The exciting Australian Offshore Superbo...
The exciting Australian Offshore Superboat Championship will make its South Australian debut this April with the announcement that Port Adelaide has secured the fourth round of the season, operating from the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia in North Haven, just 25-kilometres north of the Adelaide city centre.
“This is an exciting development for the category,” Australian Offshore Powerboat Club Commodore Antony De Fina admitted. “It’s something we’ve been working on for more than six months, and finally we’re able to make public something we believe will have a big impact on both the sport, and Port Adelaide itself.”
Supported by the City of Port Adelaide Enfield Council [City of PAE], the event – which is free to view for the general public – will take place off the beach opposite North Haven and run two-to-three kilometres down the coast to Largs Bay, with boats staged and launched from the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia [CYCSA] in North Haven, a popular area for Adelaide’s many boating enthusiasts.
“There’s a fantastic boating culture in that part of Adelaide, and the CYCSA is a picturesque venue with fantastic facilities that are really going to be popular with the teams,” De Fina added.
“We’re really looking forward to this and to introducing a new venue for the sport. This is our first foray into South Australia, and as a truly national category, it’s nice to expose the sport to new markets and take the sport to new fans that haven’t had the opportunity of seeing these impressive boats up close. We might be racing a couple of hundred metres off shore, but we’ll be moored at the CYCSA, giving fans a unique chance to come and see the boats first hand.”
“It is fantastic to bring yet another nationally recognised sporting event to the City of PAE through our grants program, and even better is that this action packed, high speed event is totally free to watch between Largs Bay and North Haven,” City of PAE Mayor, Claire Boan said. “See you on the water!”
“We are thrilled to be hosting the inaugural South Australian instalment of the Offshore Superboat Championship race in April,” Adam Hays the General Manager of the Cruising Yacht of South Australia added. “We’re proud to be part of this historic event, bringing world-class Offshore Powerboat racing to the Port Adelaide district. This championship is a significant milestone for both the sport and our community, and we look forward to welcoming racing teams, fans, and visitors to our stunning waterfront venue. It’s an exciting opportunity to showcase our facilities, our passion for boating, and the unique beauty of North Haven to a wider audience.”
Part of the development of the Adelaide event has come as a direct result of De Fina’s fellow Australian Power Boat Association [APBA] Director David Clark, a huge supporter of boat racing in Adelaide as patron of the Adelaide Speed Boat Club and a competitor in the popular Circuit Boat Championship in his iconic blue ‘Tuff’E’Nuff Racing’ Unlimited Displacement boat, but whilst Clark isn’t lining up to compete in April, he’ll still be a visible part of the project.
“This is fantastic for Port Adelaide, it’s fantastic for the Cruising Yacht Club and it’s fantastic for the race fans – it also puts Adelaide on the map for a sport that is viewed all around the world, so a win-win for everyone involved” Clark admitted.
“As a resident of the area, and a competitor myself, I’m passionate about Port Adelaide, so we did everything we could to work with Antony [De Fina] and the Offshore Superboat category to bring it to South Australia and I know the teams will do everything in their power to make it a great success.”
“This provides another great chapter to our story this season, alongside the announcement that we will be returning to television screens around the country in 2025 thanks to our new arrangement with Hornet property Services and the Seven Network to appear on 7mate and 7plus,” De Fina said. “Together with the introduction of the new Super V 85 class for Ski Racing entrants, the future of the sport is looking strong, with more boats coming out of sheds to be involved, so we’re definitely tracking in the right direction, the inclusion of Adelaide just adding that little bit of extra star power to an already engaging season!”
2024 Offshore Superboat Championships – calendar
R1. Lake Macquarie, NSW – 19-20 October, 2024
R2. Wyndham Harbour, VIC – 22-23 February, 2025 (sponsored by Hornet Property Services)
R3. Geelong Harbour, VIC – 15-16 March, 2025 (sponsored by Hornet Property Services)
R4. Port Adelaide, SA – 12-13 April, 2025
Further dates and venues 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
The Australian Offshore Superboat Championships have announced that a new category will be introduced ahead of a return to racing at Victoria’s Wyndham Harbour in February, with the newly structured Super V 85 class joining the Supercat Extreme, Supercat Outboard, Supersports 85 and Supersports 65 teams from round two of the season.
The new class is structured around inboard-powered 20-23’ long, leg-drive, monohull Ski Race boats that are ideally suited to the conditions under which the Championship competes.
“We’ve had ongoing interest from a number of current Ski Racing teams to join the Championship in the past, however they didn’t quite fit into our existing Superboats 85 category, which like what we’re proposing, is speed-limited to 85-miles-per-hour,” Australian OffShore Powerboat Club Commodore Antony De Fina explained. “We discussed it at the executive level of the Club and elected to introduce a dedicated class for those teams to compete.
