The classic Cougar, ex Fleetlease and now restored to original livery of Notareal will be campaigned on the circuit for 2023.
The Australian Offshore Powerboat Club has announce that the Offshore Superboat Championship is back for 2023 with a swag of exciting racing to come.
The lightning fast, 12m, Class One V8 Superboats are back with a four-boat fleet. These craft are capable of up to 140 mph thanks to a pair of carburettor fed, 510 cubic inch big block derived V8s developing 830hp each that drive the surface piercing propellers. Many of these motors are built by Maritimo Racing.
Darren Nicholson’s 222 team is returning for full season, after winning all of the now defunct UIM XCAT races. Maritimo are champions in several classes around the globe, and have been the Australian Class One Champions on many occasions over the last few decades.
Some of the Class One vessels feature motors from engine builders that supply the world-renowned V8 Supercars teams. Even some of the drivers have been involved over the years, with Russell ‘The Enforcer’ Ingall racing around 15 years ago and Todd Kelly being involved only four years ago.
Andrew Searle is a long-time participant in the class, but lately has been heavily engaged in drag cars. Andrew’s late brother, Steve, was also a long-standing supporter of the series. Andrew is hoping to have his new Class One vessel, ACME Racing, ready by the end of the season.
Supercat Outboard class are 10m 112m and have 600hp on tap, courtesy of two 300hp outboards on each hull. This is the class most common around the globe, with similar vessels racing in New Zealand and the USA. Even the XCATs were derived from this class.
Many still use the two-stroke Mercury 300XS to achieve speeds of up to 120mph. Antony de Fina has just installed Mercury’s new, purpose built for racing, 4-stroke V8 300R outboards to his craft, Saracen, and is the only one running this package for now. De Fina stated, “I’ve always liked to test new equipment and be at the forefront, so am very excited to get going with the racing.”
The largest fleet of boats racing form the two Sports Classes, 65 and 85, which reflect the maximum speed in miles per hour that these craft can travel at. This is the most accessible level of racing, as it is specifically formulated for production boats. Indeed, several of the manufacturers, like Cootacraft from Mallacoota, Edencraft based in Geelong, and Razorcraft in Somerton have their own factory teams.
Competitors come from all over the Eastern Seaboard to attend the events. Their craft are powered by 200, 250, and even 300hp engines from brands like Mercury, Evinrude, and Suzuki, but outright speed is not the real goal here. These are speed bracketed classes, and so it is much more akin to the regularity trials that car clubs often run.
Offshore Superboat Championships.
- Round One at Wyndham Harbour in Victoria on 25-26 February 2023.
- Round Two on Corio Bay at Geelong (VIC) on 18-19 March 2023.
- Round Three on Hervey Bay in Queensland on 24-25 June 2023.
- Round Four on Lake Macquarie in NSW on 14-15 October 2023.
