Round 4, 27th-28th July, 2024, Gold Coast Offshore Superboat Grand Prix

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

Most definitely. Continuing glorious weather drew thousands of spectators all the way from Eleebana, through Warners Bay, thence onto Speers Point, and also back at both the start/finish line and pit area located at Marmong Point. This certainly underscored the natural amphitheatre nature of the delightful Lake Macquarie.

Hovering around the pit area you did notice the inquisitive onlookers who all commented on how much they enjoyed on being able to get close to the boats and the teams alike.

Overnight, and even into the morning, many teams worked to repair/replace items so as to get back out racing. Shan Racing put a new drive shaft in one of their gearboxes, and Skater 28 corrected why a spark plug insisted on popping out at every opportunity.

Alas, it was the team spearheaded by Birthday Boy and engine builder, John Barbagallo, that extracted the totally blown motor in Superbad, swapped the left one over to the right hull as pumps and lines aligned more correctly, and then placed the ‘spare’ motor from fellow competitor, 222 Offshore Racing into the now vacant left hull that was the talking point of the day. What a great effort, and what wonderful sportsmanship, all round.

Now there were winners on the day, as indeed there were for the season overall, but it was perhaps the number and severity of issues out on the water that added drama and quick recalculations to some of the standings.

One of the crowd favourites, The Sting, actually put a connecting rod through the block in the first race of the day, thereby ensuring they would stay ashore for the rest of the day. In the last race of the day, 222 threw a blade off the right side propeller, which came off so violently it not only put a gash in the hull, it also bent a seriously thick steering plate and stainless steel bolt!

All of it served to make sure it was as exciting on shore as it was out on the water, where teams like Gigglin’ in the SuperSport 65 class did more than enough to secure the season win. Mark Sutherland said, “It’s a great feeling. Two years in a row. It’s pretty amazing. I hope we are ready for next year’s first round back in Victoria (Wyndham Harbour) in February because they’ll be coming for us. New boats, new set-ups, and with more horsepower… We’re going to stick with tried and true, but it will definitely be a challenge. Hope the wind blows and evens out the field.”

Andrew Pike from Slick 21 clearly wants to go one better for 2024 in SuperSport 65 after placing second this season. “We’re pretty happy with that. A bit disappointed today, as we were a bit behind the field, but we finished the race. We’ve got a new boat and motor to run for 2024, so we’ve got to get some time in the seat with that, but we should be good to go. Our eyes are on the top prize, that’s for sure.”

The Colonel has looked good all season in SuperSport 85, so despite being challenged a lot more at this final round at Lake Macquarie, they still grabbed the silverware. Jason Kelly said, “We’re a little bit undecided about the 2024 season, so we’ll see what’s going to happen as far as the northern Queensland races go, but we’ll certainly sort out what rounds we will be at anyway.”

“This will include the Melbourne races, and if potential sponsors or something like that want to come on board, we might be able to make our way up there. The boat’s going well, and we are stoked. Hats off to Jesse (King), as it was his first time getting in the boat this season, and he’s adapted to it really well. He’s turning that boat like a professional. I think we’ve got a very competitive boat and we’re where we want to be, so hopefully the future is good.”

Day Racer, Skater 28, may well turn into season participant for 2024, and some very good results at Lake Macquarie will have absolutely spurred them on to do so. The boat looked good all weekend. Aaron Panozza said, “Not sure if I can give all the credit to the boat or Dale (Sawkins), but we certainly had a good time out there.”

“Everything ran perfectly to plan, and we had some amazing racing out there with the Colonel boys. I do think our extra 200 horsepower sort of helps us get out of those corners just that little bit quicker, even though we’re all held back to 85 miles an hour. We did see a maximum from us of 83.5mph during one race, and are thrilled to have got two race wins from three starts.”

“We’d love to come down do a few more events. There’s a bit of a drive, but you know, it’s worth it. The Victorian Rounds are only a few weeks apart, and with a potential round at home on the Gold Coast, I think we should drive down, as they’ll drive up to us.”

Mixed emotions is the best way to describe The Sting camp. Yes they won the season, and circulated here at Lake Macquarie with new engines until they could no longer, so they are happy, but also know just how much work they have to do in order to get ready for next season now they have a broken motor, and there are supply issues.

