2023 Offshore Superboat Championship Round 2: Geelong
After a tempest brought a halt to the first day of racing, Sunday 19 was a winner
After the abandonment of racing on the Saturday 18 March, it seemed like all the spectators who missed out went home and got reinforcements for the Sunday, to plainly 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.
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.
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.”
Sport 65 had its 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’s really challenging given the constantly varying conditions. Mark and Liam Sutherland of Team Gigglin have given the proverbial masterclass in this at Wyndham Harbour and now Geelong.
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 has 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.
And 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’s 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.
Wall and Ratcliffe’s 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.”
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 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. 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.”
The Offshore Superboat Championship is very appreciative of the support provided by the City of Geelong, Brandon Hospitality Solutions for the Championship trophies, Over-dimensional 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 make the weekend what it was and have done an awesome job.”
Head over to the Offshore Superboat Championships website for more information, results and videos.
THE NEXT STEP
If you need help choosing your first boat or are considering upgrading your existing one, check out the boats available on Trade a Boat today.
The sellers will be happy to help and answer any inquiries you may have about the products advertised for sale.