With Redcliffe ultimately sidelined for ...
You couldn’t have scripted the drama that would determine the 2026 Supercat Extreme Championship at Port Adelaide, in a weekend that would deliver some fantastic racing across all four classes in front of a big, passionate, South Australian crowd; it was an event that will long be remembered!
The equation coming in was that points leaders Mick and Jason Kelly (Hornet Racing) held a comfortable 42-point lead, and with just 105 points on the board for Adelaide’s trio of 30-minute races. On paper, they just had to maintain their consistency and the title would be theirs.. but for the popular Victorian team, the weekend certainly didn’t play out as planned..!
Aside from the outright battle, the Supercat Outboard and the Supersport 65 titles were still to be decided as teams hit the water at midday on Saturday, where ultimately Mike Ratcliffe and Karl Wall secured a second Supercat Outboard title in three years, their hat-trick of wins across the weekend very nearly delivering a clean sweep, the only setback in an otherwise perfect season coming in Wyndham Harbour’s opening race after prop failure.
Supercat Extreme
Despite a condensed field thanks to a tough season of competition, the title contenders arrived in Adelaide with their strategies all well planned.
For the points leading Hornet Racing outfit, they needed to continue their impressive consistency, the rookie team having finished no worse than third in any of the nine prior races, whilst for their closest rivals – ‘MOJO’ – they’d suffered a DNF during the opening round at Lake Macquarie (prop failure) and a fourth-placed finish at Geelong (prop, again) to put them 42-points back and with only one focus for Adelaide; victory in every race.
For the reigning Supercat Outboard Champions Antony De Fina and Matt Kelly, they too were in mathematical reach of the title, but 59-points back from the Series lead.
For the Stuart Eustice/Todd Kelly ‘MOJO’ combination, their weekend started perfectly with victory in the opening race over the points-leaders, ‘Hornet Racing’ making their lives difficult with a spin mid-race as they pushed the ‘MOJO’ team for the win; fortunately they lost little time as a result and crossed the line just five seconds back from their rivals.
Post-race the team admitted they’d come very close to tipping the boat over having found the limit, whilst some questioned whether or not they’d have been better off taking a safe and conservative approach, both Mick and Jason though quick to remind observers that they were racing, and taking the very same approach that had given them the points lead coming into the final round; why change a winning formula!?
Sunday’s second race again saw the points leaders locked in a battle for position, although this time the ‘Hornet’ crew stayed just a few boat lengths off the rear of the ‘MOJO’ machine whilst also keeping a close eye on ‘Venturi’, the three boats crossing the line separated by just seven seconds promising for an epic close to the season with next to nothing separating the performance of the three boats. And then things became a whole lot more interesting..
With just 90-minutes separating the end of race two and the start of race three there was much action around the rear of the ‘Hornet Racing’ machine, action centred on the tie bar that controls the steering of the Mercury 6-drives on the iconic ‘Skater’. The team were last to leave the jetty after feverish work in the final minutes ahead of the start, but within moments word came from Race Control that the boat had been forced to withdraw in accordance with the rules.
The silence in the ‘Hornet Racing’ pits highlighted just how big a blow it was, the tight family run team left to reflect on what might have been as the ‘MOJO’ crew – who incredibly had made a crew change ahead of the race to install Todd Kelly’s son Mason into the boat – led ‘Venturi’ away for the start.
For the Kelly crew, they’d made up ten points on their rivals in the opening two races, reducing the margin to 32 points and with 35 points up for grabs for the win; and being undefeated all weekend, the odds were on that they would achieve just that, but no-one had told De Fina and Matt Kelly, the pair jumping to an early lead which they maintained to the chequered flag – the result; their maiden race win in the outright category, and a two point Championship win to ‘Hornet Racing’.
The pit area at North Haven erupted as the result hit home for the ‘Hornet Racing’ team, Mick and Jason Kelly incredibly claiming the 2026 Supercat Extreme title on their debut with an untested package – the margin of victory 12 races in, just two points..
“We sat at the boat ramp and everyone worked to fix it,” Mick Kelly explained. “We started motoring out there and realised the rule states you’ve got to have a tie bar fitted; safety first. We were sitting here biting our nails for the last half an hour but yeah, pretty awesome. It’s been a hard year, a lot of ups and downs; pretty emotional.”
“Unbelievable.. Emotions are through the roof at the moment; never in a million years did we think we would come out of an 85-class boat and then take out the Championship in Supercat Extreme,” Jason Kelly added. “Going out after yesterday’s spin, nerves were high. Mick [Kelly] and I just decided that ‘let’s have a crack’ we’d push, see what it’s like after the first two laps, but as soon as the flag drops, you get in that rhythm – I feel like we were closing on ‘MOJO’ a little bit. We finished, popped the hatch, Mick got out and had a look out the back and the tie bar was half hanging off so it had to come off. We made the decision to try and lock the drive on one engine and use the steering on the other; all we had to do was 50% of that race and we’d get points.
“Everyone from everywhere came in to push and help. We contacted race control and told them what we were doing, shut the hatch, fired it up, headed out to try and get out there and circulate, but we were told that under the rules we weren’t allowed to be out there without the tie bar on the back of the boat. They were right, 100%, we respect the decision so we went back to the crane, head in hands – the only way we could win the Championship was if ‘MOJO’ finished second and ‘Venturi’ won!”
“We gave that [last race] absolutely everything we had,” Todd Kelly explained. “Mason [Kelly] had his first run behind the wheel and I thought we’d just ease into it a little, but then we saw that ‘Venturi’ must have made a few changes and had some pretty decent pace, so right from the start we gave it everything off the line – the speed they had compared to other races blew us away a little bit. Then we just worked the rest of the race to try and get back to them; had probably three or four moments where we nearly spun it pushing as hard as we could. As it turned out, I didn’t ease into it at all, I was full tilt into the chicane for the first lap and I was giving as much info to him [Mason] as I could and there was enough communication there for him to be able to drive that race as good as anyone; we didn’t really leave anything on the table at all.”
“An interesting weekend,” Antony De Fina admitted. “We had three different setups for three different races, so I suppose we sort of looked at it as a big test session; we got better first race today and then made another change, and I think we nailed it with the combination of gears and props and weight, it all came together. When you get a Bathurst winner asking what the hell you did to the boat, you know you’re on the right track!!”
“We had a few setup issues yesterday, but this morning’s race was a little better and the last race was really good,” Matt Kelly reflected. “We went to different gear ratios and different props from yesterday and then between races today we changed again. Unfortunately in this kind of racing, once you get behind someone into the cross wash, it makes it a lot harder to take the race line you want to take, so once you fall behind it is hard to get your exit speeds up and stuff like that. We’ll get there, the boat is a great boat, the former owners won everything in it, so we’ve just got to get used to it.
“We didn’t know [about the Championship equation] until we came back in, the team rang and congratulated us and told us the result; it’s actually quite funny because we ran out of fuel on the finish line – if it was one more lap, we were done!”
Supercat Outboard
Having won eight of the nine prior races in the 2026 Supercat Outboard season, the result was likely a foregone conclusion heading into Port Adelaide’s season final, but as had played out in the outright category, you can never rely on a sure thing, so everyone; the points leading ‘Sting’ operation included, came in looking for a strong finish to the season.
Ultimately it took just one race; and their ninth win of the year – for Mike Ratcliffe and Karl Wall to seal the title in what would be their second Championship win in two years, the duo lamenting what might have been last season if not for a big spin at Geelong which forced them to conclude the season ahead of Adelaide’s final.
With ‘The Sting’ claiming victory in Adelaide’s opening race the focus turned to the battle for second where things had suddenly become a lot more interesting after ‘TCR Offshore’ very nearly stole the win, Scott Richardson and Steve Kelly turning in one of their best performances in recent years to hold the much faster yellow boat back until the dying stages. Meanwhile, reigning AUS#2 (in Supercat Outboard) ‘DLR Offshore’ were facing the start of what would be a challenging weekend, a hard-to-trace electrical issue forcing the father-and-son team to battle on with having to stop and restart the electrical system each time the twin Mercury 300XS engines went into ‘guardian’ mode making for very slow forward progress; they finished, but three laps behind their rivals.
