeping them in touch with boat racing which ultimately led to a cameo appearance for Todd with ‘222 Offshore’ alongside the legendary Peter ‘Muddy’ McGrath.
“I knew Darren [Nicholson] and Pete because of our shared interest in boat racing, and got a call out of the blue one day asking me if I’d like to drive for them at Hervey Bay because Darren was caught up and unable to make the event,” Todd Kelly explained. “I didn’t need to be asked twice, but have to admit, I was pretty nervous about jumping straight in for an important race event. Having ‘Muddy’ next to me made it really simple though, his experience made the whole weekend a real pleasure, so I was pretty keen to do it again, but after six or seven years, I didn’t expect the call to come a second time..”
For Kelly, his return to the wheel will be a very different experience this time around, as he will have a much greater involvement in the program thanks to the recent purchase of ‘Super Bad’, Kelly assisting good mate Stuart Eustice in putting the arrangement together, an arrangement which will ultimately see both Todd and his teenage son Mason – now a regular on the Super2 scene in Supercars – sharing driving duties in the seasons to come.
“Stuart and I have been mates for years, and he’s a passionate boatie, but also races cars. When he threw the idea at me I laughed because I thought he was joking, but very quickly we found ourselves looking over the boat with ‘Muddy’ and some of the 222 boys and before I knew it, the deal was done.”
“For me it looked the closest thing to racing a car on water,” Eustice admitted. “They’re fast, they race side by side, race distances are quite long, and they’re impressive to look at, it ticked all the boxes. I might not have had the luxury of driving one yet, but the idea doesn’t phase me, even the possibility of an incident in the water doesn’t concern me, I’m just keen to fast track my experience and enjoy it. If I can do that with some mates, all the better.
For the team, the first step is to get the boat down to Melbourne to go over some of the final details – including a name change to ‘MOJO’ in a nod to the Kelly’s involvement with ski racing – before almost immediately shipping off to Adelaide where Todd Kelly will share driving duties in the sleek 39-foot ‘Maritimo’ with former driver Steve Jellick. For Stuart Eustice, he’s elected to sit out the first couple of events as Kelly gets to grips with the boat, driver experience coming into play with no team allowed to compete with two rookies. To think the former Supercars star is considered a rookie might surprise a few, but Kelly admits it’s the right move.
“I’ll just be absorbing everything I can,” he admitted. “Steve has the experience, and whilst I might steer the boat on Saturday, we might swap for the second race so I can get a feel for the throttles.
“For us the weekend is about building some experience, we’ll then take the boat away and go right through it, do some testing and be ready for the 2026 season.”
“It’s fantastic to have Stuart and Todd join the Series, not the least because of their combined histories in motorsport, but to bring another of the Supercat Extreme boats out of a garage and get it back on the water,” Australian Offshore Powerboat Club Commodore Antony De Fina added.
“Fortunately for us, it won’t be the only one, so whilst the 2025 season comes towards its conclusion in Adelaide next weekend, 2026 is already looking incredible!”
For the new ‘MOJO’ team – who will undergo a livery change ahead of Lake Macquarie’s 2026 season opener in October – there is much excitement as they prepare for their competition debut in Port Adelaide.
“I haven’t been this excited to go racing in a very long time,” Todd Kelly admitted. “I’ve always had a great passion for boat racing, and in fact, will be racing alongside Mason and my Mum in our ski race boats in Mildura the following week, my daughter is jumping in the observer’s seat with me, but that’s a bit of fun as it’s speed limited. This will be back to pure racing and I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Let’s be honest, on the face of it, Todd is playing things down and suggesting we’ll just ease into it, but this is Todd Kelly from the Kelly Racing dynasty, I fully expect that when that [cockpit] lid goes down, he’ll be flat on the throttles and I’ll just have to find a way to steer it through the corners,” Stuart Eustice suggested. “I’m not even sure he’ll know I’m there [laughs]. Look, we’re not just here to make up the numbers. Sure, we have to earn our stripes and that will take seat time, but I can assure you, our focus is to go after a championship, and we’re looking to do that in very short order!”
