Southern 80 Water Ski Race – New records set

by Corrine Donald on 12 Feb 2014 At the 2014 Club Marine Southern 80 Water Ski Race what a successful weekend we have had here in Echuca! Crowds flocked to the banks of the Murray River to watch the teams speed towards the finish line, hoping to get the place they were after and break any records they possibly could.

A huge congratulation to team ‘Wild Thing’ on their outright win in a time of 32.57.33. Wild Thing is the first team to win the Southern 80 from a class other than Superclass since 1992. Andy Smith the driver, Peter Thompson (Observer), and the two skiers Jed Coey and Justin Cadden beat the winner of Superclass by 10 seconds – 99 Psycho Clowns towing Steve Berry and Michael Kelly.

Police say crowds were very well behaved over the weekend, both down at the Finish Line and also along the banks of the Murray River between Torrumbarry and Echuca.

A number of records were broken over the weekend, Ultra Trouble Maker broke the six Litre Expert record in a time of 33.57 towing Ray Ball and Joel Massey, with Scott Nind driving and Stuart Horne observing. Mathew Sadler drove Monopoly, with Gary Sadler observing, towing Brad Winter, and Andrew Morgan to win 5.2 Litre and six Cylinder Expert, breaking the record by 12 seconds.

Messy Racing took out the record in 200hp Expert, driver Tony Mithen, observer Corrine Donald and skiers Doug Perry and Lucinda Bishop finished in a time of 42.04, breaking the record by 26 seconds. Junior Boys Expert was won by Pigs Arsenal, Chris Stevens, and Craig Harper in the boat, towing Jackson Hammond and Sean Stevens in a time of 33.05. Rush, towing Shantelle King and Holly Praszczalek broke the record of Junior Girls Expert, which Kahlie Freeman and Lauryn Eagle had held behind The Sting since 2008.

70MPH Expert was taken out by Rocket in a time of 43.21, with David Hoffman behind the wheel, Nigel Pearson observing and Zac Francis and Craig Ashworth skiing, they broke the record by 18 seconds. Two teams broke the record in 60MPH Expert; Burn N Wood’s time was 48.22, while Just A Dash’s time was 48.57. Rory Brockwell and Mason Vaughan skied hard behind Carlton Dry Racing to break the record in Unlimited Inboard Social, while Jess Pearse driving 99 Psycho Clowns took out the 70MPH Social record. Michael Pay was observing, while Jye Floyd and Peter McDonald were the skiers.

Hellrazor was the winner of the Bakers Blitz, who also broke the 2010 record in a time of 6.25. Jason Walmsley and Pete Procter did the work out the back, whilst Mark Cranny and Damien Matthews controlled the boat. Thundernuts broke the record in the Presidents Dash, with Lloyd Woolman and Mitch Mulcahy skiing, Cam Cox driving and Brett Dominguez observing.

Overall, racing was very competitive, especially with the rough conditions due to wind over the weekend. Skiers would be expecting smooth water on the river, so it really sorted out the best skiers. Crowd numbers may have been higher if it weren’t for the heat, however the estimated number of spectators was around 65,000. Campers and spectators all behaved, keeping out of the water and obeying the ‘Total Fire Ban’ rule.

It’s great to see a different winner this year; the team of Wild Thing did a great job to win overall, competing in Unlimited Inboard.

Congratulations to all winners, thank you to all competitors and spectators for the great weekend had by all. Also, a big thank you to all the Committee members, Volunteers and any helpers who make this event run each year.

Event website: click here