New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Series 'Thunder under the Bridge'

by Cathy Vercoe on 8 Apr 2011 The Rayglass New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Racing Series round seven is taking place this Saturday 9th April on Auckland Harbour. The race starts at 11am.

Auckland has always been one of the showcase venues for the New Zealand Offshore Powerboats, and with so many of the teams Auckland based there are always plenty of crowds to witness the spectacle of these huge and noisy boats thundering up the Auckland Harbour at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.

Two races take place simultaneously, a 60 mile race for the Classic, Super 60, Sports Restricted and Honda boats, and a 100 mile race for the Superboats and Superboat Lites.

Conditions this year are predicted to be almost pond-like providing an incredibly fast playing field for the superboats or 'Skaters' which have endured some incredibly close battles over the last few races. Work has gone on into the night as the teams prepare their boats, with Schick Hydro in particular spending long hours replacing the outdrives that were ripped so spectacularly from their boat when they spun out at Marsden Cove two weeks ago. Team Doosan have also been busy repairing damage inflicted when they stopped suddenly and reversed to assist Schick Hydro who were taking on water after their spin.

While Fairview look set to win the Superboat class this season with five wins, the Auckland race is bound to be closely fought with all four of the Superboat Teams racing for pride in front of their home crowds. Throughout the season the boats have proven to be competitive, at times nearly touching as they race each other up the straights. So much depends on the skill of the crew, with one on throttles and the other steering. Communication and strategy are paramount, as the driver is always looking for the next mark and trying to find the best line, while the throttleman concentrates on the waves directly ahead of the boat, ensuring the smoothest ride to the next mark by controlling the acceleration over the waves.
In the points table so far this season Fairview Windows & Doors driven by Warren Lewis and Chris Hanley of Auckland have 2750pts. Doosan driven by Cary Gleeson and Sam Fillmore of Auckland are on 1975pts, with Profloors driven by Wayne Valder and Richard Shores from Auckland on 1500pts and Schick Hydro driven by Scott Lewis and Murray Tuffin of Auckland on 1238pts.

In the Superboat Lites 'NZ Blokes' driven by Bob Smith and Andrew 'Flea' Koolen have a clear lead and would have to be non-starters to miss out on their second consecutive NZ title. They sit at the top of the Superboat Lite table with 2850 points. 'Red Steel' driven by Tony Carson and Brook Faulkner have 2175 points, and 'Barracuda Kayaks' 1050 points.

In the 60 mile classes 'Konica Minolta' has a clear hold of the Classic Class title after six straight wins and look set on making a clean sweep for the season, assuring them of the 60 mile race overall title as well. This class has been made more interesting with the racing of Topaz - a true classic in that it has been restored back to it's original condition, even using the original engine which has shown itself capable of plenty of speed.

Auckland District Collections has run two boats this season, one in the Sports Restricted Class and the other in the Honda Class. The 2010 Honda champion Mikey Knight is leading in the Sports 60 Restricted Class on 2750 points with Jono Hanley second on 2350 in 'Marineworkz'. Mike Urquhart and James Downs in the Honda 'Auckland District Collections 2' lead the Honda class with 2750 points. The four other boats in this class are Rayglass driven by Mikey Smith and Bobby Lloyd on 2200 points, James Taylor and Shannon Thickpenny in 'Total Oil' on 1894 points, 'CRD Automotive' driven by Colin and Corey Dunn on 1351 points and 'The Gambler' driven by Grant and Kelly Smith on 1052 points.

In the Super 60 there is keen competition between the two batboats, 'Espresso Engineers' raced by Mike Gerbic and Dave Vazey, and 'Back2Bay6' driven by father and son team Glenn and Chris Powell. 'Back2Bay6' missed three races after a collision at Maraetai in which they sustained serious hull damage. Though out of the running for the class title the team are still keen to show 'Espresso Engineers' that the contest isn't over yet, so expect plenty of speed and spray from these two boats.

The teams are all looking forward to the Auckland race and anyone with the ability to drive, walk, run or crawl to the waterfront should definitely make the effort to witness what promises to be a truly exciting event. The boats will be racing over a circuit course from the Hilton, up under the bridge to Kauri Point and back down under the bridge to complete either 60 miles for the smaller boats or 100 miles for the larger superboats in one hour. There are plenty of places to view the race, particularly along the Curran St entrance to Westhaven, Along the front of the Ponsonby and Richmond Yacht Clubs, The Tank Farm, and the end of Princes Wharf where the boats turn by the Hilton.

The NZ Offshore Powerboat Association hold a family oriented event and are happy to talk to anyone who has questions about the boats and the way they are raced. The NZ Offshore Powerboat tents and Headquarters will be set up in the grass reserve by Hacketts Bungy Jumping Centre under the Harbour Bridge. This is sometimes referred to as Westpark Reserve or Pt Erin Reserve. Some of the boats will be on display both before and after the race and it's free to wander around the 'pit' area, and to watch the race from the foreshore or other vantage points. Please note that Curran St will be closed to traffic so spectators are advised to use Westhaven Drive and park in Westhaven or park on other nearby streets.

The NZOPA would like to thank Westhaven Marina, JFC, Pier 21, Global Securities, Swashbucklers and Energizer for their support in making the Auckland race possible.

They also acknowledge the ongoing support of the series sponsors Rayglass.

More information and updated championship points table can be found on the NZOPA website