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[BOATS] AUS#2 for BTS Racing
by Sean Henshelwood
BTS Racing crowned AUS#2
Rnd#6 2009 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships
Round Mountain Road, Cabarita Beach, NSW
21 September, 2009
After a frustrating run in the penultimate round of the championship at Maryborough just two weeks prior and an equally frustrating visit to the same venue more than two months before that for the Queensland state round, Rohan Smith must have been welcoming a change of scenery…
“We had a hell of a run at Maryborough,” he grinned in frustration. “Last time out we discovered an electrical issue which forced us to take the boat back to Melbourne in an effort to trace it for this all important final points round. Nothing really stood out as an issue, so we’ve replaced what is deemed critical, and actually disconnected things like the MoTeC [data logging system] until we can ascertain that it or any of the other ancillaries aren’t responsible.”
With a championship on the line, it was clear from the opening qualifying session that the pace was going to be hot, and for BTS Racing, round two proved to be just that!
“We made some jet unit mods and it appears the water line to the engine has come loose as a result, and we cooked the engine. It’s still going, but I think we’ve probably stretched the rings a bit. Brian [Cassar, Moe Engines] is here fortunately this weekend, so I’ll get him to have a look and see if there’s anything he can do.”
Sadly for Smith there was no quick fix, so he was forced to run as quick but as conservatively as he could over the remaining rounds.
Behind the impressive pace of Slade Stanley, the chasing pack was covered by less than a second, with as many as nine or ten drivers fighting tooth and nail for the final podium positions.
Heading into the final qualifying round Smith had managed to get within reach of the final podium step and elected to go for broke; his lap, a 44.164 qualifying him an impressive fourth, just behind new teenage sensation Shaun Dixon, whilst arch-rival Ted Sygidus went the wrong way.
His top ten run too was an improvement, 43.983, but it almost came at the cost of his boat.
“I had a huge moment on the final run to the line,” Smith admitted. “I was cutting every corner as fine as I could, and almost cut the final corner that little bit too much, it was a real handful to pull up and for a split second I thought I was in real trouble. In the end that was all I had, I couldn’t go any quicker, but it just wasn’t good enough to make the podium…”
Despite posting his best time of the weekend, Smith and Dyball missed a podium opportunity by almost a second after old foe Brooke Dixon turned in a blinder for third in the closing stages. Whilst they may have missed an event trophy, the Melbourne duo managed to hang on to the runner up position in the championship after Ted Sygidus suffered one of his most lacklustre results for the season.
“After we cooked the engine I was pretty worried that we’d handed Ted the championship runner up spot,” Smith admitted, “but we were lucky that he had such a tough run because it really took the pressure off. That said, like Ted, if I’d approached the final rounds like I’d started the year, which is predominantly down to the performance of the engine, then I think we could have been putting Slade under a bit more pressure.
“For now we’ll send the engine back to Moe and see what Brian can find, see what we need to do to find that edge, and be back to challenge for another world title, it’s been a while between drinks!!”
With the Australian championships now over, focus now turns to the internationally sanctioned world championships in November, with round one at Temora (NSW) on November 21-22 and round two at Melton (Victoria) just one week later (November 28-29). For the BTS Racing team, they will be hoping to return to the top step of the podium to emulate Rohan’s 1998 world championship title.
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).
BTS Racing are proudly supported by; Bearing & Transmission Supplies, Starlite Powder Coating, Complete Welding Hire & Sales, Pura Metals and Valvoline.
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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/Owen Dyball (197), 3. Ted Sygidus (183), 4. Brooke Dixon (182), 5. Greg 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)
www.v8superboats.com.au
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