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[BOATS] Shark fast at Temora
by Sean Henshelwood
(Archived)
Very nearly success for Az U Do
Rnd#2 2009 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships
Lake Centenary, Temora, NSW
27-28 March, 2009
After a disappointing run at the opening round of the Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships, Az U Do Racing’s Greg ‘Crusty’ Mercier had a bit of homework to do between rounds, repairing and preparing the boat for Temora.
“The accident we had on Sunday morning in Melton fortunately didn’t make too much of a mess, but we can’t have the shark turning up to a race in any condition but perfect so we did some bodywork between rounds,” Crusty confirmed.
Whilst competitive through the qualifying heats, Greg admitted to just chasing setup and learning until the finals. “Peter Caughey has been out here this weekend giving me some valuable advice, and we’ve been playing a bit with the jet unit to try and tune it just that little bit better.
“Overall I’m pretty happy with our pace, this Moe [Moe Engines] engine has plenty of poke, all we need to do is just fine tune the boat for the top ten and we should be in with a shot..”
By finals time, Crusty had the silver shark well on song, and surprised even Caughey with his pace in the top ten. Just corners from home though with a series of splits that would have placed him in the final three (he was fastest to the second spilt), he clipped the bank and put himself out of contention. A serious racer at the best of times, many were surprised to see the popular Victorian grinning from ear to ear at the end..
“That was fun – lots of fun, I was flat from the start. I’d been working away at the perfect line all weekend, but the boat just wasn’t settled exactly the way I wanted it, but in that last run it was perfect. Yeah I missed out on a berth in the top three, but hey, that showed I still have the pace to mix it with the likes of Slade [Stanley] and Nathan [Pretty], so there’s plenty of hope. These Sprintec’s are the bomb..” he grinned.
The Az U Do Racing team now prepares for the third round of the 2009 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships scheduled for Griffith in central-western NSW over the Easter weekend (April 10-11).
You can catch all the action from round two of the 2009 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships on SBS Speedweek on April 5 (2:00pm EST - check guides) and on FOX Sports 'Inside Speed' on April 8 (8:30pm EST - check local guides for confirmation).
Az-U-Do Racing are proudly supported by; ACOL Creative Skylight Solutions, Moe Engines and 321 Ignition Magazine.
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2009 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships
International Group A (points after Rnd#2 of 5)
1. Slade Stanley (91), 2. Nathan Pretty (88), 3. Ted Sygidus (76), 4. Rohan Smith (75), 5. Tremayne Jukes (68), 6. Brooke Dixon (63), 7. Robert Colman (50), 8. Greg Mercier/Dorinda Mercier (46), 9. Darek Sygidus (39), 10. Daniel Walton (22), 11. Simon Zarb (18), 12. Greg Harriman (12), 12. Mick Manini (12), 14. Brendan Donnelly (10), 14. Shane Loughnan (10), 14. Darren Watkins (10), 14. Tony Whalan (10), 18. Kevin Laugesen (5), 18. Damien O’Leary
www.azudoracing.com.au
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