With the title wrapped up, ‘The Sting’ used the final two races to test ahead of their debut in the USA later in the year, turning focus to the emerging battle between ‘TCR’, ‘Kess Racing’ and ‘DLR Offshore’ for second. That three way battle soon became a two-boat race, Scott Richardson and Steve Kelly out early with another engine failure; their season was over, whilst for Craig Dove and son Lachlan, they continued to face their electrical issues and resetting the system, again keeping them off the pace of their rivals allowing Steve Lancaster and Scott Kelly to gain themselves some more valuable laps to close down the points gap to second with just one race remaining.
Ultimately Mike Ratcliffe and Karl Wall would emerge with their eleventh win of the season to fall just one race shy of clean-sweeping the year, the mighty yellow ‘Sting’ now set for a complete overhaul ahead of its delivery to the USA to contest rounds of the US-Championship later in the year ahead of a full season campaign in 2027. The pair though have confirmed they will return next season to defend their Australian title in their original, title-winning ‘Skater’.
For Steve Lancaster and Scott Kelly, their final run of the season saw arguably their greatest challenge to the points leaders all season to cross the line just 22-seconds in arrears at the flag, Steve Lancaster’s wide smile post-race suggesting they were back on track after their rollover at Wyndham Harbour and the setbacks that created, the ‘Kess Racing’ team already planning for Lake Macquarie’s return in October for their chance to advance what they’ve learnt this season.
For Craig Dove, he’d started calling the aluminium ‘DLR’ machine ‘the tortoise’ having out-lasted many of the faster boats last season to claim second in the Championship; last year alongside Steve Lancaster, and this year alongside son Lachlan, the pair again classified second in the Championship despite the setbacks they’d faced throughout the Adelaide weekend.
“We drew pole four for the first race so we had some work to get around the others,” Mike Ratcliffe explained. “It was a really good race though, I really enjoyed it. It’s good to come away at the end of the season with the #1 title to go over to challenge the Americans as the Australian Champions.”
“We’re extremely proud of the team for giving us a fast boat,” Karl Wall admitted. “Unfortunately at Geelong last year we broke the boat beyond a quick repair to be back on the water for Adelaide, which put us back to third in the Championship, but this year we’ve redeemed ourselves and come away with first place.”
“It was an awesome first year [with the new boat], everything got thrown at us, but we only missed that one race after the rollover, so we couldn’t be happier,” Steve Lancaster admitted. “Race two this morning we threw a blade, so that was the end of that one for us, but the third race was fantastic, so much so that Scott Kelly even smiled [laughs].”
“Unfortunately number three cylinder detonated on us; it was a bit disappointing,” Scott Richardson lamented. “We’re very competitive when it all goes well, but unfortunately these motors are now 15 years old, although we’ll continue on and see how it goes.”
“With the way it went yesterday [TCR] I thought, ‘we’re on here, this is going to be good’; went out today and unfortunately torched an engine,” Steve Kelly explained. “We’ve got to get to the bottom of why it’s doing it, but he’s [Richardson] keen now, so he wants me to rebuild it again so he can go back to Lake Macquarie. Congratulations to DLR [who claimed second in the Championship] they circulated, they’ve been there consistently and finished every race which is what you’ve got to do. Also, congratulations to ‘The Sting’ they’ve been consistent too, so well deserved to them.”
“It [the season] was a good learning experience and I felt like – in the end – I definitely got a lot better,” Lachlan Dove explained. “At the start, Dad [Craig Dove] was controlling a lot of the trim, but at the end of it I was fully controlling the trim and I felt like that last race, I got the boat to sit a lot better.”
That’s it for the 2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championship, focus now turns back to Lake Macquarie in October to kick off the 2026/27 season, details of which will be revealed in the coming weeks.
——————————
R4. 2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships
Port Adelaide, South Australia
09-10 May, 2026
RND#4 – Race#1
Supercat Extreme
1. Stuart Eustice/Todd Kelly (#15 MOJO) – 00:30:07 (12-laps)
2. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (#525 Hornet Racing) – 00:30:12 (12-laps)
3. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (#5 Venturi Offshore) – 00:31:14 (12-laps)
Supercat Outboard
1. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (#99 The Sting) – 00:31:39 (11-laps)
2. Scott Richardson/Steve Kelly (#161 TCR Racing) – 00:31:43 (11-laps)
3. Steve Lancaster/Scott Kelly (#801 Kess Racing) – 00:31:50 (11-laps)
4. Craig Dove/Lachlan Dove (#81 DLR Offshore) – 00:30:58 (8-laps)
——————-
RND#4 – Race#2
Supercat Extreme
1. Stuart Eustice/Todd Kelly (#15 MOJO) – 00:31:38 (13-laps)
2. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (#525 Hornet Racing) – 00:31:42 (13-laps)
3. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (#5 Venturi Offshore) – 00:31:45 (13-laps)
Supercat Outboard
1. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (#99 The Sting) – 00:32:12 (12-laps)
2. Steve Lancaster/Scott Kelly (#801 Kess Racing) – 00:27:22 (10-laps)
3. Craig Dove/Lachlan Dove (#81 DLR Offshore) – 00:34:37 (9-laps)
4. Scott Richardson/Steve Kelly (#161 TCR Racing) – DNF (0-laps)
——————-
RND#4 – Race#3
Supercat Extreme
1. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (#5 Venturi Offshore) – 00:30:52 (13-laps)
2. Mason Kelly/Todd Kelly (#15 MOJO) – 00:30:56 (13-laps)
3. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (#525 Hornet Racing) – DNS
Supercat Outboard
1. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (#99 The Sting) – 00:31:29 (12-laps)
2. Steve Lancaster/Scott Kelly (#801 Kess Racing) – 00:31:51 (12-laps)
3. Craig Dove/Lachlan Dove (#81 DLR Offshore) – 00:33:10 (10-laps)
4. Scott Richardson/Steve Kelly (#161 TCR Racing) – DNS
——————————
2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships
Championship Points (after round four of four)*
AUS#1 Championship
1. Hornet Racing (328-points), 2. MOJO (295), 3. Venturi Offshore (293), 4. The Sting (245), 5. Mobile X (214), 6. Kess Racing (157), 7. TCR Offshore (131), 8. DLR Offshore (116), 9. Special Edition/TR Racing (106), 10. Nut Case (101), 11. Cardiac Arrest (97), 12. The Con (71), 13. Valentus (52), 14. The Colonel (48), 15. Team 38 Offshore (37)
Supercat Extreme
1. Hornet Racing (363-points), 2. MOJO (361), 3. Venturi Offshore (331), 4. Mobile X (211)
Supercat Outboard
1. The Sting (421-points), 2. DLR Offshore (331), 3. Kess Racing (302), 4. TCR Offshore (265)
* only those boats that competed in more than 50% of the rounds are classified in the Championship
The mighty Offshore Superboats make a welcome return to Port Adelaide this weekend for the final round of the current season; with everything to play for.
Only the Supersports 85 Championship has been decided heading back to Largs Bay, ‘Cootacraft’s’ Mark Pecherzewski adding another title to his name in what he suggests may be one of his final seasons in the open-cockpit, speed regulated category, as he looks to join last year’s 85-mile-per-hour Champions ‘Hornet Racing’ in the faster outright classes.
Speaking of the Kelly family, Mick and Jason Kelly will come into the season final with a comfortable 42-point lead in the outright Supercat Extreme category over the ‘MOJO’ pairing of Stuart Eustice and Todd Kelly, a team who made their debut at Adelaide 12-months ago. The two rookie teams though won’t be alone in their title fight, battling Supercat Outboard graduates Antony Defina and Matt Kelly for the overall title, the former ‘Team 3’ entry, now resplendent in ‘Venturi’ blue, are just 17 points behind second with 105-points up for grabs this weekend!
The Supercat Outboard category too is set for a title battle, although on paper, the favourites are arguably former Champions Mike Ratcliffe and Karl Wall in ‘The Sting’; that said, you’d be remiss to discount ‘DLR Offshore’, Craig Dove’s outstanding consistency handing him second in the Championship last year to outgoing Champions Antony De Fina and Matt Kelly.