Karl Wall said, “Yesterday we were super excited and high fiving at each other after ensuring the win, as this is a big deal. Then we thought let’s finish on a high, we’ll race on Sunday and win both races to really come home with the gold. Alas, that did not happen. On the fourth lap of the first race we became very sad puppies.”

“We really do thrive on the energy, especially of our fans, and we have given away more posters than ever to all of the kids, which is great. The love The Sting and the whole bee thing. It definitely helps with the motivation to get ready for 2024. We’ve got a lot of speed to find in this boat to get up with the Mantis now. They’ve really developed their engines really well.”

“So the next three or four months is going to be big for us. We are looking at Wyndham Harbour to take the first win like we did this year and continue the wins through the year just to show the dominance of the Hornet against the Preying Mantis”, said Wall highlighting the great banter between the two teams.

In Supercat Extreme, crowd pleaser, Superbad, finished out their rookie season so well, after such sorrow the day before. So it was good to see Superbad perform a victory lap to finish the day and season out.

Steve Jellick commented afterwards, “It’s been a long season. A lot of work. A lot of heartbreaks and fails. Despite all of it, the sportsmanship shown by 222 is fantastic, and we love it.”

Superbad’s own trials and tribulations after securing a boat that had sat for a while include repairing manifolds, cleaning out fuel tanks, and a list as long as your arm, but no matter what, there they have been come the start of each round.

“There’s still a lot of work to do, but we’re getting the boat to some sort of spot that we want it to be, and all the smaller stuff is becoming more reliable. Now we just need to get some good power into it, and then hopefully we’ll be away. They should be here by Christmas, which will give us a bit of time to set the boat up with the new gearing and everything.”

“Ryan (Coleman) just loves it. He has learned so much over the year, and is just driving better and better all the time.”

There can be no doubt that 222 Offshore Racing are one very polished team, and so very sporting in their endeavours. To take home both Supercat Extreme and the Class One Championships is a mark of that, and it comes only a month after securing the World title, as well.

Darren Nicholson may not have liked not finishing the last race, but categorically enjoyed racing on home waters. “It is very nice to have the finale here at the Lake, the place where I grew up. It’s a fabulous venue, and the crowds love it. There was music around the place, there were some old cars, but it’s hard to beat a little bit of noise, and these boats certainly deliver that.”

“Today, we started off with five blades (on the propeller), we came in with four, and after presentations here, we end up with three on the wonderful Australian Class One Championship trophy. We were surprised the prop broke, as it’s only six races old, which is a bit frustrating.”

David Randall from Empire Marina said, “We do look forward to having the Superboats here. It’s always a juggle to free up the space, but everyone is so professional, which was highlighted by the way 222 lent Superbad a motor to keep the show alive. Wonderful stuff. It demonstrates what sort of people are involved in this sport. They want everyone on the water, and we want to help showcase this great lake.”

The Offshore Superboat Championship would like to thank Lake Macquarie City Council, NSW Maritime, Wilson Lifts, and Empire Marina, and we do very much look forward to being back here in October of 2024.

Further information, pictures and videos at superboat.com.au

Absolutely so. It was both close and interesting as mechanical issues plagued many a craft, and fortunes were won and lost out on the track. Exactly as it should be…

Councillor Adam Shultz, attended Friday evening’s meet and greet held at Empire Marina at Marmong Point, and very much immersed himself in the experience. Speaking at the event, he said, “It’s fantastic to see everyone here again. I believe the event’s been running for seven years now, since 2016.”

“Lake Macquarie City Council is really proud to continue to support it. If I had my way, it would be indefinite support. It’s just wonderful to see all the visitors, the activity and the teams getting together for this social event. I’m really looking forward to an action packed weekend.”

Well he definitely got his wish, and this was echoed by the thousands of spectators that lined the shores of Lake Macquarie from Eleebana to Warners Bay, thence on to Speers Point and ultimately Marmong Point. Shade and chairs were the hot items at these spots.

The two SuperSports classes had the double races today, and tomorrow it will be the turn of the two enclosed cabin classes to have a pair of races. In the SuperSport 85 class, Ryan Shan was using his new boat for just the third time. It was going really well for them, and in the second race they really started to make a charge. Unfortunately, a drive shaft in the gearbox failed and they had to retire.

Back at the pit area you would not have known, for the beaming owner was just so excited about how well it was all going for his team. “We’ll be racing tomorrow. It was awesome fun, and made the last two weeks of hell (getting the boat ready after it landed in AUS) worth it.”