“With Ski Racing currently in a rebuilding phase, many of the teams are looking at opportunities to keep themselves race fit and given some of those teams compete in World Championship events in open water – often off-shore, as we do – it made perfect sense to open up an opportunity for them to join us from Wyndham and be a part of the excitement.”
Aside from an opening to join the Offshore Championship across the remaining four rounds of the current season (the final two dates will be released in the coming weeks), De Fina also revealed that the new Super V 85 class would also be competing for its own trophy.
“With four rounds remaining this season, we are creating a Championship Trophy for the Super V 85 class that would see them record points towards the title from their best three finishes across those four races, the highest point scorer crowned champion.
“This provides another great story within the current season, that alongside the recent announcement that we will be returning to television screens around the country in 2025 thanks to our new arrangement with the Seven Network to appear on 7mate and 7plus, makes for some fantastic opportunities with the Championship moving forward – we couldn’t be more excited,” De Fina added.
2024 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)
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 Hornet Property Services
Located in Melbourne’s south-east, Hornet Property Services was born from the market’s demand for a better standard of tradesman. Servicing all of Melbourne, the business is defined by reliability and an extremely high level of customer service with competitive pricing. Simply put, they are your one stop shop for plumbing, electrical and property maintenance for both residential and commercial properties.
For more information, please visit https://hornetpropertyservices.com.au
On the eve of the opening round of the 2024/25 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships at Lake Macquarie on the New South Wales central coast, came confirmation that the series will once more adorn television screens around Australia with the production of a series of programs to be delivered to the Seven Network early in the new year.
In association with Melbourne’s Hornet Property Services, rounds two and three of the Championship will be aired ‘free-to-air’ on 7mate and ‘on-demand’ on 7plus, with four, one-hour programs highlighting the excitement and passion surrounding the sport.
“As the category continues to gain traction it became clear that we needed to return to television in an effort to build more excitement around the sport,” Antony De Fina, the Australian OffShore Powerboat Club’s Commodore explained. “We have a schedule of really strong events in big population centres coming across the next few months, but the key to broadening our reach is to go to a wider audience, and that means television.
“The Seven Network has a strong motorsport background with 7mate the home of many leading categories including Supercars, Drag Racing, Circuit Boats, Off Road and others, it’s a destination that people go to, to watch the best the sport has to offer, so the perfect platform for us to start rebuilding our profile.”
Production of the programs will be delivered by Melbourne’s 321Ignition Media who have been responsible for the production of television for the popular National Drivers’ Championship for Circuit Boats and additionally, V8 Superboats. Their team were at Lake Macquarie to take in the opening round of the season, collating content that will be used in the forthcoming programs.
Aside from national distribution through the Seven Network, programs will also be distributed through 321Ignition Media to networks all over the world, more than 600-million homes having access to content, reaching all corners of the globe.
“The Lake Macquarie round and their annual ‘Fast and Loud Festival’ was a fantastic way to open the new season,” De Fina admitted. “It kicks off what promises to be an exciting year ahead, and with Hornet Property Services supporting the next two rounds in Victoria, we’re expecting strong fields and some outstanding on action on the water.”
2024 Offshore Superboat Championships – calendar
R1. Lake Macquarie, NSW – 19-20 October, 2024
R2. Wyndham Harbour, Victoria – 22-23 February, 2025
R3. Geelong Harbour, Victoria – 15-16 March, 2025
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 Hornet Property Services
Located in Melbourne’s south-east, Hornet Property Services was born from the market’s demand for a better standard of tradesman. Servicing all of Melbourne, the business is defined by reliability and an extremely high level of customer service with competitive pricing. Simply put, they are your one stop shop for plumbing, electrical and property maintenance for both residential and commercial properties.
For more information, please visit https://hornetpropertyservices.com.au
Off the back of a fantastic close to the 2023/24 Championship on the Gold Coast back in late July, the Australian Offshore Superboats were back in action for the start of the new season as part of the annual ‘Fast and Loud Festival’ at Lake Macquarie on the New South Wales Central Coast in late October, signalling a reset for many of the teams intent on defending their national crowns.
In front of a big passionate crowd, many of whom were enjoying the hospitality of the Lake Macquarie City Council and all the festivities of the ‘Fast and Loud Festival’ held along Warner’s Bay, teams enjoyed a mix of conditions across the two days of racing, with the 2023/24 Champions battling hard against a number of new and return entries to the category.
