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
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