In terms of their ability to get faster and faster, Shan said, “We just felt more and more confident, especially in the corners, which meant we could just get keep on going up.”

Andrew Pike’s Slick 21 are about to also get a new boat, so it was unfortunate that the current boat had issues in the second race, as well. If they do well in tomorrow’s race they will secure second, which they are delighted about, given the tussle they have had with Gigglin’ all season.

A great first race today was followed by issues in the second. “We had a bit of an oil problem, and the motor went into limp mode. So we had to pull on the infield and bleed the tank up on top of the motor. It was good to get back circulating and get some points.”

“We have fixed it back ashore now and want to achieve a first or second place tomorrow to put some points in the bank, and lock away a prize.”

Not only was the racing close, so too was their performance, achieving an average of 64.9 in that first race, and you cannot get much better than that.

Thoughts were definitely with Superbad, who blew an engine in their only race of the day. Prior to that, Superbad was literally flying, and everyone noticed. Alas, blue smoke is never a good sign, so when a thin veil appeared over on the Eastern side of the course, hearts literally sank.

Throttleman, Steve Jellick, said, “As soon as you start a race engine, sometimes you just got to think how long are they going to last for? These engines have been really good for the last three or four years, so have been running for a while. We knew that they were just about at the retirement stage, and they just went a bit too early…”

Superbad’s new screws were also doing a fine job, up until disaster struck. Superbad was so quick, and we had some of the tightest racing in this blisteringly quick of classes that we have seen to date, which is no doubt part of the reason everyone was as collapsed as the broken motor.

Jellick added,  “We were a little bit unsure about it all, because obviously we didn’t want to do any testing on these ageing motors. We had a good idea on where we needed to be, and we were pretty much on the money. A massive thank you to 222 for going to see if we can put one of their engines in for tomorrow.”

Reflecting on their ‘Rookie’ season, as it were, Jellick said,” It takes two to race, and Ryan is taking it on and absolutely loves it. We are having a ball. It is really close. We’re like a metre apart down, doing 130mph down the straights. In places they were probably a little bit quicker than us, and we were probably a little bit quicker than them in some others.”

Back ashore a rescue plan was hatched. In a truly magnificent gesture of sportsmanship, 222 Offshore got to work pulling out one of their spare engines to offer up as a temporary replacement. A busy night ahead for the crew, as they had to not only remove the blown engine, but then transfer the left engine over to the right engine bay and put the loaner motor into the now vacant bay in the left hull, as it worked better with the pulley arrangements for things like water pumps and steering.

Not the first time this season that 222 have shown their fine colours, either, and Darren Nicholson said, “Running with the Superbad boys was really good. They have certainly dialled up the boat a lot better than the previous owner had it. There was nothing between us. We could corner a little bit better, but we were settling down for a good 30 minutes of top notch racing.”

“I’m really hoping they can make the transplant happen, because Superbad made all the effort to get down here for this final round of the year. The least we can do is loan them an engine for tomorrow’s race and hopefully they’ll get round. I’ll probably be a bit of a giggle if they beat us with one of our engines.”

Showing true humour, Nicholson pondered, “I wonder if they beat us, do we get the title because it’s our engine in front? I wonder what the Race Director would have to say about that? If part of my boat wins, do 222 Offshore get all the points? Interesting…”

Earlier on in the day, the local Navy Cadets attended the pit area, where 222 gave them all a guided tour of their impressive facilities.

“We’ve had the air cadets through, and also lots of school kids. They might have been a bit subdued early on, but when they saw where a career path might take them they certainly livened right up”, said Nicholson in closing.

Gigglin’ have now secured the 2023 SuperSport 65 title, as along as they finish tomorrow. The boat looked really good, but just not as quick as usual. A very delighted Mark Sutherland commented, “We just came off a little bit just to preserve everything and lock it all away. Just a couple of miles an hour to make sure that we didn’t break today and secure the points that we needed for the championship. Everything is working fine, otherwise.”

“We just need to finish the race tomorrow. So we’ll go out there and just try and play it smart, but obviously we’ve still got to be competitive, too.”

Mike Ratcliffe from the all-conquering, The Sting, reflected on their new motors, “We were just getting used to the boat and setup, and discovered that it all needs to be altered (motors raised up and steering geometry), which we have now done. We wrapped up the Championship today, so tomorrow’s two races are all about our set up for next year. It will be a good day tomorrow, with a bit of wind up, so good stuff for us.”