Four categories were again on the card for Lake Macquarie; Supercat Extreme for the big, outright enclosed cockpit Catamarans like 222 Offshore/Boost Mobile and ACME Racing machines that feature twin inboard big-block V8s capable of over 800bhp each pushing them to speeds of more than 130mph [210kph] or the Supercat Outboards that feature similar, but shorter hulls with twin 300-horsepower outboards capable of pushing boats beyond 115mph [185kph].
The Supersports 85 ‘speed bracket’ category sees boats limited by GPS to 85mph [135kph], they are open cockpit boats with as much as 700-horsepower. Like the Supersports 65 category, these boats are regulated on speed, so whilst horsepower is important, if they ‘break out’ of their speed bracket, penalties arise that can drop them down the finishing order and cost valuable championship points. The beauty of the speed bracket classes is that they can attract boats from various disciplines, including social boats and ski racing machines, allowing for complete novices to play a part in the excitement, bottom line is though, it makes for some very entertaining racing.
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ROUND#1
Ultimately the Supercat Extreme win was taken by Darren Nicholson and Peter McGrath in the Boost Mobile/222 Offshore entry that had claimed the title last season, the 2023 World Class 1 Champions unbeatable in the outright category after technical setbacks for ACME Racing’s Tom Barry-Cotter and Andrew Searle.
In Supercat Outboard, reigning title holders Antony De Fina and Matt Kelly took three wins from three starts to open their ledger in fine form, although the results sheet doesn’t tell the full story, ‘The Mantis’ having to dig deep in the second race to overcome Mike Ratcliffe and Karl Wall in their new ‘Shifty Cat’, the brilliant yellow ‘The Sting’ holding point for the bulk of the second 30-minute race.
For reigning Supersports 85 Champions Mick and Jason Kelly, they too were forced to work hard, overcoming a strong early advantage for Mark Pecherzewski and Melanie Nelson who faced an intermittent issue that sidelined them in races two and three, despite setting the early pace, whilst in Supersports 65, Harry Bakr and Shane Paton emerged with a trio of wins to perfectly kick off the new season with a solid haul of points.
Supercat Extreme
Despite a number of the outright boats being sidelined for the round as they prepare for a return later in the season, there was an air of expectation with the news that former Champions Tom Barry-Cotter and Andrew Searle would team up in the ACME Racing ‘Maritimo’ in an effort to take the fight to reigning champions Darren Nicholson and Peter McGrath. Admitting that they were committed to fighting for the championship, Barry-Cotter urged some caution explaining that the team were still in a development phase.
“We’re still learning the boat, everything is pretty new, so it was a bit of a test for us as well,” Barry-Cotter explained. “It was a bit disappointing to have the engine problem, but it’s a new boat and team that we’ve only just put together so to get the points for the Championship was the main thing and we managed to do that.”
Ultimately Barry-Cotter proved correct, the team forced to play second-fiddle during Saturday’s opening race before being forced to withdraw early during Sunday morning’s second heat, a broken rocker in the engine the culprit. With just a couple of hours between races two and three, Andrew Searle admitted that whilst they might just be able to wing it, that they’d do their best to combat the issue without changing the engine. Sadly time was against them and despite working until the final moments ahead of the start, they were forced to withdraw and watch the action unfold from the bank.
“All the planning and all the scheming and nothing ever pans out the way you expect,” Andrew Searle admitted post-event. “We weren’t on the pace for the opening race so we had a good hard look at all the data overnight and were planning to go hard in race two, but sadly we broke a rocker and whilst we have two spare engines in the truck, you can’t change an engine on a Sunday. This is only our second time in the boat [alongside Barry-Cotter] so not the way we wanted to start the Championship, but we’ll bounce back.”
For Nicholson, his Lake Macquarie result was the perfect preparation for a run at the World Championship event at Key West in the US in early November ahead of a return to Australia to contest round two of the Series at Wyndham Harbour on February 22-23.
Supercat Outboard
Like Nicholson and McGrath, reigning Supercat Outboard Champions Antony De Fina and Matt Kelly enjoyed their own clean-sweep of the three races, but unlike the ‘Boost Mobile’ machine, ‘The Mantis’ team were forced to work hard for their three wins.
Debuting a new ‘Shifty Cat’ hull, Mike Ratcliffe and Karl Wall turned in a solid opening race on Saturday in the stunning bright-yellow ‘The Sting’, before charging off the line in race two to take a strong lead over the reigning title holders, De Fina and Kelly forced to dig deep and charge over the final two laps to just sneak ahead at the chequered flag admitting afterwards that it was tighter than they’d hoped..