Acknowledging that they don’t have the performance advantage of the more powerful twin Mercury 300Rs off the back of the ‘Sting’ and ‘Kess Racing’ machines, Dove’s reliability has played well into his Championship story as he enters Adelaide just 63 points back from the points leaders; again, with 105 points up for grabs, it’s not outside the realms of possibility that the ageing aluminium boat, could claim the 2026 title, and what a story that would be!!
Throw Dove’s 2025 team-mate Steve Lancaster into the mix in ‘Kess Racing’, the boat that took De Fina and Matt Kelly to multiple class victories, and you have a race on your hands, whilst for the veteran crew of Stephen Kelly and Scott Richardson, they will be hoping to revisit their strong Wyndham Harbour form in what looks likely to be their last ever event in the ‘TCR Offshore’ machine.
Arguably the biggest battle in the Series though will be that for Supersport 65 honours with Geelong’s Charlie Di Iorio on the verge of his maiden title in the family-owned ‘Cardiac Arrest’.
Three wins from nine starts to date have laid the foundations for their points lead, the key though being their six second-placed finishes, as around them their rivals have faltered. Leading the charge to unseat the young Victorian are reigning Champions ‘Nut Case’, who despite a slow start to the season with Hary Bakkr investigating opportunities in the Supersports 85 class, have reunited in an effort to claim back-to-back titles.
The popular Victorians have won the last four races to launch themselves right back into contention, and sit just 27 points off the Championship lead. Again, there are 105 points on offer, but the equations gets even trickier in the tightly regulated category, a category which rarely sees a DNF; should Bakkr and Shane Paton win all three races in Adelaide, as they did last year, and Di Iorio finishes second, they’ll make up just 15 points.
The equation shows that Di Iorio and Tijana Botic need to finish no worse than third, but are better off with second; should they finish third in each race, they will tie with the reigning Champions but likely lose a count-back based on round wins, so it will be all about consistency, whilst for the ‘Razorcraft’ crew of Bakkr and Paton, they have no option; it’s go hard or go home. It’s worth remembering too, that a DNF also includes ‘breaking out’ above their 65-mile-per-hour speed limit, something which occurs quite regularly.. Throw in 2024 Champion Patty Paczkowski – who will make his Port Adelaide debut – and you have just enough ingredients to make things very interesting for the contenders.. wonder who might be buying him a beer at the end of the weekend!?
No pressure..!!
Frustratingly the global fuel issue has cost us some entries, including reigning Supercat Extreme Champions ‘Mobile X/222 Offshore’ who were also in mathematical reach of the Championship; the sheer logistics of getting the team to Adelaide from the Gold Coast ultimately sidelining them, as it has for a number of Queensland-based teams, but regardless, the battle for Championship honours will certainly keep everyone focussed.
For 2026 the location of the course has been brought further south with the bottom turn coming just off Semaphore Jetty, providing a fantastic viewing point for the fans, whilst the beach all the way back to Largs Bay, and the Largs Bay Sailing Club will also provide some great options, as will the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia, which will host the teams at North Haven. Three 30-minute races are scheduled for Saturday, May 09 with races at 12:00pm, 1:00pm and 2:00pm, whilst on Sunday, May 10, 30-minute races will run at 11:00am, 12:00pm and 1:00pm.
For more information on the Australian Offshore Superboat Championships, visit us at;
www.superboat.com.au
www.facebook.com/OffshoreSuperboats
www.facebook.com/ausopc
————————————-
2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships
Supercat Extreme Championship (after round three of four)
1. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (Hornet Racing) – 268-points
2. Stuart Eustice/Todd Kelly (MOJO) – 226
3. Darren Nicholson/Steve Jellick (Mobile X) – 211
4. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (Venturi Offshore) – 209
5. Darren Apps/Paul Fowlds (Team Australia) – 23
6. Andrew Searle/Tom Barry Cotter (ACME Racing) – 1
Supercat Outboard Championship (after round three of four)
1. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (The Sting) – 281-points
2. Craig Dove/Lachlan Dove (DLR Offshore) – 218
3. Scott Richardson/Steve Kelly (TCR Offshore) – 195
4. Steve Lancaster/Scott Kelly (Kess Racing) – 177
5. George Collins/Tom Barry-Cotter (Superstition) – 31
Supersports 85 Championship (after round three of four)
1. Mark Pecherzewski/Mel Nelson (Special Edition/TR Racing) – 271-points
2. Jordan Kelly/Scott Kelly (The Colonel) – 130
Supersports 65 Championship (after round three of four)
1. Charlie Di Iorio/Tijana Botic (Cardiac Arrest) – 285-points
2. Hary Bakkr/Shane Paton (Nut Case) – 258
3. Pat Paczkowski (Valentus) – 224
4. Brendan Weeks/Sophie Lancaster (The Con) – 216
5. Ben Embleton/Liam Sutherland (Team 38 Offshore) – 148
6. Zac Gould/Michael Agius (Degen) – 18
Heading into the third round of the Australian Offshore Superboat Championships in Geelong’s Corio Bay, the season is at its mid-point with everything to play for and no shortage of contenders expected to make their presence felt on the challenging 5.48-kilometre, eight-turn course.
Season 2026 has again delivered some outstanding action, with the outright Supercat Extreme category once again leading the charge with one of their biggest fields of the last decade, presenting a great focal point for the fans with their impressive presence.
As they have done now for many years, ‘222 Offshore’ have been the dominant force, the 2023 UIM World Champions kicking off the season at their home venue in Lake Macquarie with a trio of comfortable victories, however their title defence took a backward step last time out at Wyndham Harbour with a technical failure whilst leading race two, an issue which ultimately sidelined them for the final race, costing them valuable championship points.
That opened the door for reigning Supersports 85 Champions Mick and Jason Kelly in their stunning ‘Hornet Racing’ machine, the former AUS and NZ#1, now resplendent in the bold livery of ‘Hornet Plumbing’ showing fantastic pace from their debut in Lake Macquarie where despite significantly lower horsepower than their rivals, they were able to take their 34-foot ‘Skater’ to second, before achieving their maiden win at Wyndham Harbour, putting them to the top of the points table. Second overall, despite some significant setbacks at Lake Macquarie with prop failure, are fellow rookies Stuart Eustice and Todd Kelly, the ‘MOJO’ team proving more than a match for their rivals, despite 2005 Bathurst 1000 Champion Todd Kelly’s limited experience in the boat, and Eustice’s debut at Lake Macquarie, a debut which forced Kelly into the throttleman’s position for the first time.
The ’MOJO’ team – like ‘222 Offshore’ – campaign the faster, more powerful twin-790bhp inboard V8s, but whilst carrying as much as 450-500 horsepower more than ‘Venturi’ and ‘Hornet’, the bigger boats also carry a heftier race weight, allowing their rivals a fighting chance on the power-to-weight scale.
At Geelong the new-look ‘Mobile X’ team are again expected to set the pace and back-up their 2025 victories at the venue where they claimed two race wins before a technical setback sidelined them for the third, although they know – just two rounds in – that their rivals aren’t going to make it easy, and the shorter track rotation on smoother water, thanks to the sheltered Corio Bay location, could play into the hands of the smaller boats.
In Supercat Outboard, all eyes will be on ‘Kess Racing’ who suffered a rollover in Wyndham Harbour in a battle for the lead with ‘TCR Racing’ and ‘The Sting’, contact with the iconic yellow boat of Mike Ratcliffe and Karl Wall saw Steve Lancaster and Scott Kelly invert the reigning championship winning boat, putting a big hole in their Championship apsirations.
Fortunately the crew and the boat were okay, although the boat required some extra attention between rounds, as did ‘The Sting’ that suffered prop failure in that same race, allowing ‘TCR Offshore’ through for a welcome victory, the Victorian team going through to win the round ahead of ‘DLR Offshore’, Ratcliffe and Wall’s Championship lead now reduced to just three points promising for an interesting weekend ahead.
The Geelong event also sees the welcome return of the former Paul Gibbs/Paul Fowlds Championship winning boat with new owner George Collins taking the wheel alongside former World Champion Tom Barry-Cotter, the ‘ACME Racing’ wheel-man taking a short sabbatical from the mighty red boat whilst Andrew Searle effects updates and repairs ahead of a return later in the season.
