Corio Bay was a hive of activity over the weekend with Geelong playing host to the second round of the Australian Offshore Superboat Championships.
Powerboats and competitors from across the country took over Steampacket Gardens from Friday, March 25 to Sunday, March 27, with five races across three categories held on the Bay.
Competitors were met with calm conditions on the Bay, with the Sports 65 class the first to take to the water on Saturday afternoon.
Local Geelong team, Risky, was one of the strongest teams over the weekend, finishing second in both its races, behind winner Gigglin.
Team Risky driver Mark Swain said it was a positive weekend for the local team, which also included navigator Josh Bssong.
“It was good, it was a little bit flatter conditions than we would have liked, especially with this design of boat,” he said.
“Saturday was a good result for us, we were leading for most of the race and got a second, and [Sunday] we were outright second.
“There’s a little to improve on in cornering speeds, but we’re learning every day and having a blast.”
In the Sport 85 class, The Colonel looked to be on course for three straight victories in Geelong after it crossed the finish line in first place in Sunday morning’s second race, but a mechanical issue forced it out of the final race of the day after just two laps.
With The Colonel classified as third in the last race, it meant overall victory went to Mark Percherzewski and Amy Preston in Special Edition, after collecting two seconds and a win in the final race.
Mechanical issues also had a big impact in the results of the Supercat Outboard class.
Team Saracen was deprived of a clean sweep of the weekend’s three races, when a fuel injector failed seven minutes into the 20-minute race.
The failure allowed Team AMT to sail ahead and claim the win, after finishing second in both previous races.
Despite the challenge Team Saracen took the overall win for the weekend.