Another boat to have an incredible day was The Mantis. They had teething problems at the start of the season after installing the new Mercury 300Rs, and the frustration was about as obvious as their monumental increase in pace today over earlier rounds.

“It wasn’t as straightforward at the start of the year as just bolting them on and there you go. They’re completely different engines with the way the gearboxes work and the lift and some other things. It took us a couple of months to get our head around it, but we’re happy now. It’s going very well”, said Antony de Fina.

They did have to back right off and check a few warning lights in the middle of that race, “We were waiting for it, as the port engine kept losing water pressure in those high-speed sweepers. So you shut down the engines, wait about 10 seconds for them to reset and off you go again. While we’re doing that, AMT whizzed past us, and then I’ll tell you what, it took us two or three laps to get around them.”

I think we’re going to have some ding-dong racing tomorrow with the Sting also getting faster and faster. They were catching us towards the end…”

Sunday’s racing commences at 1100am with the second race for the Supercat Outboard and Supercat Extreme classes. The two SuperSport classes have their final race at 12 noon, and then the two enclosed cockpit classes return for their last outing of the season at 1pm, and race again for another 30 minutes.

Presentations are back at Empire Marina at 4pm tomorrow, Sunday October 15.

Further information at superboat.com.au

It was persistent and resilient, as well as being an outright tease. Simply put, the sea fog as annoying. It would roll in and out, up and down the beach, moving quickly enough to be caught on video, and hang around, even when there was enough breeze that you thought it clearly had to blow away. It didn’t…

During the sighting lap, which is the precursor to the start, that oddly enough very much lived up to its name, the radio started to light with calls about not even being able to see the marks, let alone go around them. From our station at the North Western end of the course it was more like what fleet?

Race Management swiftly moved from white to red flags, and got everyone back off the plane to displacement speeds, and returned all to the milling area. After a few laps there the engines began to switch off and the lids opened to reveal the suited racers. Given the ambience it was somewhat akin a mass lunar landing, and had it not been for the helmets coming off and crews lounging on the foredeck of their craft, you might have gone down that path. Perhaps they were just aliens coming in to assess the third planet out from the big star…

One thing is for sure, and that is safety first. At up to 110mph for the Supercat Outboard class and 120mph plus for the Supercat Extreme, vision is not a byword, but a critical element. Race Director Russell Embleton waited, and then waited some more before abandoning the final show. Not surprisingly, the fog talk from all the local dive, whale, and fishing operators was all centred on, ‘Never seen that before!’

Good thing then that all the spectators amassed on shore and on the large cruise vessels all got to see wonderful close racing in the Sport 65 and Sport 85 classes a little earlier on.

The Colonel has been in fine touch all season, and it would seem they have even extracted a bit more from the boat to be clear leaders after the three rounds. Driver Jesse King commented, “The boat’s going really well. There are a couple of fast boats out there, so they certainly had us in their sights. Supernova might have had a fuel pressure issue, but Scott Cleaver is able to really able to make it rumble. Hayden has Action Property Management at a new level as well. It’s going to be good at Lake Macquarie, and we’re looking forward to it.” 

There is no doubt The Colonel is flatter and faster than before, but as to the secret herbs and spices that have created the new running profile? Jason Kelly proffered, 

“We have spent a lot of time the old man (Steve Kelly) down the Sportsmaster Marine, just working together o get the boat sorted. We’ve made a few adjustments to the tunnel (between the hulls) and also some placement of weight. It has certainly paid off and we think there are still a few more to do, as well.” The Kelly wand would seem to have a few spells left to cast…

“Provided we don’t have a break out, and finish the races themselves, then Lake Macquarie will be a good to close the season”, concluded Kelly.

When asked whether the conditions suited Nut Case Hary Bakkr replied, “Yes and no. The straight runs were fast and really suited. Some of the turns were a bit scary though, and we nearly came out a couple of times. The corners were quite lumpy, but we just hung in there and just kept going!’ We were side by side Gigglin Racing for about 15-20minutes, and it was absolutely epic racing.”

“Gigglin’ pulled away from us a bit when we nearly went over on a corner, and we pulled back for a little while to settle the boat. We got back on the plane and we thought we were right on the limit. We nearly lost it again at the same corner and we stuck to 62mph in the conditions, which turned out to be the right choice.”