Supersports 85 will also see a return, the mighty title-winning ‘Colonel’ back in the fold after missing Wyndham Harbour, Jason Kelly returning to the throttles of both the ‘Colonel’ and ‘Hornet Racing’ although this time he’ll be joined by Mick Kelly’s son Jordan keeping the family tradition alive.. They will battle Mark Pecherzewski and Mel Nelson in the mighty ‘Special Edition’ and one of the most famous names in Offshore Racing worldwide, 11-time World and USA National Champion Scott Porta, who joins boat owner George Sezdirmezoglu in his immaculate ‘Donzi’. Rumour also has it that Nelson might give up her seat alongside Pecherzewski for reigning Supersports 65 Champion Hary Bakkr in one race across the weekend, Bakkr keen to get a feel for the mighty ‘Cootacraft’ as the ‘Razorcraft’ team looks to build their own 85-mile-per-hour boat some time in the near future.
The Championship battle in Supersports 65 has also stepped up, with Geelong local Charlie Di Iorio now leading the charge after a slow start to their title defence for Hary Bakkr and Shane Paton in ‘Nut Case’. Di Iorio and new observer Tijana Botic will be looking to build on their points lead at home, although Bakkr acknowledges that he’s looking to make an impact this weekend and is intent on a return to the top step of the podium; their victories in both Geelong races in 2025 only adding to their confidence.
Shadowing both will be Brendan Weeks and Sophie Lancaster in ‘The Con’, 2024 Champion Pat Paczkowski in ‘Valentus’, and Ben Embleton and Liam Sutherland in ‘Team 38’, paving the way for three fantastic races across the weekend.
For anyone attending the event, teams will again be based at Steampacket Gardens on the Geelong foreshore providing a fanastic viewing opportunity with vantage points right around Corio Bay. Three 30-minute races will run on Saturday, March 14 with races scheduled at 1:00pm, 2:00pm and 3:00pm, whilst on Sunday, March 15, races will run at 11:00am, 12:00pm and 1:00pm.
For more information on the Australian Offshore Superboat Championships, visit us at;
www.superboat.com.au
www.facebook.com/OffshoreSuperboats
www.facebook.com/ausopc
————————————-
2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships
Supercat Extreme Championship (after round two of four)
1. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (Hornet Racing) – 173-points
2. Stuart Eustice/Todd Kelly (MOJO) – 148
3. Darren Nicholson/Steve Jellick (Mobile X) – 141
4. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (Venturi Offshore) – 135
5. Darren Apps/Paul Fowlds (Team Australia) – 23
6. Andrew Searle/Tom Barry Cotter (ACME Racing) – 1
Supercat Outboard Championship (after round two of four)
1. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (The Sting) – 176-points
2. Scott Richardson/Steve Kelly (TCR Offshore) – 173
3. Craig Dove/Lachlan Dove (DLR Offshore) – 148
4. Steve Lancaster/Scott Kelly (Kess Racing) – 91
Supersports 85 Championship (after round two of four)
1. Mark Pecherzewski/Mel Nelson/Ian Tricker (Special Edition/TR Racing) – 200-points
2. Hary Bakkr/Scott Kelly/Steve Kelly (The Colonel) – 70
Supersports 65 Championship (after round two of four)
1. Charlie Di Iorio/Tijana Botic (Cardiac Arrest) – 195-points
2. Hary Bakkr/Shane Paton (Nut Case) – 153
3. Brendan Weeks/Sophie Lancaster (The Con) – 148
3. Pat Paczkowski (Valentus) – 148
5. Ben Embleton/Liam Sutherland (Team 38 Offshore) – 90
6. Zac Gould/Michael Agius (Degen) – 18
Melbourne’s iconic JV Marine World will join the Australian Offshore Superboat Championships as the Series returns to Victoria for back-to-back rounds at Wyndham Harbour and Geelong across the coming weeks, Australia’s largest boating superstore adding their support as part of their 50 year birthday celebrations.
“This is great news for the Offshore Championships heading into JV Marine’s back yard,” AOPC Commodore Antony De Fina admitted. “They are icons in the boating industry in Australia with the country’s largest boating superstore in Melbourne’s Braeside, which has operated since 1976. In fact, I can remember in those formative years going to their original premises in North Road and picking up a second-hand runabout with my father, so I remember them fondly as part of my boat racing journey.
“At Wyndham Harbour in just over a week, a mighty Boston Whaler, fitted with a pair of 400-hp Mercury outboards from JV Marine World, will lead the field away as the start boat, putting them front and centre for what we expect will be a fantastic weekend of world class Offshore action.”
Established by John Stav half a decade ago, JV Marine has grown to house Australia’s largest indoor boating showroom, the facility hosting all manner of new and used boats and jetskis across 10-acres at their 878 Springvale Road location, the business also has its own café, ski shop and dedicated dive shop, catering for all aspects of boating.
“To have JV Marine continue to support us – especially in their 50th year – is fantastic and says something about where the sport is heading; we can’t thank them enough,” De Fina added.
“There’s no question that Offshore Superboats are the pinnacle of boating performance, not just here, but around the world,” JV Marine World’s Mark Stav explained. “They’re a fantastic spectacle, especially out on rough water, really pushing the boundaries of what extreme boating is all about, testing man and machine.
“For JV Marine World it gives us a great platform to promote our boating involvement both around the country, and around the world.”
“It’s an exciting time for the sport,” De Fina added. “For the first time in more than a decade we have strong fields of outright boats, with a likelihood of six or more Supercat Extreme boats battling for the Championship title this season, whilst the Supersports classes too are seeing fantastic interest with new boats underway to take the fight to the established stars; it’s going to be a great season.”
The second round of the 2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships will take place off Wyndham Harbour in Melbourne’s south-west, with six 30-minute races across the weekend; Saturday, February 21 will see the action start from 1:00pm through to 3:30pm, then on Sunday, February 22, from 11:00am to 1:30pm.
About JV World Marine
Located in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburb of Braeside, JV Marine World is Victoria’s largest boating dealership with hundreds of boats and jetskis on display. They are committed to providing excellent customer service and offer a great range of New and Used boats and jetskis, genuine spare parts and accessories, and an experience Service Department. They are located at 878 Springvale Road, Braeside.
For more information visit; www.jvmarine.com.au
————————————————————–
2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships – calendar
R1. Lake Macquarie, NSW – 18-19 October, 2025
R2. Wyndham Harbour, Victoria – 21-22 February, 2026
R3. Geelong, Victoria – 14-15 March, 2026
R4. Port Adelaide, SA – 09-10 May, 2026
The 2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships will return to the New South Wales Hunter Valley and the waters of Lake Macquarie for the highly anticipated opening round of the new season, a season which promises some of the biggest fields in more than a decade, led by the stunning outright Supercat Extreme category that will feature a number of new and returning boats campaigned by both rookie and experienced crews.
Having worked tirelessly to re-establish themselves after setbacks post-Covid, the Australian Offshore Powerboat Club has been rewarded for their efforts with what will be the best field of boats to contest the Championship for more than ten years. Led by the impressive outright Supercat Extreme boats, there has been a big shakeup in every class of competition for the coming season leading to an air of excitement about what’s to come at Lake Macquarie.
Clear favourites to start the new campaign in Supercat Extreme will be Lake Macquarie locals ‘Boost Mobile/222 Offshore’ with reigning champions Darren Nicholson and Peter McGrath strapping in again to weather the coming storm, but whilst the team will use their immense experience; which includes World Championship victory – they know the new season will present some big challenges.
12-months ago at Lake Macquarie, Andrew Searle and Tom Barry-Cotter debuted their new look ‘ACME Racing’ Maritimo, the team having debuted in the final round of the previous season on the Gold Coast as a shakedown, the 2024/25 Offshore season their first real assault with the new boat where typically of a debut package, there were teething issues. This time around though after a big off season preparing new powerplants and making some further adjustments to the package, the multiple national champions are convinced they will present a much greater challenge to the ‘222’ team and are excited about the prospect of the season ahead.
But as they say in the commercials, that’s not all..!
In Port Adelaide back in April, another former Maritimo package made its return to the water under the flag of 2005 Bathurst 1000 winner Todd Kelly, the new-look ‘MOJO’ program put together in the two weeks ahead of the event with new owner Stuart Eustice and Kelly planning a full assault on the 2025/26 season, but electing to run Port Adelaide as a shakedown.
