Gold Coast action in Round Six F1 Superboats

by David Conole on 31 Aug 2007 Round Six of the XLR8 Home Loans Australian Formula 1 Superboat series at The Spit, on Queensland’s Gold Coast started with a whimper and finished with a bang (or two!) with a spread of action on Sunday making up for a lack luster and rain-sodden Saturday.

Crowd numbers on Saturday were reduced due to the inclement weather in the area, with the conditions flattening the surface at The Spit and proving uncomfortable for spectators and crews alike.

Sunday, however, certainly proved the saying, 'beautiful one day, glorious the next' absolutely correct!

Practice time was playtime for the big boys and their toys. Current champ Rhys Coles had an ECU issue, leaving the Byron Bay entry temporarily disabled and Rhys being piggy backed to dry land.

The Trask brothers came out and immediately made their intention clear. With international duties precluding the teams participation in October, David confirmed that this round needs to be a finish ahead of Rhys to take out the 2007 championship.

Qualifying results at the end of the session, Bob Trask (Trask Development Corp) 27.58, David Trask (Trask Development Corp) 28.22, Rhys Coles (Byron Bay Premium Ale) 28.63, Shane Vella (Pannarottis Pizza Pasta) 28.97, Craig Truslove (XLR8 Home loans) 28.93,Mick Beasley (Sun Runner Cruisers) 30.77, Anthony McEnnally (Watersports Marine) 30.86.

Race 1 Superboats

A sensational 1st lap! 2006 title holder Rhys Coles and Bob Trask came together, with the impact forcing Rhys into a roll over, resulting in severe damage to the front portside sponson. A dejected Coles had a smile but the body language was a telling clue to the frustration he felt. Mick Beasley’s horror run appeared to have continued with an outage of power; thankfully he was able to get the Slightly Twisted boat back under way and came in fourth. Beasley’s day had commenced well, with what looked like a possible 29 second qualifying time, when a sudden power drop slowed his run. It emerged that a spark plug had failed, leaning out his new engine. The result? Say goodbye to one race prepped powerplant….

McEnnally pulled out with the last couple of laps to go. Shane Vella’s dream run though, continued, with a sensational second place gaining valuable points.

After the collision, Bob Trask ventured back to dry land only to rejoin after a checkout revealed no apparent damage to his craft.

More drama, however, for the Byron Bay premium Ale team, with a spark igniting fuel from a line that had been removed and about to be put back on.

Frantic movement from the support crew by splashing the estuary water on to it helped subdue the flames but there certainly were a few anxious moments.

Race 2

A combined F1 and F2000 race saw David Trask emerge victorious, with one of the most dominant races seen from the TDC group. Shane Vella continued a great run from Race 1 to make second position his. The conditions were sufficiently flat to see lap times in the low thirty second bracket for all of the F1 boats, with Bob Trask in third keeping at bay a hard charging local boy in the form of Craig Truslove. Mick Beasley made a welcome return to the circuit again after engine dramas earlier in the day. After changing engines, Beasley managed a creditable fifth. McEnnally’s luck wasn’t with him this weekend with results not showing what he and the team were capable of.

Rhys Coles also ventured out courtesy of a generous vessel loan from Truslove. Unfortunately for Rhys, the momentum wasn’t with him and finished down the ladder, with both Michael Page and Peter Evans retiring before race end.

Race 3

A spectacular roll over marred an otherwise impressive run from a resurgent Craig Truslove after a superb overtaking move on Bob Trask. Truslove was travelling well in third when the opportunity arose to snatch second after Bob ran a little wide on the final turn.

A lap or two later that hard work was blown when the swell caught the XLR8 HomeLoans entry on the up, a hard knock stopping the boat in its tracks with sheer momentum rolling the vessel over in a complete 360.

Shaken but not stirred, Truslove raised the hands straight away to let a relieved family and friend support crew on dry land know he was in fine fettle. That support came in handy when Craig reached the commentary position. Displaying his customary good humour, Truslove responded with 'I got wet!' when asked what happened. Formula 2000 contender, Peter Evans, decided to gain valuable match time in this race and aquitted himself well under the circumstances.

The beginning of the race saw the 2006 champ, Rhys Coles, retire before race start, in the second XLR8 vessel kindly loaned to him thanks to the generosity of Truslove.

Rhys completed the spotting laps, however he chose to bring the boat in, after appearing in race 2 to not quite come to grips with it.

Regrettably for Coles, it also spelt the end of his 2007 title defence, with the Trask team heading to China in October and needing a round win to wrap up the championship for David.

At the end of Sunday, that’s exactly how it turned out.

Rhys was philosophical about the way the weekend fell apart around him, saying it was a 'racing incident' as far as he was concerned and would focus on having the boat and team ready for the finale at the Penrith Sydney International Regatta Centre in October.

Once again though, all eyes were on the forthcoming champion, with David Trask putting in one of the most sensational races. Grasping the chequered flag was one thing, leaving the Gold Coast with the 2007 championship firmly in his grasp was another.

Now, the Trask family has the opportunity to charge onto the international round in China with hopes of holding the Australian flag high!

Top three position for the Round David Trask, Shane Vella , Bob Trask.

The next and final round for the XLR8 Home Loans F1 Superboats sees them at the Penrith International Regatta Centre, home to waterborne events during the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Located minutes from the heart of Penrith, this new venue for the teams offers potential and promises hard racing.