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[BOATS] Strong debut for Conti-Racer
by Sean Henshelwood
(Archived)
pic: Sean Henshelwood 321 Ignition
Strong debut for Conti-Racer at Melton
Rnd#1 2009 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships
McPherson Park, Melton, Victoria
7-8 March, 2009
“Don’t you get it dirty,” Chris Bollins warned Brooke Lucas as he set off for his first practice run in Conti-Racer, the reigning 350 Class champion joining the team for the season opener after failing to get his new boat prepared in time.
“I can’t thank John and Chris Bollins enough for offering me a chance to drive their new boat,” Lucas said. “All jokes aside, it takes a lot of confidence in a bloke to let him be involved in christening your new baby.. After driving it I can’t wait to get my new Stingray, hopefully it will be ready for Temora..”
Resplendent in the corporate colours of their major sponsor Continental Tyres, Conti-Racer was a real show-stopper in the glamour stakes, and it handled too.
Having arrived direct from Tremayne Jukes’ Stingray factory in Melbourne just a week prior, the team had struggled to be 100% ready for Melton after a few early hiccups putting the boat on the water in Queensland.
“They were just teething problems,” team-boss John Bollins admitted. “We’ll sort them out pretty quickly, it’s nothing serious.”
“I’m going to take it easy early,” Chris Bollins admitted prior to the opening qualifier. “The tracks’ pretty slippery and I don’t want to risk coming off, so we’ll ease ourselves into it by the finals.”
Experience was clearly playing a part in Conti’s debut with Lucas quickly up to speed although admittedly with some in reserve. “The boat feels strong,” Brooke smiled. “I’m not pushing too hard, but it feels nice. The salty bore water is keeping the nose up higher than we’d like, so we’ll work on that overnight and see what we can come up with.”
The modifications obviously worked as both Brooke and Chris crept their way into the top five at the close of qualifying, with Chris getting more comfortable with each run to actually top Brooke heading into the finals. Unfortunately though the teething problems returned with an intermittent electrical issue costing both drivers a time in the third qualifier.
“We’ve worked out what the problem is,” Brooke confirmed, “and to compensate we’ve had to dial some speed out of it, so we’ll see how we go in the top ten, but I’d expect we may miss the top three cut.”
Sadly for Brooke he was right, Chris recording a 53.363 for fifth, Brooke though topping his best time of the day to record a 52.841 which still only gave him fourth.
“It’s been a good debut for us,” Chris agreed. “The boat’s straight, we’ve got some valuable data and we have an idea of where we need to go to make it faster. I’m rapt and really looking forward to a solid year in the Continental Tyres Series.”
The Conti-Racer team now prepares for the second round of the 2009 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships scheduled for Temora in central-western NSW in three weeks time (March 27-28).
Round one of the 2009 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships will be televised on SBS Speedweek on March 22 (2:00pm EST - check guides) and repeated on FOX Sports 'Inside Speed' on March 25 (8:30pm EST - check local guides for confirmation).
Conti-Racer is proudly supported by; Continental Tyres, QTR Tyre Professionals, Tyres 4U, Loose Kid Industries, ANZ Wheels and Bandag.
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2009 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships
350 Class (points after Rnd#1 of 5)
1. Jake Garlick (49), 2. Mark Garlick (47), 3. Daniel James (39), 4. Jamie Taylor (35), 5. Brooke Lucas/Sally Penfold (31), 6. Chris Bollins/Aaron Morrisby (27), 7. Nathan Dickenson (26), 8. Darryl Squires (23), 8. Glenn Arundel (23), 10. Daryl Dickenson (15), 11. Robert Hallum (8), 12. David Blake (5), 12. Troy McKenzie (5)
www.v8superboats.com.au
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