The Offshore World Championships in Key West held recently was a mixed result for Kiwi Wayne Valder
With the first race on Wednesday being cancelled due to weather, the 2022 World Championship was to be decided over just two races, which meant that all teams had to perform to their best in both heats. The winner to be decided on total overall points after two events.
After having to pull off the course with a slit steering hose early on Friday, throttleman Grant Bruggemann and owner/driver Kiwi, Wayne Valder basically set up their 42-foot MTI catamaran, CELSIUS, (new sponsor) on all-or-nothing mode for race one on the Saturday. When the green flag waved, they used the inside lane to blast to the front to a lead that they would not relinquish.
“We were hoping M CON would take the bait and chase us and maybe break,” Valder said. “Once they backed off and we had a lead, we just took care of the equipment.”
Though they won on Sunday, a Super Cat world championship was not in the cards for Wayne Valder and Grant Bruggemann of the CELSIUS team with the DNF in race one.
Attrition played more of a role in Sunday’s calm conditions. Graydel pulled off with trim issues and owner/driver Billy Mauff and throttleman Jay Muller blew a new motor in the 40-foot Skater, WHM Motorsports, after three laps. Liquor Split pulled off soon after with its own mechanical problems.
In the end, M CON claimed its first Super Cat world championship after Coil convinced Miller that he didn’t need to track down CELSIUS. Bruggemann and Valder finished second in the championship followed by SV Offshore.
There was another Kiwi running in Class 1, with Chris Hanley on the throttles for Mike Falco in the 48-foot Outerlimits, DeFalco Racing. Class 1 was dominated by the two Huski boats that took first and second placings.
