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[BOATS] Shark takes QLD #1!!
by Sean Henshelwood
Shark returns to form with QLD#1
FINAL 2009 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships
Cabarita Beach, NSW
21 September, 2009
After a less than auspicious start to the 2009 season, Greg and Dorinda Mercier were champing at the bit to get to the final round of the national championships and were on pretty hot form with their two most recent rounds providing podiums.
“I think we could do alright this weekend,” Greg ‘Crusty’ Mercier grinned.
“The performance of the boat was pretty sharp at Maryborough, but we’ve dialed in some more power and I’ve had a play with the jet unit, so we should be able to get a little bit closer to Slade, and who knows…”
From opening practice Crusty’s summation of the weekend was pretty accurate, the reigning AUS#2 holding down P2 behind Stanley from the outset, but with almost two seconds the void between them, it was clear that only mechanical issues for Stanley would allow ‘the shark’ through for victory…
“And even then, we’d offer Slade a run in the boat if anything went wrong with his,” Crusty lamented, “so it’s pretty unlikely we’ll make the top step, but we’re looking good for second!”
Typically the Merciers are quick to jump to assist drivers that are left short of a ride, and Cabarita was no different, Crusty first making the offer to reigning Group A champion Phonsy Mullan after the Triple X pilot suffered a pre event engine failure, putting him out of the title chase. Whilst quick to accept the ride in one of the fastest Group A boats in the world, Mullan’s run was short lived after he admitted to struggling to come to grips with a seating position set up for someone much taller than him.
“It was a fantastic offer,” Mullan admitted, “but it was too dangerous in the end, I just couldn’t reach the loud pedal easily and I was too reclined, so it was better to call it quits.”
Mullan wasn’t the only driver to be offered a run in ‘Az U Do’, Kryptonite Racing’s Damien O’Leary also given a run on Sunday morning after his boat suffered mechanical failure, although like Mullan, O’Leary wasn’t 100% comfortable so he too elected to jump out leaving the Crusty’s to tackle Stanley alone.
Heading into Sunday morning’s final qualifiers, Crusty was in high spirits, and with former champion Ken Kesper and engine guru Brian Cassar on hand, felt he had the team to do the job, although he was almost down one navigator after wife Dorinda suffered a sinus infection overnight and started the day a little worse for wear. “She’s right,” Crusty grinned, “a couple of runs around the islands and she’ll be as good as new!”
Fortunately for them both, he was right, and a quick run backwards up the bank in the fourth qualifier whilst in the spin out pool showed that Mrs Crusty still had her sense of humour… “You idiot,” she laughed, “I thought you were going to drown me…” Followed by much laughter…
By the close of qualifying Crusty had indeed held on to second place, but was still more than a second and a half down on Stanley, but holding a half second advantage over old foe Brooke Dixon.
Despite his advantage Crusty put in a stunning lap in the top ten to be within 1.2 seconds of Stanley; his time almost a second faster than his best. “I’m finding those apexes okay now,” he grinned in trademark fashion.
Against Stanley and Dixon in the final three, Crusty was forced to dig deep again after Brooke again found half a second, her time just six one hundredths slower than Crusty’s top ten pace.
“He’s going to have o find something here,” Kenny Kesper admitted with drawn breath.
With bragging rights and retaliation on the line for past defeats Crusty put down his best lap of the weekend to seal the result and force his nemesis back to third.
“There wasn’t much left in that,” he admitted afterwards, and the MoTeC throttle trace drew witness to that, 100% throttle start to finish…
“If only we’d started the weekend this way we’d have been right for a series podium too,” he lamented later, although there was some reward for his recent results, his points haul from Cabarita providing him with enough points to claim the Queensland Group A title.
“Oh my gawd, I’ve finally won something,” he laughed at presentation.
Despite having completed the rebuild on his recently acquired injected alloy 500 cubic-inch Unlimited Superboat engine, Crusty admits that he wants to complete the season the way he started it.
“Look, the reality is that short of a natural disaster, Slade [Stanley] should be the world champion this year, but wouldn’t it be nice to go out of the class as world #2, wouldn’t be a bad addition to the resume of an old bloke…”
With the Australian championships now over, focus now turns to the internationally sanctioned world championships this November in Australia, with round one at Temora (NSW) on November 21-22 and round two at Melton (Victoria) just one week later (November 28-29).
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). Also visit www.speedweek.com.au for clips of previous events.
Az-U-Do Racing are proudly supported by; ACOL Creative Skylight Solutions, Moe Engines and 321Ignition Magazine.
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2009 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships
International Group A (400 Class)
Championship points (points after six rounds of six*)
1. Slade Stanley (243), 2. Rohan Smith (197), 3. Ted Sygidus (183), 4. Brooke Dixon (182), 5. Greg Mercier/Dorinda Mercier (181), 6. Tremayne Jukes (154), 7. Robert Colman (134), 8. Nathan Pretty (133), 9. Darek Sygidus (105), 10. Daniel Walton (78), 11. Shaun Dixon (59), 12. Mick Manini (40), 13. Rodney Krause (31), 14. Chris Bollins (27), 15. Greg Harriman (25), 16. Kevin Laugenson (20), 17. Simon Zarb (15), 18. Tony Whalan (15), 19. Darren Watkins (15), 20. Geoff Kunkel (15), 21. Shane Loughnan (10), 22. Kieren Krause (10), 23. Darryl Squires (10), 24. Brendan Donnelly (7)
* championship points are calculated from the best five point scoring rounds (of six)
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www.v8superboats.com.au
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