A big off-season for the ‘Kelly Performance’ supported team will see them look to push for podium finishes off the back of two wins on debut at Port Adelaide, although Kelly is quick to point out that they came at the expense of penalties and technical setbacks for their rivals; regardless, they impressed on debut and will be looking to send a message to the established teams that they’re looking for a championship!
And that leads us to the ‘new’ teams, led by two Championship winning crews; multiple Supercat Outboard Champions Antony De Fina and Matt Kelly, and multiple Supersports 85 Champions Mick and Jason Kelly (and yes, three of those Kellys are related, but interestingly, not to Todd Kelly..!)
For AOPC Commodore Antony De Fina, much of his life has been dominated by the sport, his father a pioneer in the category during its formative years, and like most competitors in the sport, his dreams had always centered on the outright category where finally, after many years of success in the Outboard classes, he’s made the leap after purchasing the former Team 3 Victory cat formerly campaigned in Australia by Adam Gilbert.
Joined again by wheel-man Matt Kelly, the pair are under no illusions about what to expect in their maiden season as they work the intricacies of managing a longer, heavier inboard engine boat against some very serious competition, but one thing is for certain, the package has the credentials and the team have immense experience in the sport, and like their rivals, they’re not entered just to make up the numbers, so will be good to watch in their debut season.
For reigning Supersports 85 Champions Mick and Jason Kelly, their plan had been to step into the Supercat Outboard class for season 2026, but through a number of changing circumstances found themselves faced with a 34-foot ‘Skater’ hull which once held both the Australian and New Zealand #1 titles; Hornet Racing the evolution of that, with what is arguably the most stunning paint scheme in the sport – they’ll be hard to miss.
Both teams know they have plenty of work ahead, experience teaching them that with graduation comes a whole new learning experience, but like the other experienced campaigners in the field, they’re not starting from ground zero so could present a challenge to the category’s more seasoned campaigners, especially if they face a setback.
Meanwhile for Philip Wiley and Darren Apps, two long time mates brought together over a passion for ski racing, they’ve emerged from the off-season break with their own project having taken delivery of Brett Luhrmann’s ‘Team Australia’ Maritimo. The duo will spend the new season coming to grips with a very different boat to what they’ve been accustomed too, but have also drafted in the experienced Paul Fowlds, the multiple outboard Offshore Champion running alongside Apps for the opening few races in accordance with regulations, which requires at least one experienced campaigner in the boat for the team’s first four races.
With their size, speed and sound, the Supercat Extreme boats are the most iconic in Offshore competition, but will by no means present the only focal point across the six 30-minute races at Lake Macquarie.
There’s been change in the Supercat Outboard category too in the off-season, most notable being that of reigning Champions ‘The Mantis’. Post-Port Adelaide the Antony De Fina built catamaran was sold on to rival Steve Lancaster of DLR Offshore fame, Lancaster campaigning the multiple championship winning boat under the ‘Kess Racing’ banner this season with the experienced Scott Kelly alongside.
They might be the ‘underdog’ as a new combination, but with the extra speed of twin Mercury 300Rs at his disposal, Lancaster will be able to take the fight directly to the ‘Sting’ pairing of Mike Ratcliffe and Karl Wall who despite missing Adelaide after their big off in Geelong, come into the new season fully repaired and fully prepared. They’re also looking for redemption after holding the championship points lead with De Fina and Kelly at the mid-point of last season, both teams having claimed three wins apiece to that point; for them, 2026 is about completing the job!
Whilst ‘Kess’ and ‘The Sting’ campaign the more powerful 300R engines, for ‘TCR Offshore’s’ Scott Richardson and Steve Kelly, they will have their hands full this season against ‘DLR Offshore’s’ new-look crew, with Craig Dove now joined by son Lachlan in the popular Victorian boat, both teams campaigning the older 300XS Mercury powerplants. Having completed the 2025 season second in points, DLR will be looking to maintain their place in the Championship and based on their reliability last season, will present a real threat to the faster teams.
In keeping with the graduation of champions through to the faster classes, the Supersports 85 category will have a new look to start the 25/26 season, but unlike the Supercat classes, this one has a twist.
Over recent years the battle for supremacy between Cootacraft’s Mark Pecherzeswki and the ‘The Colonel’ of Mick and Jason Kelly has been a highlight, two very different boats competing gunnel-to-gunnel at almost every round, and whilst the Kellys have emerged on top the last two seasons, there has been no doubt about which of the two boats is faster (remembering that the class is capped by GPS to 85mph), Pecherzewski though, lamenting a lack of reliability last season.
Sadly that lack of reliability saw a major overhaul in the off-season where frustratingly parts delays kept the mighty ‘Special Edition’ from readiness for Lake Macquarie, forcing a change in direction, and here’s the kicker..
Graduating to the Supercat Extreme class saw a vacancy in the Kelly family’s beloved ‘Colonel’; enter newly crowned Supersports 65 Champion Hary Bakkr.. Bakkr had designs on building a new ‘Razorcraft’ for the 2026 Supersports 85 season but work commitments (building Razorcrafts for customers) had sidelined the project, delivering the Kellys a solution to keeping their ‘Skater’ in the field. That vacancy and subsequent challenges to Shane Paton’s graduation to driver of ‘Nut Case’ for the new season saw the mighty green-machine available for Lake Macquarie, and yep, you guessed it, Pecherzewksi and Mel Nelson will jump aboard to earn points towards their tilt at the 2026 Supersports 85 title, although acknowledging that they might not be in contention for the class win this weekend.
In keeping with the strong growth of the category, the Supersports 85 class will have no shortage of depth, Bakkr and Pecherzewski joined by Aaron and Jack Panozza in ‘Skater 28’, Darren Penfold in ‘Thunderstruck’ and Anthony and Hunter McEnally in ‘Watersports Marine’ all in contention for a race win across the weekend, and if 2024 was any guide (three different winners across the Lake Mac weekend), anything is possible.. And just a tip, don’t discount the mighty little green boat..!
With Bakr having graduated for the 2026 season, the path is open for a new champion in the Supersports 65 class and again, there’s no shortage of contenders although all will need to be on their A-game with the return of 2024 Champion Patty Paczkowski in ‘Valentus’. Family commitments kept the team from a full program last year, although a return at Wyndham Harbour did nett three race wins, but for the 2025/26 season, Paczkowski is intent on regaining the crown, although he won’t have it all his own way.
Charlie Di Iorio is back in the family-run ‘Cardiac Arrest’ with Greg Walters again alongside despite repairing his much-loved ‘HUN74’ Haines Hunter in the off-season, the Di iorio and Walters combination a serious threat for the outright title, whilst Ben Embleton – again with the experienced Liam Sutherland alongside – will look to press their intentions in their first full season in the Championship.
Throw in the returning Brendan Weeks and Sophie Lancaster in ‘The Con’, Aaron Jackson in ‘All Coast Marine’; who claimed three podium finishes at Lake Mac 12-months ago – Zak Gould in ‘Degen’ and Patrick Bonnici in ‘Power Marine’ and you have no shortage of action across all four classes.
For anyone attending the event, teams will again be based at Empire Marina at Marmong Point with the boats traversing a 6.5-kiloemtre course that runs from the start/finish line at Marmong Point south towards Bolton Point, then east towards Warners Bay, up close and personal to The Esplanade at Speers Point, on towards The Five Islands then back to Marmong Point presenting many great vantage points around the rotation.
Three 30-minute races will run on Saturday, October 18 with races scheduled at 12:00pm, 1:00pm and 2:00pm, whilst on Sunday, October 19, races will run at 11:00am, 12:00pm and 1:00pm.
