Unlimited Displacement World titles approved for Australia

by Bob Wonders on 8 Jan 2010
The first-ever staging of the UIM (Union Internationale Motonautique, world governing body for powerboat racing) World Unlimited Displacement championships is set to take place in the uniquely-named New South Wales town of Gol Gol, on the banks of the mighty Murray River.

Described as one of powerboat racing's ‘best-kept secrets', Unlimited Displacement racing is a class that has gained a strong following in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Set for October 15, 16 and 17, the championships will feature the clash of Unlimited Displacement boats from Australia and New Zealand against the American K boats.

Fastwater Promotions, headed by former Australian Power Boat Association (APBA) national president, Tony Walsh and Angela Sawka, has been the driving force behind the establishment of the championships.

At the UIM General Assembly held in Australia on the Queensland Gold Coast Fastwater Promotions was named as the world-wide promoter for this and future championships.

Previously, Unlimited Displacement boats in Australia raced for the UIM World Cup as at the time the UIM did not recognise American K boats as being in the same class.

That has now changed and the top American, New Zealand and Australian boats will go head-to-head.

Although the Unlimited Displacement will be the centrepiece of the 2010 championships, two other classes will also be contested, 6.0-litre and Juniors.

Walsh expects at least six entries from the US and no less than three from New Zealand.

One man looking forward to the event is Tamworth's (Australia) Brian McCosker, proprietor of high-performance firm Liberty Speed.

McCosker is recognised as ‘world champion' in Unlimited Displacement having won the UIM World Cup in 2007.

'I'll be there with bells on,' McCosker declared, 'bring it on.'

The cup holder will be at the wheel of a new 18'4' Childs Play boat powered by a blown and injected small block engine lovingly hand-crafted by McCosker himself.

Small block indeed!

This powerhouse produces a massive 1686 horsepower.

In recent runs in Sydney, (AUS) McCosker ran a two-way course and topped out at better than 152mph.

Not surprisingly, many high performance boat racers call on McCosker's Liberty Speed for all their high-tech engine work.

Check out the company's website at www.libertyspeed.com

For further information on the UIM Unlimited Displacement World Championships, visit the official website, www.fastwater.com

A full list of competing teams as well as early bird discount ticket sales will be on the site shortly.

For those not familiar with Gol Gol, it is a tiny town on the New South Wales side of the Murray River, only six kilometres from the Victorian regional city of Mildura.

It boasts a population of only 1100.

Kayak tours, winery visits and the lovingly restored Gol Gol Hotel are among its attractions.