“We didn’t know what was going to happen his weekend,” De Fina admitted. “We’ve got the new boat, ‘The Sting’ there – it’s a fast boat, and while we managed to win it wasn’t straight forward. That second race, they got ahead of us off the start and I said to Matt [Kelly] with about five minutes to go that – we’ve got to work something out here to get around these guys – and we managed too, it was great racing.”
Sunday’s third race delivered much of the same result as the opening race, with De Fina and Kelly getting a much better run off the lien to lead from start to finish, Ratcliffe and Wall a close second with Steve Lancaster and Craig Dove again third in the ‘DLR Offshore’ ‘Horton Aluminium’ machine.
Sadly for Scott Richardson and Steve Kelly, their efforts to improve on a third-placed finish in the 2023/24 Championships were thwarted early, a broken gearbox sidelining them in practice, ongoing issues as a result of the failure forcing an early retirement for the ‘TCR Racing’ entry.
For the reigning champions though, Lake Macquarie delivered all they’d hoped for, cementing a solid start to their title defence.
“This is a real driver’s circuit at Lake Macquarie and you’ve got to be on your game every corner,” De Fina explained. “You’ve got to be on the throttle and off the throttle at the right time, take the right apexes and the right lines, it’s a great track, we love it.”
Supersports 85
From the outset it looked very much like Mark Pecherzewski and Melanie Nelson were going to open the season with a whitewash of the category, especially with such a dominant opening race, finishing more than 30-seconds clear of reigning champions Mick and Jason Kelly. The race might have been shortened by a couple of minutes to cater for a red flag to recover Danny and Dean Caelli who had been thrown from ‘Villian’ at the 28-minute mark after launching awkwardly over cross-wash. Both were okay, but they recorded zero points for the race and were left with some work to do ahead of Saturday afternoon’s second race for which they were ultimately non-starters.
Whilst they dominated the opening race, the ‘Special Edition’ team of Pecherzewski and Nelson were unable to repeat the dose in race two despite leading early, an intermittent electrical fault sidelining them before half race distance, handing ‘Colonel Racing’ the top honours from Ryan Shan and Scott Kelly (RS Motorsport) with Hayden Warszewski third.
Come Sunday morning, the Supersports 85 boats were all on the water to do battle, but no sooner had they left the ramp than the dramas started. ‘Special Edition’ was sidelined from the get-go with ongoing electrical issues, whilst for ‘Colonel Racing’ they suffered a similar issue on the opening lap. They lost a lap in resetting the onboard systems, and once mobile were comfortably quickest in class, working relentlessly to get themselves back to the pack over the following 20 minutes to cross the line second, just 42-second back from eventual race winners Ryan Shan and Scott Kelly – it had been an epic run.
Ultimately the reigning Champions were crowned round winners, but hold only a four point advantage over the ‘RS Motorsport’ team, with Warszewski third, Pecherzewski and Nelson a distant fourth, but still well and truly within reach of the title.
“We had an oil bottle issue in that third race which was unusual,” Mick Kelly explained. “During the parade lap [ahead of the start] an alarm started going off on the dash – we made it three quarters of a lap before it went into guardian mode and wouldn’t run over 2000rpm so we stopped. Fortunately the oil bottle started filling up again and it was perfect for the rest of the race, but by that time we were well behind. That cost us the win, but we came through for a second place, so it was a good result overall.”
Supersports 65
A strong field of Supersport 65 entries arrived at Lake Macquarie all looking for valuable Championship points and an opportunity to press for the 2025 title, especially off the back of the absence of reigning champions Patty and Michael Paczkowski, but despite all the potential challengers, it was Hary Bakkr and Shane Patton that emerged with a trio of wins, the Victorians untouchable in all three races.
Second during the opening race was ‘All Coast Marine’s’ Aaron Jackson, whilst Greg Walters (HUN74) and Matthew Simpson/Kai Tee (PFM Revolution) shared the runner-up positions across races two and three.
Ultimately the round win and maximum points went to the ‘Nut Case’ crew, Bakkr and Paton taking their ‘Razorcraft’ to 105 points to be comfortably clear of Jackson (82), Simpson (52) and Walters (30), the Caelli team making a recovery in the final race to claim third.
“Race one was really, really good, race two was even better, race three was a bit lumpy and challenging, but overall it was good,” Bakkr admitted. “Shane [Patton] is monitoring the GPS the whole race to make sure we don’t go over-speed [and incur a penalty], so he shouts at me over the intercom if we’re ahead of where we’re supposed to be, and I back off and get back onto it where I need to.”
For the teams, focus now turns to Port Phillip Bay’s Wyndham Harbour for the second round of the season, a season which will feature both national and international television exposure.