For more information on the Australian Offshore Superboat Championships, visit us at;
www.superboat.com.au
www.facebook.com/OffshoreSuperboats
www.facebook.com/ausopc
————————————-
2024/25 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships
Supercat Extreme Championship (after four rounds of four)
1. Darren Nicholson/Peter McGrath (Boost Mobile/222 Offshore) – 376-points
2. Andrew Searle/Tom Barry Cotter (ACME Racing) – 323
Supercat Outboard Championship (after four rounds of four)
1. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (The Mantis) – 440-points
2. Steve Lancaster/Craig Dove (DLR Offshore) – 347
3. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (The Sting) – 226
4. Scott Richardson/Steve Kelly (TCR Offshore) – 206
Supersports 85 Championship (after four rounds of four)
1. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (The Colonel) – 361-points
2. Mark Pecherzewski/Melanie Nelson (Special Edition) – 241
3. Ryan Shan/Scott Kelly (RS Motorsport) – 92
Supersports 65 Championship (after four rounds of four)
1. Hary Bakkr/Shane Paton (Nut Case) – 377-points
2. Charlie Di Iorio/Greg Walters (Cardiac Arrest) – 156
3. Danny Caelli/Dean Caelli (Villain) – 131
4. Greg Walters (HUN74) – 32
———————————————-
2025/26 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships – calendar
R1. Lake Macquarie, NSW – 18-19 October, 2025
R2. Wyndham Harbour, Victoria – 21-22 February, 2026
R3. Geelong, Victoria – 14-15 March, 2026
R4. Port Adelaide, SA – 09-10 May, 2026
Wyndham Harbour on Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay played host to round two of the 2024/25 Australian Offshore Superboats Championship with one of the biggest fields of the last decade, more than 20 crews competed across two days in some of the most challenging conditions they’d ever contested in front of a big vocal Victorian crowd.
Ultimately, despite a strong challenge from their title rivals, it was the stunning ‘Boost Mobile’ Supercat Extreme machine of Darren Nicholson and Peter McGrath who extended their points lead in the elite open class, whilst in Supercat Outboard a fantastic battle ensued across all three 30-minute races between old rivals ‘The Sting’ and reigning Champions ‘The Mantis’, Mike Ratcliffe and Karl Wall turning the tables on the reigning title holders to claim three-from-three.
In Supersports 85, the ongoing battle between Mark Pecherzeswki’s ‘Special Edition’ and reigning Champions ‘The Colonel’ continued, Pecherzeswki claiming two wins across the weekend before a storming recovery after a navigational setback in the tough conditions opened the door for his rivals, Mick and Jason Kelly going on to their second win of the season, in the process building a solid points lead heading into Geelong for round three.
Supersports 65 saw an impressive field of boats, although the tough conditions soon thinned out the field, the smaller boats suffering the most in the big wash, but that didn’t deter the experienced campaigners. In the end it was reigning champions Patty and Michael Paczkowski who claimed all three race victories, although as the pair are not contenders for the Championship this year, they weren’t eligible for Series points, the round win going to Danny and Dean Caelli over opening round winners Hary Bakkr and Shane Paton.
Wyndham Harbour also saw the introduction of the new ‘Super V 85’category designed around the big inboard ski boats that dominate the rivers and waterways of the country, the initiative designed to provide the many ski racing teams who are off the water at the moment a chance to compete. Led by dual Southern 80 winner Tim Pickford with fellow Victorians Sam Livesley and Adrian Bishop, the trio turned in some impressive laps, although all admitted to experiencing some of the biggest waves they’d contested during a race. Ultimately Pickford claimed the top honours in the opening race, whilst Livesley overcame some big moments to claim the win in races two and three.
——————————
Supercat Extreme
It had been a couple of years since the Supercat Extreme boats had competed at Wyndham Harbour, so the fans were more than ready to see them back in action, title rivals ‘222 Offshore’ with their ‘Boost Mobile’ machine going head-to-head once more with old foes ‘ACME Racing’ who in the long break since Lake Macquarie had made some significant leaps in development and were fired up to be back in action.
Saturday saw just one 30-minute race and whilst tough on all the competitors, the experienced Supercat Extreme teams enjoyed arguably the better ride, the longer heavier boats pushing through the conditions with relative ease, although behind the wheel there was plenty going on. Ultimately the ‘ACME’ pairing of Andrew Searle and Tom Barry-Cotter proved the value of their pre-event testing with a competitive run in the heavy conditions, although they were forced to play second-fiddle to Darren Nicholson and Peter McGrath, crossing the line just over half a minute in arrears.
Race two saw the mighty red ‘ACME’ machine attack hard off the line, jumping into an early lead with an aggressive run into the opening turn, but the ‘Boost Mobile’ team were quickly through to the front, ultimately charging away to a comfortable win, another victory in the final race providing the reigning champions with their sixth win from six starts this season, opening a solid points advantage heading into Geelong. The good news for the fans though is rumours of more big boats attending the third round, with as many as five teams expected to make a return to Corio Bay.
“We thought Saturday was going to be a little bit tougher so we took the cautious approach and put some more weight up front,” ACME’s Andrew Searle explained. “That meant we couldn’t get the nose up to get that top end speed, but we sorted that for Sunday, but whilst we were quicker, we’ve still got some work to do. You have to remember Tom [Barry-Cotter] and I have only been together for five races and we’re racing against former World Champions ‘222’ that have had ten years with the same boat and with all that experience they very rarely make a mistake.”
Supercat Outboard
Lake Macquarie delivered some fantastic racing for the Supercat Outboard teams, none better than the battle for the top spot between long-time rivals ‘The Mantis’ and ‘The Sting’, Antony De Fina and Matt Kelly ultimately emerging victorious in all three races although they did have to overcome a strong challenge from the new ‘Sting’ hull, which led for much of the second race.
At Wyndham it was clear that both teams had done their homework, but it was Mike Ratcliffe and Karl Wall who emerged victorious claiming all three race wins in comfortable style, although they were forced to overcome ‘The Mantis’ who battled hard out the gate in the opening race before ‘The Sting’ worked their way back into the lead to claim maximum points for the round, the two teams tied at the top of the Championship heading into Geelong.
For De Fina and Kelly, they were confident of claiming a race win, but an electrical issue part way through the second race on Sunday morning saw the boat drop into ‘fail-safe’ mode, the engine management system detecting an issue. That dropped their pace significantly as they searched for the problem, ultimately a system reset resolved the issue and they were able to rediscover their outright pace, but by that stage they’d dropped back to third behind Steve Lancaster and Craig Dove in ‘DLR Offshore’ the pair keeping the crowd entertained with their wave-jumping antics, ‘The Mantis’ ultimately taking back the position ahead of the flag.
For Scott Richardson and Steve Kelly, they lucked in by drawing pole one for the opening race on Saturday, but they too struck problems, dropping to the rear of the field early before retiring with a fractured oil bottle. They recovered strongly to claim third in Sunday morning’s second race, but again suffered a DNF in race three, this time broken engine bolts, such was the ferocity of the conditions, fortunately though damage was repairable although not during the race.
“It was so tough out there but the boat’s so good,” Mike Ratcliffe admitted. “Sunday’s first race was a real mind-game battle with ‘The Mantis’ but the second race was just a race of endurance.”
“We had to learn this [new] boat and the only way to learn the limits of the boat was to race as hard as we did this weekend,” Karl Wall added. “The Mantis, they were sticking it to us but we came out on top and it really shows that the boat has a lot of potential, and I think we’re only going to get quicker and quicker from hereon in.”
Ominous news for their rivals, but don’t think that they won’t be regrouping, ahead of Geelong!
Supersports 85
After a tough season debut at Lake Macquarie for Mark Pecherzewski and Melanie Nelson with an ongoing injector issue, the ‘Special Edition’ team made changes to their ‘Maritimo’ inboard powerplant to go back to a carburettor in an effort to stem the loss of points. It proved the ideal solution for Wyndham, the former champions claiming a par of wins in their mighty ‘Cootacraft’ which many felt was perfectly suited to the conditions.
For their title rivals – reigning champions and points-leaders – ‘The Colonel’ they fought hard in the twin-hulled, outboard powered ‘Skater’ and whilst without the top speed of their rivals, were able to charge strongly off the line in an effort to hold Pecherzewski on the outside. The tactic worked in Sunday’s final race although both teams admitted to being temporarily blind to the navigation in the rough water, the Kelly’s though quicker to discover the error leaving ‘Special Edition’ well behind. Pecherzewski charged over the closing laps but was unable to shut the leaders down, ‘The Colonel’ claiming their second win of the season. The ‘Hornet Property Services’ supported team closing out the round with a comfortable points lead.
Sadly for Ryan Shan and Scott Kelly, their weekend ended prematurely, the ‘RS Motorsport’ team suffering a broken transom during the opening race on Saturday, the rough conditions uncovering an issue with the structure of the boat, historical water damage weakening the transom which holds the twin rig engine setup, Shan admitting he was just grateful to return to the ramp with the motors still attached. The team now faced with a significant rebuild to the back of the boat in the three weeks leading up to Geelong.
