Superboat Racing in the Super City!!

It was all action on the waters of Auckland Harbour today with the final of the Rayglass New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Championship. Crowds turned out and lined the foreshore to watch the exciting race with plenty of thrills for everyone as these powerful boats competed fiercely for the end of season titles.

In the Superboat Class all eyes were on the favourite 'Doosan' driven by Cary Gleeson and Sam Filmore of Auckland as they had to get a a second or third placing to ensure their win of both the Superboat Class Title and the 100 Mile Overall title. As expected the challenge was taken up by the Australian boat 'Team Three' who would have liked nothing better than to take the New Zealand title back to Australia with them. Doosan, however, would not give them a chance to get their hands on the trophies and raced hard to get in front and keep the titles in Kiwi hands.

The surprise return of Fairview was made even more astounding by their performance as they leapt away from the start and continued to extend their lead around the course, finishing well ahead of any other boats. Their win in Auckland sees them finishing third in the Superboat Class for the season. A1 Homes have improved their lap times and overall performance with almost every race this season and appeared to save the best for last, keeping Team Three on their toes for most of the race.

Racing in the Superboat Lite Class was also intense with NZ Blokes driven by Bob Smith and Andrew “Flea” Koolen concentrating on taking out the Class title, and no doubt battling their own nerves as the last time this boat raced in Auckland it flipped at Kauri point and had to be towed from the course. There were no problems for them this year and they cam home in first place to confirm their win for the season. Red Steel were second in this race and were fortunate to finish as they ran out of fuel after crossing the finish line. Doosan 2 or Little Doosan had a fantastic race and though a day entry and unable to qualify for points, will certainly be a force to reckon with for next season. Rayglass have had to deal with a number of problems this year after flipping their primary boat in Gisborne and finishing the season in their second boat. The team was up early in the morning completing gearbox repairs and the boat ran well.

Probably the most entertaining class racing was in the AB Marine Formula Hondas. These boys are not known to hold back and being the last race of the season with nothing to lose, they performed as expected – blasting round the course in leaps and bounds. Honda Marine and Rayglass were the boats to watch with only 144 points separating the two boats in the class championship. Rayglass took off and held on to the lead for the entire race. Honda Marine had to finish second to keep their top spot and, subject to a protest still to be resolved, may be successful in securing their position at the top of the table for the season. Auckland District Collections was also out to win a battle against Total Oil for third place in the season. With only 27 points separating the two boats, Auckland District Collections certainly made sure they secured their spot on the podium, finishing well ahead of their rivals.

In the Super60 Class, the entry of Mark Diggelmann Car Sales in his white “Batboat” added to the excitement. Mark has competed as a day entry at many of this seasons races and as a matter of pride had to beat Espresso Engineers who bought ,and now race his old boat. Espresso Engineers were able to relax as, with the season title already in their grasp they had nothing to prove. As expected however this was no excuse to go slow as Mike Gerbic and Dave Vazey took the 'Batboat' around the course in their usual full on flying style. 'Konica Minolta' driven by Greg Brinck and David King held nothing back as the boat leapt around the course, chasing hard to get a good finishing position, and coming in third.

This was the final race in what has been an action packed and dramatic season for the Rayglass NZ Offshore Powerboats. The crowds at each venue have grown and already plans are afoot for next year, with competitors contemplating the class they will race in, who they want to beat, and what kind of boat they can afford to run. There is also special interest in seeing if any other Australian boats are interested in competing next year as the entry of Team Three has added plenty of excitement this season, along with a lot of trans Tasman jokes.

Special thanks goes to Rayglass New Zealand who have sponsored the season for the year, Global Security the Auckland Sponsor, and AB Marine who have taken over the sponsorship of the Formula Honda Class, which has enabled the class to become a fully fledged part of the NZ Offshore Powerboat Association.
Event details and results are posted on the NZOPA website, www.nzoffshore.co.nz.