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R1. 2024/24 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships
Lake Macquarie, NSW (19-20 October, 2024)
RND#1 – Race#1
Supercat Extreme
1. Darren Nicholson/Peter McGrath (#222 Boost Mobile) – 00:30:50 (12-laps)
2. Andrew Searle/Tom Barry-Cotter (#441 ACME Racing) – 00:31:37 (12-laps)
Supercat Outboard
1. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (#22 The Mantis) – 00:31:50 (11-laps)
2. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (#99 The Sting) – 00:32:15 (11-laps)
3. Steve Lancaster/Craig Dove (#81 DLR Offshore) – 00:32:00 (10-laps)
4. Scott Richardson/Steve Kelly (#161 TCR Racing) – DNS
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)
4. Hayden Warszewski (#C52 C-52) – 00:28:05 (8-laps)
5. Anthony McEnally/Darren Tickell (#36 Watersports Marine) – 00:28:07 (8-laps)
Supersports 65
1. Hary Bakkr/Shane Paton (#17 Nut Case) – 00:25:04 (6-laps)
2. Aaron Jackson (#11 All Coast Marine) – 00:25:54 (6-laps)
3. Greg Walters (#72 HUN74) – DSQ
4. Matthew Simpson/Kai Tee (#96 PFM Revolution) – DSQ
5. Danny Caelli/Dean Caelli (#300 Villian) – DNF
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RND#1 – Race#2
Supercat Extreme
1. Darren Nicholson/Peter McGrath (#222 Boost Mobile) – 00:32:24 (12-laps)
2. Andrew Searle/Tom Barry-Cotter (#441 ACME Racing) – DNF (2-laps)
Supercat Outboard
1. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (#22 The Mantis) – 00:33:07 (11-laps)
2. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (#99 The Sting) – 00:33:23 (11-laps)
3. Steve Lancaster/Craig Dove (#81 DLR Offshore) – 00:32:49 (10-laps)
Supersports 85
1. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (#161 Colonel Racing) – 00:32.59 (10-laps)
2. Ryan Shan/Scott Kelly (#888 RS Motorsport) – 00:33:08 (10-laps)
3. Hayden Warszewski (#C52 C-52) – 00:34:16 (9-laps)
4. Anthony McEnally/Darren Tickell (#36 Watersports Marine) – DNF
5. Mark Pecherzewksi/Mel Nelson (#07 Special Edition) – DNS
Supersports 65
1. Hary Bakkr/Shane Paton (#17 Nut Case) – 00:33:38 (8-laps)
2. Greg Walters (#72 HUN74) – 00:34:37 (8-laps)
3. Aaron Jackson (#11 All Coast Marine) – 00:34:39 (8-laps)
4. Matthew Simpson/Kai Tee (#96 PFM Revolution) – 00:35:12 (8-laps)
5. Danny Caelli/Dean Caelli (#300 Villian) – DNF
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RND#1 – Race#3
Supercat Extreme
1. Darren Nicholson/Peter McGrath (#222 Boost Mobile) – 00:30:11 (11-laps)
2. Andrew Searle/Tom Barry-Cotter (#441 ACME Racing) – DNF
Supercat Outboard
1. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (#22 The Mantis) – 00:32:40 (11-laps)
2. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (#99 The Sting) – 00:32:55 (11-laps)
3. Steve Lancaster/Craig Dove (#81 DLR Offshore) – 00:32:39 (10-laps)
Supersports 85
1. Ryan Shan/Scott Kelly (#888 RS Motorsport) – 00:32:44 (9-laps)
2. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (#161 Colonel Racing) – 00:33:26 (8-laps)
3. Hayden Warszewski (#C52 C-52) – 00:33:31 (7-laps)
4. Mark Pecherzewksi/Mel Nelson (#07 Special Edition) – DNS
Supersports 65
1. Hary Bakkr/Shane Paton (#17 Nut Case) – 00:34:49 (8-laps)
2. Matthew Simpson/Kai Tee (#96 PFM Revolution) – 00:34:54 (8-laps)
3. Aaron Jackson (#11 All Coast Marine) – 00:35:02 (8-laps)
4. Danny Caelli/Dean Caelli (#300 Villian) – 00:35:14 (8-laps)
5. Anthony McEnally/Darren Tickell (#36 Watersports Marine) – 00:35:45 (8-laps)
6. Greg Walters (#72 HUN74) – DSQ
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R1. 2024/24 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships
Championship Points (after round one)
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
R3. Geelong Harbour, Victoria – 15-16 March, 2025
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 Hornet Property Services
Located in Melbourne’s south-east, Hornet Property Services was born from the market’s demand for a better standard of tradesman. Servicing all of Melbourne, the business is defined by reliability and an extremely high level of customer service with competitive pricing. Simply put, they are your one stop shop for plumbing, electrical and property maintenance for both residential and commercial properties.