For the Supersports 85 teams, they were also faced with a new challenge at Wyndham Harbour with the inclusion of the new ‘Super V 85’ category for inboard engined ski boats. The new class attracted plenty of interest, in the end, three boats joining the field for their first run in Australian Offshore.
The starting procedure saw the ‘Super V 85’ boats hold the inside running for the start, with the expectation that they would get the jump off the line, but ultimately they were run down by the Supersports 85 teams who quickly established a lead before resuming their Championship battle, the chance to fight in a bigger field though a welcome opportunity for the Series regulars.
“The boat ran brilliantly all weekend, it ran like a freight train,” Mark Pecherzewski admitted. “Today was a little bit flatter, and we made a navigational error, so ‘The Colonel’ got ahead and we had to chase them down. Look, we’ve got a great boat for the rough water, we can win all the races in the rough water, but in the flatter water we have to work a lot harder to keep up with the cats [catamarans].”
“Yesterday was horrendous out there,” Mick Kelly admitted with a shrug. “Mark [Pecherzewski] builds a boat for those conditions, that’s what he does, so congratulations to him, it was great to watch him out there but once the weather dropped a little we decided we didn’t want him to have it all his own way.”
Supersports 65
Nine boats were entered for the Supersports 65 category at Wyndham Harbour including a mix of outboard ski boats alongside the reigning champions, Patty and Michael Paczkowski returning in ‘Valentus’ after missing the opening round. For points leaders Hary Bakkr and Shane Paton in ‘Nut Case’ their weekend went sideways on Friday night, the pole-draw seeing them draw ninth position for the opening race, whilst title rivals ‘Villain’ claimed inside pole..
The reigning champions made short work of the field in all three races to claim the round win, but as non-Series entrants, they were ineligible for Championship points, those honours going to the father-and-son due of Danny and Dean Caelli who claimed second in both of Saturday’s races to close in on the ‘Nut Case’ team, Bakkr and Paton though returning fire in Sunday’s race with their second win of the season, in the process maintaining their points lead in the title race.
For the smallest boats in the field the challenging conditions had the greatest impact, a number of boats pulling out early during Saturday’s races, whilst for those that endured the constant battering, they paid a heavy toll.
For Greg Walters in the popular ‘HUN74’ ‘Haines Hunter’, he suffered damage during the opening race, the ageing hull ultimately forced to retire early in race two with a split down the port side, something Walters was quickly aware of, the Victorian facing immediate repairs in order to continue his Championship assault in Geelong.
For others, they elected to withdraw before suffering too heavy a beating, but they weren’t alone, all the boats in the field telling tales of the battering they’d faced, the ‘Nut Case’ team ultimately ending Sunday with a bent steering wheel, displaying in dramatic fashion just how tough it had been during the final race, a race in which they’d fought hard to overcome their rivals to work themselves into a strong Championship position heading into Geelong.
Whilst the experienced teams knew what they’d be facing, for many of the rookies it was a baptism of fire, Adrian van der Sluys and Corey Robson earning themselves immediate respect with their efforts in ‘NFORCEN’ the ski racing regulars grabbing a podium finish in the opening race as the last of the boats to complete the full race distance, before going on to claim fifth in race two and fourth in the final race to be one of few boats to complete all three races.
“We build the boat with these sorts of conditions in mind – it’s been a really good test to see how far we can really push the boat, so we’re stoked with the result,” Patty Paczkowski admitted. “Due to outside commitments we couldn’t commit to a title defence this year, but we’ll make as many races as we can.”
Super V 85
There had been a great deal of anticipation from the ski racing sector heading into the Wyndham Harbour event, with a number of teams flagging interest in getting themselves back on the water for the event. Sadly, pre-event weather predictions saw some elect not to make their debut at Wyndham Harbour, but many did, the addition of two-time Southern 80 Champion Tim Pickford, recent car racing graduate Sam Livesley in ‘Gone Mental’ and ‘Avenger’s’ Adrian Bishop and Lachlan Pannam tackling the course alongside the Supersports team.
Not surprisingly the powerful ski boats charged off the line, but were ultimately run down in the testing conditions as the dedicated Offshore boats cut through the waves in conditions they were more accustomed to.
‘Sapphire’s’ Tim Pickford claimed top honours in Saturday’s opening race, with Livesley second and Bishop third. Both Pickford and Bishop missed Saturday afternoon’s second race, Livesley though entertaining the crowd with his antics through the waves, the conditions clearly not holding him back – he doubled up with victory in the final race earning him a cheer of respect from his new peers, all of whom were impressed with his commitment. His wide smile suggesting he’ll be back for more in Geelong..!
“It was tough but we had a great time,” Livesley admitted. “I can’t thank the Offshore guys enough for making it as easy and comfortable as it was to be a part of their Championship, I’m really looking forward to having another run at Geelong, although hopefully the conditions might be a little bit kinder and give us a chance to show what the boats can really do.”
“Despite the conditions, it was a very successful event,” Australian Offshore Powerboat Club Commodore Antony De Fina agreed. “From the success of the new ‘Super V 85’ category to the racing in general, apart from smooth water, we couldn’t have asked for much more. There’s a few people we need to thank including the team from Hornet Property Services for their ongoing commitment to the growth of the sport, to Steed Sherriff and the team at Wyndham Harbour, Whitepointer Boats Australia for their support with starting the boats, but also Anthony May and his team from ODLS who supply the cranes that put the big boats in and out of the water, they’re an exceptional team that work tirelessly to ensure the process works seamlessly and that helps contribute to the success of our events.”
For the teams, focus now turns south to Geelong’s Corio Bay – still in Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay – for the third round of the season, a season which will feature both national (7mate and 7plus) and international television exposure.
