Rayglass-backed NZ Offshore Powerboat series fires up in Taupo

by Kate Gordon on 21 Jan 2010
On Sunday 31 January, the spectacular sights and sounds of a big field of offshore powerboats at full speed will delight the thousands of people visiting Lake Taupo during Auckland anniversary weekend.

Cary Gleeson, president of the New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Association (NZOPA) said the race was a traditional highlight of the summer holiday season.

'This season we're expecting some seriously good racing action with a strong field confirmed for most classes of our popular Rayglass Boats-sponsored series,' says Gleeson, who anticipates several more entries for the eight-round championship to be confirmed before Taupo's opening round.

The 2010 season calendar comprises events in Taupo (31 January), Gisborne (6 February), Gulf Harbour (20 February), Napier (6 March), Wellington (27 March), Whitianga (10 April), Marsden Cove outside Whangarei (24 April) with the final round in Auckland (8 May).

'My gut feeling is that it's going to be a cracker of a season,' says Gleeson. 'We started off on the right foot with Rayglass Boats confirming – and extending – their support of the series. We certainly appreciate their involvement and it's particularly pleasing in these economic conditions to be able to work with a great sponsor like Rayglass, offering value to their brand through its association with our long-running championship.'

The Superboat and Superboat Lite classes, with a top speed of 110 to 120 mph, contest a 100-mile course, while the Super 60, Sport 60, Sport 60 Restricted, Classic and Formula Honda class runs a 60-mile course. The Sport and Classic classes have a top speed of 80 to 100 mph, while the Formula Hondas can run at up to 60 mph, depending on conditions.

For the first time in a couple of years, four of the impressive Superboats are already confirmed for the series.

'While reigning Superboat champions Tony Coleman and Chris Hanley of ‘Cure Kids' have not entered...yet, the battle between ‘Fairview Windows and Doors', ‘A1 Homes', an Australian Superboat ‘Team3' and what was ‘Sleeyhead' now renamed ‘Doosan' is expected to be fast and furious,' says NZOPA's expert race commentator Jamie McCarthy.

‘Fairview Windows and Doors' will again be campaigned by Aucklander Warren Lewis on the throttles with a new driver, Steve Whitford, alongside. Twin 525 HP MerCruiser V8 engines power the US-built, 35-foot Doug Skater-design catamaran, making it is a top example of a closed-cockpit powerboat. During the off-season, ‘Fairview' set a new record for the Auckland Harbour Bridge to Great Barrier Island run (one hour and six minutes for the 180km trip) and a new flying kilo time trial record with a top speed of 219 kph (136.85 mph).

Fellow Aucklanders Scott Lewis, Warren's brother, and Murray Tuffin again contest the 32-foot ‘A1 Homes' while long-time Superboat competitor Craig Archer, from Whangaparaoa, and Australian driver Steve Nugent have special dispensation to race the Australian-spec 32-foot Victory catamaran ‘Team 3' – it's slightly wider than NZOPA rules allow. The pair was seventh in the 2009 Australian Offshore Championship.

Gleeson and driver Sam Fillmore have contested the Superboat Lite class in recent years in a 28-foot Skater, but the decision to run the championship-winning ‘Sleepyhead' and move up to the main Superboat class with the 34-foot Phantom is an exciting challenge for the pair.

The Superboat Lite class sees entries from reigning class champions Kelly and Grant Smith, the daughter and father team from Wellington, in ‘Rayglass' and the ‘Barracuda Kayaks' team of Gordon Robinson and Andrew MacBeth. Bob Smith and ‘Flea' Koolen, from Akld in ‘NZ Blokes', formerly ‘Family Boats', also return to this closed-cockpit class in their re-engined 28-foot Skater. Napier's Tony Carson and Craig Parsons have bought and rebuilt ‘Placemakers'. With new outboards, rather than inboard engines, and renamed ‘Red Steel', this will be the fourth entry in the Superboat Lite class.

The Super 60 boats are the largest of the open cockpit racing craft and reigning class champions Greg Brinck and Eldon Archer, from Auckland, return in a refreshed ‘Konica Minolta'. Improvements to the trim tabs and a new 2010 model Evinrude 250HO-E-Tec outboard should set ‘Konica' up for a good season. The ‘Espresso Engineers' team of Mike Gerbic and Dave Vazey are back with a more powerful Mercury-engine on their 23-foot Ocke Mannerfelt boat.

The Sports 60 class sees ‘Stealth' with her Wellington driver Tim Fellows returning to contest class honours against ‘V Max Yamaha', formerly ‘Bryant Marine', being run by Aucklanders Graham Pike and Bevan Antonelli. At this stage, ‘MarineWorkz', driven by Jono Hanley and Steve Huntingford, is the only Sports 60 Restricted class entrant.

This season the AB Marine Formula Honda Offshore category class includes the reigning class champion Mike Urquhart, from Whangaparaoa, in ‘Districts Collections 2' and Aucklanders Mike Knight and Yale Pook in ‘Honda Marine'. James Taylor and Shannon Thickpenny team up in ‘Total Oil', formerly ‘Electropar'. Wellingtonian Mike Smith, Kelly's brother, drives ‘Rayglass' and Aucklanders Colin and Zane Dunn return in ‘CRD Automotive' along with Glen and Chris Powell in ‘Back to Bay6'. Brent Oldfield, from Auckland, enters with ‘Mothers Marine', the original ‘Konica Minolta'. ‘California Boats', formerly ‘Building Solutions' has been entered by Glen Reid.

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The New Zealand offshore powerboats put on an extremely successful series,' adds McCarthy. 'Spectator numbers at each event number in the thousands and we're looking forward to this season being another step up from last year.

'I believe this is one of the best supported domestic powerboat racing championships in the world, and we are very fortunate to have one of the very best marine safety crews I've ever seen in action. The guys from Marine Paramedical Services have absolutely brilliant safety procedures; they bring a huge amount to the whole series.'

The Taupo event kicks off with a ‘meet the drivers and crew' gathering at Pub ‘n' Grub on Roberts Street from 7pm on Saturday 30 January.

With boats and crews based on the reserve in front of Taupo's Suncourt Motel, Saturday's action starts with the ‘Formula Offshore' celebrity sprint race at 11:30am before the 1pm start of ‘Thunder on the Great Lake'. Children's entertainment will be provided from 10:30am.

'There's excellent viewing from the Lake Terrace foreshore,' says Gleeson. 'It's slightly elevated and has excellent views of the whole L-shaped course which runs along the main lakefront, out to Four Mile Bay and back again. The team tents, caravan, commentator and food caravans will all be here, and depending on conditions, the race is normally completed within one hour.'

Prize-giving takes place at 7pm at The Clubhouse on Roberts Street with all welcome.

NZOPA also thanks Destination Lake Taupo, AB Marine Services, LiquorKing, LavaRock Café, MarineWorkz, Pub ‘n' Grub, The Lion Foundation, Marine Paramedical Services, YouthTown and the Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board for supporting this event.

Further event details and results are posted on the NZOPA website, www.nzoffshore.co.nz.