For more information, please visit https://hornetpropertyservices.com.au
The Offshore Superboats will join the Fast and Loud street display on The Esplanade at Warners Bay Saturday evening 19th October.
The Offshore Superboats will leave the Empire Marina at 5pm by road in convoy under police escort to Warners bay and park up and join the street display for approx 1.5 hrs, then under convoy and police escort back to Empire Marina.
The end of season presentation dinner will be held Sunday 28th July at the Southport Yacht Club,
Adults $70 per head
Children $39 under 12yrs
Buffet Dinner and Championship Presentation.
Tickets can be purchased through the AOPC (Australian Offshore Powerboat Club)
follow this link
https://www.aopc.com.au/event-details/aopc-presentation-night-2023-2024
There will be no walk ins on the night,
Tickets need to be purchased before Thursday 18th July.
Round 4, 27th-28th July, 2024, Gold Coast Offshore Superboat Grand Prix
July 27 – July 28
FREE
Gold Coast Offshore Superboat Grand Prix
Location of pit area is at the Southport Yacht Club and race course will be offshore at Main Beach.
There will be 2 races on each day,
1 x Supercat Extreme and Supercat Outboard
1 x Supersports 85 and Supersports 65
Event partners:
And the gremlins also seemed to be out… Yet the brilliant 30-degree weather with light East to Nor’east winds seemed to be the pacifier, and delivered happy souls all round.
So even hydrolocked motors, Electronic Control Units forbidding engines to start, burnt piston heads, wiring looms weaving electrical magic, low water pressure (raw coolant), and ‘loss of power’ might have stopped some competitors dead in their tracks, but the magic of the track on Corio Bay in Geelong cast its spell of wonderment upon all who attended. This was also true for multitude of spectators who roamed through the pits, along Geelong’s glorious foreshore, and climbed the hill to gain suitable vantage points.
Reliability was thus one of the keys to success, with Ryan Shan and Scott Kelly in RS Racing being the leading light there. They were the last crew standing in the SuperSport 85 class, with their bright orange Shifty Cat powered by twin 200hp two-stroke Mercury outboards circulating both consistently and swiftly.
It would be hard to not look at local outfit, Gigglin’ Racing, with anything other than great admiration. Driver Mark Sutherland competed on both days after having also worked night shift. Little wonder he and Co-Pilot son Liam smiled so much after winning the final race of the weekend in the SuperSport 65 class. They have won the last two seasons in this most competitive of classes, and are certainly keen to see if a threepeat is on the cards.
Hary Bakkr and Shane Paton on board Nut Case were determined to go for a clean sweep of the weekend, and after taking out the first two races, it definitely looked like Bakkr’s prediction would come to pass. Alas, the black and green boat could seem to do no wrong, as it cornered exceptionally well and showed her stern to all others. If it were not for Bakkr’s own knee hitting the trim lever and raising the motor, thereby increasing their speed well past the 65mph maximum, the result of third race was in no doubt.
‘Break outs’ as going more than one mile per hour over your class limit is referred to did affect a few over the two days of racing. Andrew Pike and Peter Hutchins in Pike Racing are mastering their new vessel, which is very light, so it accelerates marvellously, but needs care in cornering and when jumping over wake from other craft. To see them doing well is wonderful, and when they do master the control, they will be quite the team to beat, especially in flat water.
In Supercat Outboard, The Mantis was out to show that speed and consistency can coexist. They won the first two races in a near mathematical display of true performance. Aerodynamically the boat is riding almost flat and deviating only marginally. Hydrodynamically, their rooster tail out the back is low and even, showing that the high speed screws are working very efficiently.
With one lap to go in the last race of the event no one would have predicted that they would peel into the centre of the course and their roof hatch would open, yet this is exactly what occurred, much to the bemusement of driver Matt Kelly and throttleman Antony de Fina. Their race was over, but the strong results earlier meant they walked away with all of the silverware, and this went some way to appeasing their frustrations.
During the week, Cr Trent Sullivan, the Mayor of the Greater City of Geelong encouraged all Superboat racing enthusiasts and families to get along to the two-day event, and this certainly occurred. Having driven one of the Supercat Outboard class vessels, Greater Geelong Mayor Trent Sullivan is very well placed to comment on the event, and was an enthusiastic presenter of trophies at the ceremonies after racing had concluded.