——————————
R2, 2024/25 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships presented by Hornet Property Services
Wyndham Harbour, Victoria
22-23 February, 2025
RND#2 – Race#1
Supercat Extreme
1. Darren Nicholson/Peter McGrath (#222 Boost Mobile) – 00:31:17 (14-laps)
2. Andrew Searle/Tom Barry-Cotter (#441 ACME Racing) – 00:31:56 (14-laps)
Supercat Outboard
1. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (#99 The Sting) – 00:32:21 (12-laps)
2. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (#22 The Mantis) – 00:34:03 (12-laps)
3. Steve Lancaster/Craig Dove (#81 DLR Offshore) – 00:34:48 (10-laps)
DNF. Scott Richardson/Steve Kelly (#161 TCR Racing) (4-laps)
Supersports 85
1. Mark Pecherzewksi/Mel Nelson (#07 Special Edition) – 00:25:56 (8-laps)
2. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (#161 Colonel Racing) – 00:26.30 (8-laps)
3. Ryan Shan/Scott Kelly (#888 RS Motorsport) – 00:26:53 (8-laps)
Supersports 65
1. Patrick Paczkowski/Michael Paczkowski (#13 Valentus 25) – 00:35:30 (9-laps)
2. Danny Caelli/Dean Caelli (#300 Villain) – 00:31:43 (8-laps)
3. Adrian van der Sluys/Corey Robson (#150 NFORCEN) – 00:33:50 (6-laps)
DNF. Greg Walters (#72 HUN74) (5-laps)
DNF. Hary Bakkr/Shane Paton (#17 Nut Case) (3-laps)
DNF. Charlie Di Iorio/Peter Cogliandro (#46 Cardiac Arrest) (2-laps)
DNF. Lance Muus/Ben Browne (#61 Wastin Dough) (2-laps)
DNF. Jaxon Bishop (#2 Avenger F2) (1-lap)
Super V 85
1. Tim Pickford (#3 Sapphire)
2. Sam Livesley (#13 Gone Mental)
3. Adrian Bishop/Lachlan Pannam (#63 Avenger F1)
——————
RND#2 – Race#2
Supercat Extreme
1. Darren Nicholson/Peter McGrath (#222 Boost Mobile) – 00:30:46 (14-laps)
2. Andrew Searle/Tom Barry-Cotter (#441 ACME Racing) – 00:31:40 (14-laps)
Supercat Outboard
1. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (#99 The Sting) – 00:30:48 (12-laps)
2. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (#22 The Mantis) – 00:30:57 (12-laps)
3. Steve Lancaster/Craig Dove (#81 DLR Offshore) – 00:32:13 (12-laps)
4. Scott Richardson/Steve Kelly (#161 TCR Racing) – 00:31:17 (11-laps)
Supersports 85
1. Mark Pecherzewksi/Mel Nelson (#07 Special Edition) – 00:22:18 (7-laps)
2. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (#161 Colonel Racing) – 00:24.33 (7-laps)
DNS. Ryan Shan/Scott Kelly (#888 RS Motorsport)
Supersports 65
1. Patrick Paczkowski/Michael Paczkowski (#13 Valentus 25) – 00:23:38 (6-laps)
2. Danny Caelli/Dean Caelli (#300 Villain) – 00:23:23 (6-laps)
3. Hary Bakkr/Shane Paton (#17 Nut Case) – 00:25:59 (6-laps)
4. Charlie Di Iorio/Peter Cogliandro (#46 Cardiac Arrest) – 00:24:32 (5-laps)
5. Adrian van der Sluys/Corey Robson (#150 NFORCEN) – 00:26:11 (5-laps)
DNF. Greg Walters (#72 HUN74) (2-laps)
DNF. Lance Muus/Ben Browne (#61 Wastin Dough) (0-laps)
DNS. Jaxon Bishop (#2 Avenger F2) (1-lap)
Super V 85
1. Sam Livesley (#13 Gone Mental) – 00:24:24 (6-laps)
DNS. Tim Pickford (#3 Sapphire)
DNS. Adrian Bishop/Lachlan Pannam (#63 Avenger F1)
——————
RND#2 – Race#3
Supercat Extreme
1. Darren Nicholson/Peter McGrath (#222 Boost Mobile) – 00:30:50 (13-laps)
2. Andrew Searle/Tom Barry-Cotter (#441 ACME Racing) – 00:31:31 (13-laps)
Supercat Outboard
1. Mike Ratcliffe/Karl Wall (#99 The Sting) – 00:33:59 (10-laps)
2. Antony De Fina/Matt Kelly (#22 The Mantis) – 00:32:55 (9-laps)
3. Steve Lancaster/Craig Dove (#81 DLR Offshore) – 00:34:44 (9-laps)
DNF. Scott Richardson/Steve Kelly (#161 TCR Racing) (4-laps)
Supersports 85
1. Mick Kelly/Jason Kelly (#161 Colonel Racing) – 00:30.52 (11-laps)
2. Mark Pecherzewksi/Mel Nelson (#07 Special Edition) – 00:30:54 (11-laps)
DNS. Ryan Shan/Scott Kelly (#888 RS Motorsport)
Supersports 65
1. Patrick Paczkowski/Michael Paczkowski (#13 Valentus 25) – 00:33:01 (9-laps)
2. Hary Bakkr/Shane Paton (#17 Nut Case) – 00:33:36 (9-laps)
3. Danny Caelli/Dean Caelli (#300 Villain) – 00:33:52 (9-laps)
4. Adrian van der Sluys/Corey Robson (#150 NFORCEN) – 00:31:07 (7-laps)
DNS. Charlie Di Iorio/Peter Cogliandro (#46 Cardiac Arrest)
DNS. Greg Walters (#72 HUN74) (2-laps)
DNS. Lance Muus/Ben Browne (#61 Wastin Dough)
DNS. Jaxon Bishop (#2 Avenger F2) (1-lap)
Super V 85
1. Sam Livesley (#13 Gone Mental) – 00:34:03 (10-laps)
DNS. Tim Pickford (#3 Sapphire)
DNS. Adrian Bishop/Lachlan Pannam (#63 Avenger F1)
——————————
2024/25 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships
Championship Points (after round two)
AUS#1 Championship
1. Boost Mobile (210-points), 2. The Mantis (145), 3. The Sting (144), 4. ACME Racing (128), 5. DLR Offshore (103), 6. The Colonel (93)
Supercat Extreme
1. Boost Mobile (105-points), 2. ACME Racing (32)
Supercat Outboard
1. The Mantis (105-points), 2. The Sting (90), 3. DLR Offshore (78). 4. TCR Offshore (0)
Supersports 85
1. Colonel Racing (95), 2. RS Motorsport (91), 3. C-52 (74), 4. Special Edition (35)
Supersports 65
1. Nut Case (105), 2. All Coast Marine (82), 3. PFM Revolution (52), 4. HUN74 (30), 5. Villian (23)
——————————
2024/25 Offshore Superboat Championships – calendar
R1. Lake Macquarie, NSW – 19-20 October, 2024
R2. Wyndham Harbour, Victoria – 22-23 February, 2025 (sponsored by Hornet Property Services)
R3. Geelong Harbour, Victoria – 15-16 March, 2025 (sponsored by Hornet Property Services)
R4. Port Adelaide, South Australia – 12-13 April, 2025 (sponsored by Symons Clark Logistics)
Further dates and locations released soon.
For more information on the Australian Offshore Superboat Championships, visit us at;
www.superboat.com.au
www.facebook.com/OffshoreSuperboats
www.facebook.com/ausopc
About 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, visit https://hornetpropertyservices.com.au
About ODLS
ODLS (Overdimensinal Lift & Shift) specialise in heavy and Over Dimension ventures – including transport, lifting, installation and construction, and storage, Based in Melbourne’s Dandenong South, they are the heavies of Heavy Haulage with over 40 years experience in the industry. For more information, visit https://odls.com.au
The Australian Offshore Superboats will be under the control of an iconic Australian boat manufacturer as they prepare to make a start in the second round of the 2024/25 Championship at Wyndham Harbour, with a stunning Whitepointer 263 powered by twin 450 Mercury outboard engines pacing the competitors.
Manufactured by Whitepointer Boats Australia from Cann River in Victoria’s East Gippsland, the full fibreglass hull is recognised as one of the toughest offshore fishing boats on the market. Hand-made, new owner David Trimble admits that the boats are about maintaining a reputation, with plans to produce just six or seven hulls a year, none of them with any composite material or plywood in their construction.
“The transom for instance contains 40-odd layers of fibreglass and is 50mm thick, so they’re a solid boat,” Trimble explained. “I took on the business six months ago from Erick Hyland who built a fantastic reputation in the industry, and our aim is to maintain that old-school approach to the way we construct our boats moving forward.”
“Whitepointer boats have a fantastic reputation in the industry, we’re just disappointed that Dave didn’t enter the boat in the field as a competitor,” Australian OffShore Powerboat Club Commodore Antony De Fina jokingly admitted.
“Everyone I speak to asks me that same question,” Trimble laughed. “The sport looks incredible, we work on occasion with Shane Paton (currently leading the Supersports 65 category alongside boat owner Hary Bakkr), and he got me interested. We’re swamped with orders for new boats at the moment, so can’t commit to racing, but we’re excited to be a part of the program and keen to see these impressive boats up close.”
With 900-horsepower on tap and plans to develop the twin Mercury powerplants beyond that, the stunning all-black Whitepointer 263 will have no trouble pacing the field ahead of the start at Wyndham Harbour.
“This just adds another element of excitement for the fans, having a boat like this as part of our Series shows just how flexible our sport is, whilst also allowing the fans to see another different style of boat that they can get up close to and talk to David about fishing and the business of building boats,” De Fina added.
“Wyndham Harbour is set for one of our biggest fields in the history of the sport, something we’re really excited about. There’s been a lot of interest from ski racing teams, and renewed interest from some teams that haven’t been a part of the Series recently, so we’re really looking forward to the event, and then Geelong just three weeks later – both rounds of course going to air on 7mate and 7plus in the weeks following.”
Round two of the 2024/25 Australian Offshore Superboat Championships gets underway at Wyndham Harbour, 40-kilometres south-west of Melbourne’s CBD on Saturday, 22 February with six half hour races scheduled across the two days (three races each for the Supercat Extreme + Supercat Outboard, and three for the Supersports and Super V combined categories). Access to the event is free, with fantastic viewing opportunities for fans to both watch the action and get up close and personal with the boats and teams.
2024/25 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 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
To learn more about Whitepointer boats, visit;
www.facebook.com/whitepointermarine
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
- 1
- 2