NZ Offshore Powerboats Fighting Fit For Whitianga

PRESS RELEASE

2012 New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Series
Race Five - Whitianga - Sponsored by Whitianga Ice Supplies
Saturday 31st March 2012

NZ Offshore Powerboats Fighting Fit For Whitianga

Race Five of the New Zealand Offshore Powerboats takes place on Saturday 31st March at Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula.

It's halfway through the season and the excitement is building with almost every class title still up for grabs. Points are awarded in each class on a sliding scale, the winning boats are awarded 475 points, with the second placed boats getting 375 points and so on down the scale, 300, 244, 201, 170, 146. A boat that fails to complete the race is awarded only 75 points as a DNF, so all teams must now ensure they are careful to complete the full course or risk throwing a huge advantage to their opponents.

While 'Red Steel' driven by Tony Carson and Brooke Faulknor in the Superboat Lite class has made an impressive start on the season with four straight wins, the class has been disrupted with the demise of 'Espresso Engineers' at Napier. The boat driven by Mike Gerbic and Allan Branch landed badly resulting in serious hull damage which will take several weeks to repair, effectively putting them out of the running for the championship title. 'Red Steel' is sitting on 1900 points and at this stage has a clear lead from their only remaining competition 'Alimax' driven by Gordon Robinson and Andrew MacBeth, holding 1425 points. While 'Red Steel' look to be holding a relatively safe lead there is no room for errors, as a poor performance or, worse still, failing to finish any of the upcoming races will see 'Alimax' acquiring the valuable points needed to challenge for the top spot over the remaining races.

Adding to the excitement is the continuing battle between the Superboats with 'Fairview' driven by Warren Lewis and Andrew Koolen in the lead on 1800 points, with 'Fujitsu Better Heat' driven by Tony Coleman and Chris Hanley following uncomfortably close on 1600 points. Sitting in third place is 'Schick Hydro' driven by Scott Lewis and Murray Tuffin with 1200 points. With only 200 points separating the top two boats you can be sure the competition for the lead will be fierce.

Traditionally the race at Whitianga is spectacular with the boats sweeping close along the shoreline before hammering out against the ocean swells toward the island in the middle of the bay. This leg of the race always provides a challenge for the throttlemen who must keep the boat moving up the face of the wave, but throttle off as the boat flies through thin air before splashing down and accelerating toward the next incoming wave.

In most races a particular boat excels as it is set up to deal with the conditions of that particular venue, be it flat fast water or rough seas with large waves. This particular race has such a variety of conditions that a boat can make up a lot of ground by excelling in the corners, or having extra speed in a particular straight. Anyone wishing to make an impact on the leader in their class has to make their move this week, or risk slipping too far down the points table to have a chance at the title.

The smaller boats racing in the sixty mile race are always entertaining as they race closely, and change positions frequently during a race. In the Sports 60 restricted, the largest class this season, Mikey Smith in 'Konica Minolta' leads by over 600 points with two wins, a second and third placing. 'Auckland District Collections' and 'Total Oil' are battling for second place with only 48 points between them on 1000 and 952 points. Yeah Naa' lies in fourth place on 916 points, with Energizer fifth on 896, Thin Ice sixth on 775 points and CRD Automotive seventh on 638 points.

There will be added excitement for Glenn and Chris Powell who drive the Batboat 'Back2Bay6' in the Super 60 class with the return of Mike Gerbic in his Batboat 'Espresso Engineers'. As mentioned earlier Mike damaged his Superboat Lite by the same name at Napier, and is instead racing his championship winning Batboat from last year. While not able to take points in this class for the season, Mike will no doubt be keen to give the Powell's a run for their money and prove he hasn't forgotten how to drive this vastly different boat to victory.

The race can be viewed best from the foreshore at Buffalo Beach. Two races run simultaneously, a 100 mile race for the Superboat and Superboat Lite classes and a 60 mile race for the other classes. The race usually takes one hour and starts at 1.00pm.

The NZOPA would like to thank their Key Sponsor - Whitianga Ice Supplies, as well as their supporting sponsors; the Coastguard, Shell Whitianga, The Blacksmith Bar & Kitchen, Marina Park, Smitty's Bar & Grill, and Pub Charity for their support in making the Whitianga Race possible.

More information and updated championship points table can be found on the New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Association website www.nzoffshore.co.nz.

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