“This event always provides an exciting atmosphere for spectators and there are ample spaces to get a great view of the action out on the water,” Mayor Sullivan said. “The stunning Corio Bay is the ideal location for these boats to do their thing, and with world-class food and hospitality venues right on our doorstep along the waterfront, there is also plenty to see and do after the races have finished.”
Australian Offshore Powerboat Club Commodore, Antony de Fina said, “Great, close and eventful racing, with good numbers of boats, and the crews were pushing hard. Some of them a bit too hard. Some even went for a little swim, but everything worked well in terms of safety procedures and there were no injuries. A fantastic weekend, with beautiful weather, at this glorious venue, with great competition, and terrific people both out on the water and ashore.”
Reclaiming the Robert Weir and the John and Barbara Gilbert trophies that Queensland’s, The Sting, took home last year was clearly a special moment for de Fina and Kelly, for both the history and prestige of it all. Definitely being listed amongst the grand names on these trophies is a great accolade marking in excess of 30-years of the sport’s history, and the club itself.
The media team would like to specifically thank Gavin Chivilo for ensuring they could get out on the water to capture the action. Speaking of action, the Round Three is in Queensland, with Hervey Bay playing host once more over the weekend of 11 and 12 May, 2024.
Results, videos, and information at superboat.com.au
The Superboats return to Geelong, South West of Melbourne for Round Two of their 2024 season. The Offshore Superboat Championship (OSC) is in action on Corio Bay’s natural and impressive amphitheatre, right in the heart of Geelong.
Australian Offshore Powerboat Club Commodore, Antony de Fina said, ”The 30-minute races commence on Saturday March 16 at 1pm with our SuperSport 65 class. Then at 2pm we have SuperSport 85 and Supercat Outboard classes. At 3pm the SuperSport 65 class returns to the track, which roars right past the Wangim Walk wave attenuator that you access of Steampacket Gardens.”
“The SuperSport 85 and Supercat Outboard classes have their first race at 11am on Sunday March 17, followed by the SuperSport 65 class at 12noon, then the final race of the weekend is at 1pm with the SuperSport 85 and Supercat Outboard classes once more. Presentations will follow at 2.30pm right in front of everyone at Steampacket Gardens.”
“Please do come and see the racing that comes right in close to shore from Cunningham Pier to Eastern Beach, and walk past the boats tied to the inside of Wangim Walk, as well as talk with the crews in and around the pit area. Everyone loves racing at Geelong. This is a unique event at a world class venue. Geelong is not just one of the best boat racing venues in Australia, it really stands up globally, too.”
“We get such a welcome at Geelong from everyone. We are very thankful for the support of the City of Greater Geelong and all of the spectators,” concluded de Fina.
Every team is keen to be there, whether it be to reclaim some lost pride after Round One at Wyndham Harbour, or try and stretch out their lead before the travelling show heads to Queensland for the final two rounds in the next few months.
One of the most pleasing aspects of the 2024 season has to be the continued ballooning of the SuperSport 65 class, which is the entrée level to the OSC. Many craft can achieve the 65mph level, but the skill in not going more than one mile per hour over that mark, or face disqualification is what is attracting many powerboaters, fishos and ski racers to this special division.
It is quite possibly the closest action, and the start at 10-deep across the line is something to behold. Hary Bakkr and Shane Paton on board Nut Case are once more right in the mix for season honours, but are also acutely aware that this is a game of total consistency.
Bakkr makes the famous Razorcraft boats, of which one is his race craft, but the team could well be best known for the magnificent Green Army that follows them to each and every venue. Relations and friends adorn the pits and viewing areas. “We just love going past the Green Army along the piers and foreshore. It gives us a little bit of a shiver when we see that. You often see Shaney give them the big fist pump. We just fly past, and I try to give them a wave if I can, and then around we go once more.”
“It is also terrific to have people come into the pits to talk with us after they see our black and lime green boat. This complete interaction is something that Geelong delivers in spades, and we love that. It is incredibly competitive, and when it gets a bit lumpy it really adds yet another dimension to it all,” said Bakkr in closing.
An abundance of cafes and restaurants means your own pit stop is never too far away either, and this too is part of the allure of the Geelong round of the Offshore Superboat Championship. The two open cockpit classes travel at 105 and 137km/h, respiectively. The enclosed Supercat Outboard class with twin 300hp motors on each hull achieve 180 km/h, and are possibly best known for how well they corner, meaning they do not have to wash off a lot of speed as they go around the banana shaped course tucked right in close to the Western end of Corio Bay. Head for the Ferris Wheel and you will be exactly on target.
