Final round of 2023 Offshore Superboat Championships

The fourth and final round of the 2023 Offshore Superboat Championships was held over the weekend of 14 and 15 October at Lake Macquarie, NSW, with thousands of spectators lining the shores from Eleebana to Warners Bay vying for shade and chairs.

The weekend comprised six Offshore Championship races and three Sport 65 & 85 races as well as three Offshore Superboat races.

The two SuperSports classes had the double races on day one, and day two it was the turn of the two enclosed cabin classes. 

In the SuperSport 85 class, Ryan Shan was using his new boat for just the third time. It was going well for them, and in the second race they really started to make a charge. Unfortunately, a drive shaft in the gearbox failed and they had to retire. 

Andrew Pike’s Slick 21 is about to also get a new boat, so it was unfortunate that the current boat had issues in the second race as well.

“We had a bit of an oil problem, and the motor went into limp mode. So, we had to pull on the infield and bleed the tank up on top of the motor. It was good to get back circulating and get some points. We have fixed it back ashore now and want to achieve a first or second place on day two to put some points in the bank and lock away a prize.”

Thoughts were with Superbad, which blew an engine during its only race of the day. 

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

Back ashore a rescue plan was hatched. In a truly magnificent gesture of sportsmanship, 222 Offshore got to work pulling out one of their spare engines to offer up as a temporary replacement. Overnight the crew removed the blown engine, then transferred the left engine over to the right engine bay and put the loaner motor into the vacant bay in the left hull, as it worked better with the pulley arrangements for things like water pumps and steering.

Gigglin’ only needed a finish on day two to secure the 2023 SuperSport 65 title. A delighted Mark Sutherland commented, “We just came off a little bit just to preserve everything and lock it all away. Just a couple of miles an hour to make sure that we didn't break today and secure the points that we needed for the championship. Everything is working fine, otherwise.”

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

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

DAY TWO

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

One of the crowd favourites, The Sting, put a connecting rod through the block in the first race of the day, thereby ensuring they would stay ashore for the rest of the day. In the last race of the day, 222 threw a blade off the right-side propeller, which came off so violently it put a gash in the hull and bent a seriously thick steering plate and stainless-steel bolt.

All of it served to make sure it was as exciting onshore as it was out on the water, where teams like Gigglin’ in the SuperSport 65 class did more than enough to secure the season win. 

Mark Sutherland said: “It's a great feeling. Two years in a row. It's pretty amazing. I hope we are ready for next year’s first round back in Victoria (Wyndham Harbour) in February because they’ll be coming for us. New boats, new setups and with more horsepower ... we’re going to stick with tried and true, but it will definitely be a challenge. Hope the wind blows and evens out the field.”

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

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

Day Racer, Skater 28, may well turn into a season participant for 2024, and some very good results at Lake Macquarie will have absolutely spurred them on to do so.

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

In Supercat Extreme, crowd pleaser, Superbad, finished out their rookie season well after such sorrow the day before. 

There’s no doubt that 222 Offshore Racing is a polished team, and always sportsmanlike in their endeavours. To take home both Supercat Extreme and the Class One Championships is a mark of that, and it comes only a month after securing the World title as well. 

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