“We had a feeling that Gigglin’ had broken out and we checked our main screen, and Shane had the hand held, we were mindful of not breaking out. We didn’t want to get pulled into a race just over speed. As it turned out we came first – not the way we wanted to come first, but we have had the same happen to us. Them’s the rules and that’s what happens. It was epic racing though!”

There is no doubt that Saracen is glad to be clawing back a few points over The Sting in the Supercat Outboard class. They were the first to adopt the new Mercury Racing 300hp four stroke V8s, and whilst promising early on, it has not been until Hervey Bay that they have had the chance to prove anything. Even a gearbox with oil that looked more like a tube of glitter could not stop them from trying to race, and enter Mark Pecherzewski, who loaned them his left hand drive after racing himself.

Mark Kelly commented, “Well hopefully now the boat’s starting to get sorted out and we we’re starting to get on top of all the little issues. It’s good that we’re knowing we’re going in the right direction anyway. We’re definitely not going backwards, so that’s good. We had a little gearbox failure yesterday, which we’re lucky only happened on the way back into the marina after racing.”

“We’re lucky that Mark lent us his gearbox today, so it was a mad dash between races to swap it off his boat onto our boat and we got out to the start, only to wait and wait…”

As for Lake Macquarie, and a real charge at the overall title? “I reckon the boat’s fast. We’re seeing pretty good speeds. It’s just a matter of cornering as well.”

No one is anything but utterly elated with the perennial crowd favourite, Team Superbad. They have chipped in from fixing fuel tanks to welding cracked headers, thus getting an older boat back out racing, and doing so faster and faster at every event. At Hervey Bay that showed some tremendous straight-line speed, and this is with the old motors.

Ryan Coleman spoke about it, “There’s been done a lot of work in between rounds. We lowered the dropboxes down and got a longer rudder, as well as a few tweaks here and there, and it seems to have paid off.”

Some of this is significant work, for the transom mounted boxes have come 30mm, which in turn means the engine mounts had to come down 15mm themselves. “It’s working really well, and the new motors should be in for Lake Macquarie”, said the no-longer-classed-as-a-rookie-driver Coleman.

“We’re always learning as a new team. I think that to get where we are so far is pretty good. We’re all still stoked, and all still very focussed on the job at hand.” 

222 Offshore are one very tidy outfit, whether that’s polished transporter trucks, an immaculately presented Mini Moke, or sheer driving brilliance out on the course. As a team, they are doing better than well in the XCAT in Europe, the big V8 catamaran in the USA, and of course the Supercat Extreme here in Australia.

Does practice make perfect? “Oh, I don’t know about perfect. Look at. Appreciate the thought, but we’re always learning and I don’t know if the learning ever stops. Still, I think we’re certainly getting better at it, and practice is improving it. So if we can finish a bit more often, we’d be pretty chuffed.”

Not that 222 Offshore is any stranger to winning, it is just that they like to do it, and who does not? The Gulf of Mexico beckons, for another race awaits them there, and all the best to this very committed team.

There is no doubt that Scott cleaver’s Supernova is the best sounding boat out there. A huge Whipple supercharger atop the Mercury Racing bent eight certainly helps. Fuel starving issues may have not helped the first of their two entries racing over the weekend, but he was certainly able to see the bright side of a bigger future.

“It was great to see so many of the ski boats in both the 65 and 85 classes and we’re looking forward to see what can be achieved with the two organisations working together more. The future is bright.”

“We’ve learned a lot through the process of trying to get the ski race on board this year, and we may have been a little bit late to complete our permitting, but we know what we have to do for next time. Hopefully next year we can build that the model, and hopefully follow the circuit next year and bring a lot more to the grand spectacle.”

“We’ve had a few ski guys come up this weekend who are going to go back and really sing the praises of the event and the concept. These guys are going to be the voice for us in New South Wales, which is fantastic.”

The Hervey Bay Round of the 2023 Offshore Superboat Championship was supported by the Fraser Coast Council, Hervey Bay Boat Club who provide support boats and the host the annual meet and greet event, Pier Caravan Park and the Gilbert family, also Wide Bay Cranes, who have been with us for all 12 years that we have been coming to Hervey Bay.

Fraser Coast Deputy Mayor, Denis Chapman, said the Fraser Coast region was known for its lively and varied calendar of events.

