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[BOATS] Busy weekend at Maryborough for 321
by Sean Henshelwood
(Archived)
Busy weekend at Maryborough for 321Ignition
7 September, 2009
After a lengthy break since the Maryborough round of the Queensland Championship in June, the collective V8 Superboat teams were looking forward to the penultimate round of the national championship with great anticipation..
“It’s been too long,” 321Ignition’s Greg Harriman, the President of the Australian Formula Jet Sprint Association (AFJSA) acknowledged. “Some of us have been full tilt into the promotion of the forthcoming world championships [scheduled for Australia this November], so it doesn’t seem quite as long, but it’s nice to stop thinking about work and get back behind the wheel.”
For Harriman and navigator Adam Doyle, Maryborough presented yet another opportunity to test new modifications to the boat.
“We’ve made a lot of serious changes this year, and all of them have improved the boat, but we’re still not where we need to be to challenge for a permanent position inside the top ten,” Harriman admitted.
“This time round we’ve got a brand new exhaust system and purpose built mufflers from Adrenaline, so we’re hopeful of another step up in performance.”
Whilst performance was clearly the intention of the new system, the twin vertical stacks certainly turned heads sitting on the trailer.. “It looks good, now let’s see what it does on track..”
The opening qualifiers suggested that the team had made further gains, with 321Ignition well inside the top ten by the closing day of competition. Day two however saw Harriman and Doyle drop outside the ten, although their pace appeared more of a reflection of Greg’s position as the figurehead of the sport than it did of the outright pace of the boat.
Whilst he wouldn’t admit it, consistent interuptions throughout the day broke whatever chance he had of concentrating on preparing either himself or his boat for an ongoing assault on the leaderboard..
“It’s okay,” was a regular reply to anyone asking how they were going, but it was clear the burden of turning the sport into a professional outfit was taking its toll. Never one to admit the effect this had on his ability behind the wheel, it was clear his mind wasn’t 100% on the job at hand, a sad reflection of the toll of improving the sport for the masses.. “Someone has to do it,” he’d grin.. “True, but his selfless actions were doing nothing to improve his pace..
In the end, despite further improvement, Greg and Adam just missed the top ten, although the margin in the end was just over a second.. “There’s no question the boat is getting better every time out,” he nodded.
“The new pipes [exhaust] looked good and the performance of the boat was better, I think the next step is horsepower because from what I can tell we’re well down on some of the other guys around us, but well within matching them for pace; the team’s at the front though have a clear horsepower advantage, so that will be the next step, hopefully before the world championships.”
The Continental Tyres Superboat Championships now heads to the final round of the championship at Cabarita on September 19-20 for what promises to be one of the most exciting races on recent record.
You can catch all the action from the 2009 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships on SBS Speedweek and FOX Sports 'Inside Speed' (check local guides and keep an eye on www.v8superboats.com.au for dates and times).
321Ignition Racing is proudly supported by; 321Ignition Magazine, Brumby’s, Parish Automotive, ACE Truck Bodies, SKIN Industries Pickering Smash Repairs, Meridian Motorsport, Adrenaline R and Phicom Extreme Communication.
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2009 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships
International Group A (400 Class)
Championship points (points after five rounds of six*)
1. Slade Stanley (235), 2. Rohan Smith (197), 3. Ted Sygidus (182), 4. Brooke Dixon (175), 5. Greg Mercier (154), 6. Nathan Pretty (133), 7. Tremayne Jukes (151), 8. Robert Colman (130), 9. Darek Sygidus (96), 10. Daniel Walton (72), 11. Mick Manini (38), 12. Rodney Krause (31), 13. Shaun Dixon (26), 14. Greg Harriman/Adam Doyle (25), 15. Simon Zarb (15), 16. Tony Whalan (15), 17. Darren Watkins (15), 18. Kevin Laugesen (15), 19. Chris Bollins (13), 20. Shane Loughnan (10), 21. Kieran Krause (10), 22. Geoff Kunkel (10), 23. Brendan Donnelly (7), 24. Darryl Squires (5)
* championship points are calculated from the best five point scoring rounds (of six)
www.321ignitionmag.com
www.v8superboats.com.au
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