Norwegian ace to race in Oz Offshore series

by Bob Wonders on 21 Sep 2007 Norway’s Pål Virik Nilsen, throttleman aboard Spirit of Norway 20 will take part in his first Australian event when he teams with driver Tom Barry-Cotter in the Maritimo boat for round two of the Offshore Superboat Championships.

The event is scheduled for the waters off Townsville this weekend, with the Townsville City Council throwing its full support behind the racing, even to the extent of Mayor Tony Mooney hosting a civic reception for the crews.

Tom Barry-Cotter has teamed up with Virik Nilsen on the European circuit and the pair have given a good account of themselves.

They will be all out to increase Maritimo’s Class I lead in the championships, established when the Lamborghini-powered catamaran scored a convincing win in round one, off Redcliffe, two weeks ago.

It’s a safe bet they won’t have it all their own way; the second Maritimo boat, the MerCruiser-powered ‘Simrad’ (Luke Durman/Ross Willaton), current Australian Class I champions the Searle brothers (Acme Racing) and the Melbourne crew, Steve Jellick and Mat Humphrey, in ‘Impact Steel’ will be out to spoil the party.

The other classes can be relied on to provide some spectacular action, with the course close inshore on Townsville's waterfront offering excellent vantage points for spectators.

SuperCat Outboard, SuperCat Outboard Lite, Super Vee Lite, Haines Suzuki One Design Class and Production Class will add to the day’s excitement.

Crews will undergo scrutineering and testing on Saturday with the racing underway at 12 noon Sunday over a 100 nautical mile course.

There’s sure to be some close racing in SuperCat Outboard, with ‘Saracen’ (Anthony Defina/Simon Thomas) looking to increase its championship lead.

‘Saracen’ recorded a very fast time in taking out the class off Redcliffe, covering 11 laps in a quick 64min 20 secs.

Spectators can also be assured of some close racing in SuperCat Outboard Lite.

‘Ezy Does It’ (Ian Harris/Graham Fraser), ‘Hog’s Breath’ (Mick Walker/Paul Fowlds) and ‘Kwozzy’ (Jim Harris/Adam Nicolls) fought it out all the way before ‘Ezy Does It’ claimed the chequered flag at Redcliffe.

Super Vee Lite, Production, and the Haines Suzuki One Design can all be relied upon to offer a thrill a minute.

The second round in a championship series is regarded as vitally important to competing crews.

Those who claimed a round one win see another win as the ideal opportunity to establish a break on their opponents; those who finished off the pace will be all out to prevent such a break.

It all adds up to a classic battle on the waters of Cleveland Bay this weekend. The tradewinds have been blowing across these waters at 20-30 knots last month, in recent days, during Sunferries Magnetic Island Yacht Race Week, the waters were smooth. On Sunday winds in the 15-20 knot range could eventuate which will take for some exciting racing conditions.

Powerboat-World will bring all the results and pix in all classes on Sunday afternoon.