“We are developing a reputation as a centre for hosting events, whether it be state hockey or rugby competitions, exhibition football matches, state, national and world sailing championships and powerboat racing,” he said.

“It was wonderful to see such quality powerboat racing and so many people enjoying themselves over the weekend.”

See you all for the final round of the season on Lake Macquarie, NSW, which will be held on October 14 and 15, 2023.

It comes down to this. Amongst the many, there were two little children on the side of the road enthusiastically waving their ‘Welcome Offshore Superboats’ sign as the armada of vessels and hot rods completed their lap of Hervey Bay’s streets immediately after the racing on Saturday. Their smiles were visible for all, and they literally erupted when the horn blasts from the truck towing 222 Offshore Racing’s Supercat Extreme acknowledged their spectacular efforts. Special moment right there. Full of spirit, and not lost anyone in the general proximity of the occasion. Well-done kids.

Next, take into consideration the greater clan from Bear Necessity. Wayne and (son) Joel Ruddell race the boat, daughter Tessa Walton could not wait to turn 17 and now races with Mark Pecherzewski on Special Edition, and it’s Kate Walton’s job to keep them all organised, and somehow manage to barrack for everyone too.

Next, bring in daughter Gemma Ruddell who flies in from Perth, for every round she can, whether that’s in Victoria, NSW or Queensland. Nice effort. Like wow. Great stuff. Now making her third appearance is Wayne and Kate’s niece, one Amy Walton. She first popped up at Wyndham Harbour, backed it up with her hometown of Geelong, and then it was her turn to jump on the kerosene canary, for here she is at Hervey Bay.

That’s certainly exemplifying spirit. Asked what it is all about Amy says, “I have no idea, to be honest. Until this year I didn’t even know that Superboat racing was a thing. I’d never even heard of it. So yeah, it’s just because Tessa and Wayne do it. So I thought I’d come along to Wyndham Harbour and, and see what it was all about.  It was just so cool that I’d just kept coming back.”

As to whether it is family or fun, Amy added, “It is like a big family. Everybody is just in to help each other and it makes everyone feel welcome. Doesn’t matter what size boat people are racing, everyone feels welcome.” Does this mean she’ll be at Lake Macquarie then? “Maybe.”

So clearly everyone is a winner, but in terms of on the day, Sports 65, Sports 85, Supercat Outboard, and Supercat Extreme winners were Nut Case, The Colonel, Saracen, and 222 Offshore Racing.

Hary Bakkr with Shane Paton on the Razorcraft, Nut Case were certainly smiling, and as always, having a good time.”The boat handled the conditions well. I couldn’t have asked for better. The water was a little bit funny, but the boat was really, really consistent. We just did what we had to do, and kept that pace. Got scared a bit a few times with Gigglin Racing and Slick 21 coming up behind us as well, and thought, oh, we better just try to speed up a bit, but we didn’t want to break out (exceed their class limit of 65 mph), so we just kept it at that, and got there.”

“I was airborne a few times, but it was good.” As for preparation for the last race –  “I’m going to fill my stomach up. Eat like a pig, and then crash, ready to do it all again. Nothing to do on the boat, so it is happy days.”

Jason Kelly and Jesse King took The Colonel to the win in the Sports 85 class. “It was all systems go at the start with all the other competitors around, that’s for sure. We managed to catch a break and get away from them as the laps went by. We ran at 84.5mph and thought Supernova might take us early on, I can tell you!”

“We’ve spent a fair bit of time developing a few different bits and pieces to the boat over in between the rounds as well, trying to get it to settle down a bit, and stop the porpoising. It’s looks like it’s paid off. So more of the same for last race too please.”

Antony de Fina races with Matt Kelly on Saracen, and commented, “It was hard work, particularly that back straight where the water was really hard to read. It was a bit flighty down there, but the boat ran well. We made a lot of changes since the last round, and in the three or four weeks everything seems to have come together. So we’re very happy.”

“It ran a treat with good overall speed and great corner speed too. No changes for the next race. All we need to do is put some fuel in. The Sting pushed us the whole way, so it’ll be on again for the last race. They knew they had targets on their backs, and obviously the ones on the back of their race jackets worked for us.”

Now it certainly was great weather and great water on the day, but as Darren Nicholson of 222 Racing commented, “It doesn’t take much to get these things airborne. The boat was bouncing around. It was a good race for the Superbad guys. Really good. Probably the best race we’ve had for a long, long, long time. Add in mixing it up with the outboard boats, and I think everybody had a very enjoyable day.”

