City loses national race as business ‘pulls plug’

Andrew Mathieson
A national speedboat race could be lost to Geelong after organisers pulled this year’s event over a sponsorship dispute.
Australian Offshore Power-boat Club said a lack of interest from Geelong businesses forced the transfer of last weekend’s Corio Bay leg to Williamstown.
But Geelong’s council said boat show officials at the rival venue had made a financial offer that was “too good to refuse”.
Powerboat club secretary Antony De Fina said Geelong had failed to come up with financial support between $40,000 and $50,000 to keep the nationally televised event.
Organisers forced the Geelong race to lobby for sponsorship last year for the first time since the event arrived at Corio Bay in 2002.
“This was our decision. We were just looking for the right funding we needed to get the event off the ground,” Mr De Fina said.
“Unfortunately, for this season we didn’t have a series sponsor who (previously) managed to help out with the TV coverage.
“This time around we’ve had to look at event’s sponsors per event, so we were looking for a bit more help, whether it was from council or local businesses.”
Mr De Fina said the race would be shown on free-to-air and pay television in Australia to guarantee national exposure for the host city.
A spokesperson for the club’s chairman, Paul Gibbs, said a conflict of dates with a Royal Geelong Yacht Club was also a factor in the cancellation of the Geelong event.
Shifting the race to another date would have clashed with a Melbourne boating and lifestyle show at the Docklands, the spokesperson said.
The Williamstown Offshore Powerboat Classic instead hosted two of the calendar’s seven rounds.
A City spokesperson said council was keen to host the race again after several powerboat owners and drivers had repeatedly labelled Corio Bay one of the best venues in Australia.