Hot racing for Superboats in hot sun at Lake Macquarie.
Sat 14 and Sun 15 October – It was both close and interesting as mechanical issues plagued many a craft, and fortunes were won and lost out on the track.
Councillor Adam Shultz, attended Friday evening’s meet and greet, and very much immersed himself in the experience. Thousands of spectators lined the shores of Lake Macquarie from Eleebana to Warners Bay, thence on to Speers Point and ultimately Marmong Point.
The two SuperSports classes had the double races Saturday, and Sunday it was the turn of the two enclosed cabin classes to have a pair of races. Thoughts were definitely with Superbad, who blew an engine in their only race of the day. Prior to that, Superbad was literally flying, and everyone noticed. Alas, blue smoke is never a good sign, so when a thin veil appeared over on the Eastern side of the course, hearts literally sank.
Day 2 saw continuous glorious weather which again drew thousands of spectators. This certainly underscored the natural amphitheatre nature of the delightful Lake Macquarie.
Hovering around the pit area you did notice the inquisitive onlookers who all commented on how much they enjoyed on being able to get close to the boats and the teams alike.
Overnight, and even into the morning, many teams worked to repair/replace items so as to get back out racing. There were winners on the day, as indeed there were for the season overall, but it was perhaps the number and severity of issues out on the water that added drama and quick recalculations to some of the standings.
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.
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.
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. Day Racer, Skater 28, may well turn into 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. Yes 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 have to do in order to get ready for next season now they have a broken motor, and there are supply issues. “The next three or four months is going to be big for us. We are looking at Wyndham Harbour to take the first win like we did this year and continue the wins through the year just to show the dominance of the Hornet against the Preying Mantis”, said Wall highlighting the great banter between the two teams.
In Supercat Extreme, crowd pleaser, Superbad, finished out their rookie season so well, after such sorrow the day before. So it was good to see Superbad perform a victory lap to finish the day and season out. Steve Jellick commented afterwards, “It’s been a long season. A lot of work. A lot of heartbreaks and fails. Despite all of it, the sportsmanship shown by 222 is fantastic, and we love it.”
There can be no doubt that 222 Offshore Racing are one very polished team, and so very sporting 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. Darren Nicholson may not have liked not finishing the last race, but categorically enjoyed racing on home waters. “It is very nice to have the finale here at the Lake, the place where I grew up.
David Randall from Empire Marina said, “We do look forward to having the Superboats here. It’s always a juggle to free up the space, but everyone is so professional, which was highlighted by the way 222 lent Superbad a motor to keep the show alive. Wonderful stuff. It demonstrates what sort of people are involved in this sport. We do very much look forward to being back here in October of 2024.