If you were out on the water you certainly could see people beaming through the cockpit glass. “If you go faster on the straights, then you go slower out the corners. Superbad were a little bit slippery down the straight, but just a little bit slower out the corner, and when we ducked in under them at the top, well this was proof of that theory.”

It’s hard to turn that tight. Takes a fair bit of practice and experience. All credit Ryan, he’s got a new rudder on it and the boat was way better. “There’s nothing cheap about boats. Definitely not. Actually the joke over in America is they say you have to be a millionaire to race theses things, and by the time you finish you’re a thousandaire.”

This year, Nicholson has done very well in both Europe and the USA, as well as here in Australia where he races with Peter McGrath. Looking forward to more racing, Nicholson also commented that his class is more competitive now than it has been for a long time. Clearly they are set for the challenge that awaits them.

The Hervey Bay Round of the 2023 Offshore Superboat Championship is supported by the Fraser Coast Council, Hervey Bay Boat Club who provide support boats and the host the annual meet and greet event, Pier Caravan Park and the Gilbert family, also Wide Bay Cranes, who have been with us for all 12 years that we have been coming to Hervey Bay.

On Sunday, racing commences at 1140 with the second race for the Sports 65 and Sports 85 classes is conducted, then at 1230 it is the Supercats once more, before presentation of trophies back at the pit area at 230pm.

Indeed it did at Geelong. So after the abandonment of racing on the Saturday, it seemed like all the spectators who missed out went home and got reinforcements for the Sunday, so as to literally force the weather gods to let the Geelong Round of the Offshore Superboat Championship get under way. It worked, for many seasoned racers commented on the record number of people who had taken up the many prime vantage points from Steampacket Gardens, all the way to the hill at Eastern Beach.

Ryan Coleman and Steve Jellick continue to make Superbad get faster and faster. In the first race of the day they seemed to find a way to remove the stops on the throttles on the Supercat Extreme, and came down the back straight literally attempting to catch the light right in front of them.

Yet the first time in Superboat history that would await them on return to the quay was when Ryan married Ciarne on board Superbad. Mr and Mrs Coleman and their many friends could not have been happier. Fellow competitors helped in the celebrations, and the gathering of boats around them all added to the spectacle.

Coleman said, “It was all Ciarne’s idea, believe it or not. It was something we threw together not too long ago. I proposed last year, but we were pretty busy finishing off our house that we built together. We weren’t going to do anything big, and then this was like a bit of an idea. It was something just a bit different. A bit of fun, and the boat ties in.”

Jason Kelly and Jesse King had another wonderful day with The Colonel in the Sport 85 Class. Normally, Kelly is on the throttles, but when Andy Taylor could not participate with AMT Racing on Supercat Outboard, it was Kelly who stepped up to race in all four races of the day. This highlights not only the camaraderie of the sport, but also the Kelly family’s commitment to it.

“We all want all of the boats on the water at all times. The more the merrier! There were no dramas. Just a little bit of water in between races, as I ran from boat to boat. I was a bit hungry by the end, however. The conditions were pretty calm, so you were not taking too much of a beating out there, and that helped”, said Kelly.

On swapping from throttles to steering, Kelly showed the focus they are renowned for. “Once you switch on, you switch on, and push through. I didn’t even think twice about it. It was good to be out there racing alongside Dad, which was a bonus.”

“It was unfortunate with the no racing yesterday, but the officials put a lot of work into getting four races away today, which was really good for the spectators.” Jesse King pilots The Colonel and said, “We almost missed our start for the second race, but Jason got on board just in time. Bring on Hervey Bay!”

The Sport 65 had their biggest fleet to date for the Round at Geelong, which is just tremendous. Going as close as you can to 65mph, but not over might sound easy, but it is really challenging given the constantly varying conditions. Mark and Liam Sutherland of Team Gigglin have given the proverbial Master class in this at both Wyndham Harbour, and now Geelong. Furthermore, they have also displayed the all hands on deck attitude to contributions ashore that get the event away in the first place, and then packed up at the end of it too. Hauling all the anchors from the marker buoys back to the race truck is just one example.