With that kind of ambition, and the likely addition of more outright boats coming for the new season, the future of Offshore Superboats in Australia is starting to look very, very promising!
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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
About Symons Clark Logistics
Symons Clark Logistics is a 140-year old, family owned, Port Adelaide based transport and logistics company. Their experience brings with it premium wharf cartage and container transport services, with a focus on providing customers with complete logistic solutions including warehousing, container pack/unpack, distribution, over-dimensional, heavy haulage, project logistics and Australia-wide bulk haulage.
Conveniently located close to South Australia’s major shipping and intermodal hubs, Symons Clark operates a fully serviced container park, servicing many of the major shipping lines, and provide onsite secure indoor and outdoor storage. They are a fully accredited Customs 77G and 1.1 Quarantine approved premises with capability to provide all associated services including tailgate, fumigation, and freight inspections.
For more information, please visit https://www.symonsclark.com.au
One of the most iconic names in the history of Offshore Superboats in Australia will return to the fold for the Geelong round of the Championship, Bricker Pipelines, through their traffic management division supporting the event on the Geelong waterfront, bringing the family back in contact with a sport in which they have been indelibly linked for more than five decades.
“My father used to race Offshore Powerboats from the mid-60’s and into the 80’s, but more recently, I’ve had the opportunity to jump behind the wheel of the ‘TCR Offshore’ Supercat Outboard boat and have a steer myself,” Gavin Bricker explained.
“Boat racing has been in our family since I was born. My father was one of the early members of the Powerboat Club and ultimately the Commodore of the Club, peaking in 1980 as the man responsible for organising and managing the UIM World Championship event held in Melbourne – for which he was awarded the ‘Boatman of the Year’ from the international body. After he stopped racing, he became a life member of the Club and we’ve been racing ever since.”
Having moved across to ski racing as a young family which led to Gavin competing himself – ultimately claiming the runner-up position in the Southern 80 three years running – the Bricker’s perhaps became most recognised in recent years for their involvement in Formula GP competition culminating in Gavin’s son Ewan becoming the 2024 Australian Champion.
“We’re pretty passionate about our boat racing,” Gavin admitted. “I have this idea that at some point down the track Ewan and I might share an Offshore boat to keep the family relationship with the sport alive, but for now, he’s pretty committed to claiming back-to-back titles in the GP, and I’m looking at getting back behind the wheel at some point too with an Unlimited outboard engine for various events, but down the track, who knows..!”
For the Geelong event, which is held in the heart of the city, operating from the Royal Geelong Yacht Club at Steampacket Gardens, the Bricker’s will throw their weight behind the round by supporting the safety of the fans and competitors as boats are craned in and out of the water from the pit area.
“We love racing in Geelong,” Australian Offshore Powerboat Club Commodore Antony De Fina admitted. “To be able to race in the middle of a major Australian city and bring the fans right up close to the boats is the perfect scenario for us, but of course that also brings safety into account, so when we spoke with Gavin about assisting us through his Traffic Management branch, he was only too eager to help. For the Club, to reunite the Bricker name with the sport was an added bonus as Geoff ‘Bulldog’ Bricker is an icon in our sport and instrumental in building the foundations of where we are today.”
Round three of the Hornet Property Services Australian Offshore Superboat Championships gets underway in Corio Bay, Geelong on Saturday, 15 March with three, 30-minute races starting from 1:00pm, followed by three additional races on Sunday starting at 11:00am. Get down to Steampacket Gardens on the Geelong foreshore and witness the boats up close.
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
About Bricker Pipelines
Established in May 1966, Bricker Pipelines services the needs of corporate and residential customers across Melbourne. Their commitment to continually updating equipment, training staff and being at the forefront of innovation keeps Bricker Pipelines as a preferred supplied to Melbourne’s many Water Boards.
For more information, please visit https://www.brickerpl.com.au