Results, video, and information at superboat.com.au
Saturday’s brutal conditions took their toll on both crew and boats alike. It is a good thing then that the brilliant sunshine on both days of the weekend was able to effectively spotlight the efforts that the teams had gone to in order to participate not only so competitively, but also for the entire weekend.
Sore bodies managed to recover quickly, and many a loose bolt got tightened up on Sunday morning as the teams prepared for a much calmer time on the water. All in all, the contrasts reflected the overall weather pattern where teams had arrived into 38 degrees Celsius, experienced the rapid and distinct changes Melbourne is so well renowned for, to then race in just 21 degrees and a very stiff Sou’wester, before Sunday saw the Mercury get back over 30 degrees and witness the warmer Nor’wester try and stave off the cooler, yet now benign Sou’wester. The latter eventually won that particular battle, by the way, but not before a grand arm wrestle had taken place.
Possibly the only thing bigger than Saturday’s conditions were the smiles on the competitors and spectators alike. Coming around the corner 10 boats wide, as they did in the SuperSports 65 class was a treat for all. The crowds also enjoyed the close-in action at the wet pits, together with the ability to speak with the mariners directly. Speaking of immersion, the winners of the lucky draw to become part of the commentary team, and also get to sit inside a Supercat Outboard vessel, were just about as delighted as the racers.
Two teams excelled. In the SuperSports 85 class, Jason Kelly and Jesse King in The Colonel seemed to have taken off exactly where they left off. Three from three is a grand effort, and they can be justly proud of that. More than ever they were challenged all the way. Firstly, by Ryan Shan and Scott Kelly in RS Racing that is simply getting fast and faster, almost catching up to its great new paintjob. They are just two rounds into their new boat, so this team will simply get better and better, and as long as they do not break out (break over 1mph more than their limit), they will be a force soon enough.
It also has to be said that in the 85mph class, C-52, which is Haydn Waszewski and Zak Gould just got better and better as the weekend wore on. A new pairing, and a new Mercury 300R engine to go with that, had them right up at the lead during Sunday’s final race. The vessel’s appearance is about as sublime as their climb up to the front, and they have more than enough stealth fighter about them to be something to watch out for in Geelong.
The SuperSports 65 class had to be all about the newcomers, all of whom are deeply imbued into the fabric of the sport after the weekend. Whether new to the sport or crossing over from other activities like ski racing, the teams served it right up to class stalwarts like Mark and Liam Sutherland in Team Gigglin’, as well as Hary Bakkr and Shane Patton.
Setting up the march of the newcomers were Patty and Michael Paczkowski in Valentus, who took away the first win on Saturday. Danny and Dean Caelli in Villian went 3, 2, 1 over the weekend to really make a stamp on their intentions. Their delight was as evident as the enthusiasm of their shore crew.
Also going three from three were Matt Kelly and Antony de Fina in, The Mantis. The first team to really hone in the new Mercury Racing 300R V8 outboard, this team have the boat well and truly dialled in now, achieving a maximum velocity of over 180km/h in nearly all conditions.
Whilst it is brutal to the occupants, and they do lose a few kilos each race due to heat and workload, the flat attitude of the vessel, together with the way they accelerate once more after being airborne is bordering on ridiculous, and a true credit to both driver Kelly and throttleman de Fina. The motors might be whisper quiet, as too the mariners, but the scoreboard utterly screams from the rooftops.
Wyndham City Mayor Cr Jennie Barrera said, “The warm weather and challenging conditions made the Wyndham Harbour round of the Offshore Superboat Championship very entertaining. It was a picture-perfect location and showcased our beautiful coastline, reinforcing Wyndham City’s capacity to host major water sport events.”
Australian Offshore Powerboat Club Commodore, Antony de Fina said, “This was a tremendous way to get things off and running for 2024 Offshore Superboat Championship. Of particular note was the number of ‘rookie’ day racers we attracted to Wyndham Harbour, and how well they did. I don’t think we have ever had to throw that many people into the water at any event previously.”
“All of us particularly enjoyed the varying conditions, which the crowds definitely seemed to have sat, watched, and then later on come and talked with us about. Having the wet pits so close to the finish line is such a marvellous element, and something that is so particular to Wyndham Harbour.”
“Next up is Geelong over the weekend of March 16 and 17. All the teams are very much looking forward to being there in the great natural amphitheatre that is Corio Bay, with all of its terrific vantage points.”
“Many thanks to Wyndham Council, Wyndham Harbour, and all of the personnel and volunteers that come together to make this event possible.”
The media team would like to specifically thank Matthew Michaelides for ensuring they could get out on the water to capture the action.
Results, videos, and information at superboat.com.au