Andrew Pike and Shannon Porter from Slick 21 have been almost identical, doing so many administrative tasks, like distributing all the handheld radios. They only thing they will want to do better is climb over Gigglin and claim top spot in the class. So we wait patiently to see what occurs out on the water next. Like the entire fleet, this Class was particularly glad to see both Mark Swain and Laura Wilson from Risky come out unharmed after an on water accident. No doubt they will be well supported by the Offshore Superboat Championship family.

222 Racing have been the class act of the first two rounds. A well-prepared outfit, which is then piloted so well out on the water, has seen them make every single post a winner in each race to date. The inimitable Peter McGrath said afterwards, but very much looking forward, “Hervey Bay can be a side chop and quite lumpy. You have to have your wits about you, but yes it would be good to continue to do well.”

“The boat’s going extremely well. We’ve done a few little things to it, and it’s making us a lot happier now. It will be good to have all the others (in this class) back racing once more. There are some really, really good boats just sitting there at the moment, and some great competitors, too.”

“After COVID it’s engine parts that are really, really difficult to get, so I can understand their pain. I love Geelong. Always have, and so I was very happy to come down here this time. The crowd’s really close, and that’s what it’s all about.”

It has to be said that Karl Wall and Mike Ratcliffe from The Sting seemed to have their name on just about every trophy when it came to presentation time. This was deserved, for they have had quite the stellar start to the season in the bright yellow Supercat Outboard that seems to corner like it is on rails, and is powered by a pair of amazing, 20-year-old, two-stroke 300hp gems that simply don’t know how to say die.

Wall was very happy to be taking the prized Robert Weir Trophy back to Queensland for 12 months and thought some pictures of it on the back with a cocktail would help his Victorian comrades get over the shock. “We’ll keep it safe for 12 months”, said Wall.

Now the original plan was to go out and do just 40mph, which would have been enough to grab the points. However, their eyes narrowed once out on the water. “Our horns grew, and the plan went out the window. As soon as we see the back of their outboards, we’ve just got to get past them. It’s the rules. We’ve got to do it.”

“We were really lucky, especially in the first race. We were having trim issues and then it came back to us. We worked our way up from fourth to first, which was hard, but fun. The others weren’t backing off, it’s just that they have to skate around the corners with their wider tunnels, whereas we can turn on a dime, picking up, two or three seconds every corner. Yes. It was good for the spectators too, seeing us work our way back through the field. It makes it very, very interesting.”

Mayor Trent Sullivan had a run in the Saracen Supercat Outboard on Friday ahead of racing, and was totally thrilled to be given the opportunity to drive. “I am delighted to welcome some of the country’s best Superboat operators here to Geelong for this event,” Mayor Sullivan said.

“Council has provided support in the past three years to the Australian Offshore Powerboat Club via its Community Event grants program, and this promises to be a brilliant weekend for water sport enthusiasts.”

Commodore of the Australian Offshore Powerboat Club said, Antony de Fina said, “Despite the testing weather of the Saturday, you only have to look at the turnout for Sunday to see why the spectators and racers love our round at Geelong so much. By far it is one of, or perhaps the biggest crowd, we have ever had here. The amount of people on the wave attenuator and up on the hill was spectacular, and yes, we can see that from inside our Supercats.”

“We receive such fantastic support from the people of Geelong that come out and watch us, and the City of Geelong, as well, who really get behind this event. It simply wouldn’t happen without their gracious involvement.”

The Offshore Superboat Championship is very appreciative of the support provided by the City of Geelong, Brandon Hospitality Solutions for the Championship trophies, ODLS Overdimensional Lift and Shift who provided the dedicated crane services, and Razorcraft boats for their support of our Victorian rounds.

Race Director, Russell Embleton, highlighted the importance of key elements that go into making the racing happen. “There are a bunch of volunteers that have no ongoing or day-to-day interest as such in offshore powerboat racing, but they’re just good, decent boaties, and when they’re asked to pitch in, they do through friendships and associations with the people that do race. Every single one of our exclusion zone boats, and rescue craft are Mums, Dads and mates that have pitched in to male the weekend what it was, and done an awesome job.”

“Craig and Steve on the start boat are terrific, as too the divers, and medical officers, all of who think it through, and we are privileged to have them.”

So yes. Many thanks to all of the volunteers, live coverage team, officials and first responders for all that they do to make the event happen and come to life. Special thanks to Patrick Paczkowski and Brendan Mitchell for placing our media team exactly where required in the brilliant, brand new red Cootacraft.

Results, video, and information at superboat.com.au