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[V8SB] Triple X take title #2!
by Sean Henshelwood
Teddy takes the title…
FINAL (Rnd#5) Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships
Hi-Tec Oils Park, Temora, NSW
30-31 October, 2010
They came, they saw, they conquered, but they didn’t make it straight forward..
Triple X started the 2010 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships as firm favourites for the International Group A (400 Class) title, yet despite dominating the opening round (funnily enough at the very same venue – Temora), they almost looked to be doing everything in their power to avoid winning the championship with a litany of ‘little’ issues during the middle of the season…
“Yeah, I dunno,” Group A team-leader Ted Sygidus admitted sheepishly prior to the season final. “There was a whole group of different reasons why we’ve found ourselves in this position heading into the final round of the season.. we should have had it in the bag by now, but I guess that’s the lesson, we’ll just have to work our backsides off this weekend and make sure we’ve got everything right.”
Heading into the final round of the championship, it was Ted’s younger brother Darek who led the adjusted series points alongside fellow world #2, Brooke Dixon, the fastest woman in the world and the season long nemesis of the Triple X duo. Ted held down second, just four points in arrears alongside 2002 national champion Rohan Smith, with experienced Mildura veteran Rob Colman two points further back in fifth. With 60 points up for grabs at the final round, it was by no means over, the first combatant to blink would be the first one out of the title race; it was pressure at the highest level…
The round started with the now traditional DASH 4 CASH, sponsored at Temora by none other than Triple X’s very own SGA Engineering. They may have put up the cash, but by the close of the day, they had most of it back, with Ted taking the win (38.870) over Dezi by just 0.228 seconds with Jake Garlick a further four tenths further back in third.
“That’s a great start to the weekend, but it’s tomorrow that counts,” Ted quipped. “We’re driving well, the boat is strong and the setup is spot on - we just need to maintain that tomorrow and we’re right.”
After less than perfect conditions saw steady rain fall throughout most of Saturday’s competition, Sunday dawned fine and the Triple X team managed to maintain status quo at the top of the timetable, the only glitch on the radar coming in the final qualifying session when Brooke Dixon dropped Darek to third after a strong run in the True Blue Racing machine.
At the close of the three qualifying rounds though, Ted’s victories had moved him to within two points of Darek and one point of Brooke Dixon… it would all come down to the finals.
Despite falling at the final hurdle at a couple of crucial points during the year, Ted held strong through the top 12 and the top six, to be top qualifier going into the final, by a massive (in Group A terms), seven tenths of a second. Darek too remained strong, going into the final in second, but he was just a tenth clear of Dixon who had dropped well back in the top 12.
Ted was out first in the final, setting a blistering 38.192 – not his fastest time of the day, but still quicker than any of his opponents. Brooke Dixon dug deep, and the Triple X boys held their breath as she typically turned in one of her fastest runs of the weekend; 38.919. Cheers came from the Melton based team as Darek saddled up for the final run. At worst Ted would be second to his brother, at best, he would turn around what had been a less than perfect championship assault and take the title.
Dezi’s run was flawless, his time – 38.583, good enough for second, but despite heading into the final two points clear of his older brother, Ted came out on top, by just a single point at the close of five grueling rounds…
“We worked bloody hard for that,” Ted beamed afterwards. “We stuffed up in the middle of the year after a strong start where we destroyed everyone. Full marks to Brooke though, we threw everything we had at her, and she still pushed us all the way to the final race of the year. To do a 38 around here under that kind of pressure marks her as one of the best in the world, but for us, it’s party time baby – Triple X rules…”
“It was Teddy’s year,” Darek Sygidus admitted with a smile afterwards. “We’re all about team and family, so to come out with a second championship title in three years and place one-two in the Australian championships is about as good as it gets. I’m really happy with today’s result, and like Ted, I thank Brooke for pushing us all the way to the final, it was a fantastic race and she drove brilliantly.”
Whilst the Group A team celebrated the 2010 championship win, 2008 title holder and Triple X head man Phonsy Mullan was going after the toughest title in the world, an Unlimited Superboat victory.
After a mixed season with his procharged 427ci Chev package, the GM Motorsport principal elected to try something completely different for Temora’s final round, putting together a twin-turbo 427 Chev in time for the final, much to the surprise and awe of the Superboat paddock.
“It’s funny in a way,” Mullan admitted during Friday night’s scrutineering session, “our original plan when we started down the Unlimited path was to run a twin-turbo setup, because we were doing a lot of work with them at GM Motorsport, but we eventually decided to run with the procharger because that gave us some valuable insights for our road car and drag racing customers. To say it was an eventful experience would be an understatement, but to finish that project with a bulletproof package capable of over 1800bhp was of great value to us, but it created difficulties in other areas. Whilst we were busy chasing our tails making the engine work, we were losing valuable time setting up the boat and the jet unit. We probably went down the wrong track a few times with setup and that really cost us.
“I wouldn’t say we were disappointed, because from a business perspective it has been incredibly valuable, but from a drivers perspective, it has been extremely frustrating.
“We only decided at the last minute to put the twin-turbo package together and with great assistance from Bill (navigator Bill Biggin) and Jody Ely (amongst other things a whizz on fabricating headers and pipes), we pieced it together in about three weeks.
“It probably has about 1100bhp, but it’s a lot quieter and the power delivery isn’t quite as violent, there’s also a bit of a weight saving.. But, we’re back to the start again and have to record as much data as we can this weekend so that we can use it to start off season 2011 with a chance of outright victory. I’m excited, I reckon it will be a real contender next year and I’m really looking forward to giving Dean Finch a shake..”
Against arguably the strongest field outside of a world championship (and quite possibly EVER), Phonsy was up against it from the outset, but still completed the SGA Engineering DASH 4 CASH inside the top ten and just under a second off the pace of title contender Slade Stanley.
“It’s a handful,” Phonsy admitted at the close of the day. “I probably expected that because we didn’t get any time on the water to try things, so the jet unit is the same as it was for the procharged engine and I think there’s a lot there we need to change, but don’t have the data nor the spares we need to do the job just yet. We’ll battle on and see how we come up tomorrow.”
Typically Phonsy improved the boat with each session and was classified fourth at the close of the three qualifiers. He improved marginally again by the close of the top 12 final, and maintained his fourth place position heading into the top six.
Sadly though, that would be it for the RAMJET team, Phonsy failing to record a time after coming out of the water in the closing stages of the lap.
“In part I was surprised we came that far,” Phonsy grinned post race. “We discovered from the Motec data that we were getting such great back pressure from the jet unit, that it was actually blowing back out of the grille and making the back of the boat very unstable. It was wild ride, and every lap we came back through the cross-wash I expected we’d get thrown sideways, but it wasn’t until the final run that it grabbed me. I very nearly got it back, but it got caught on the last little bit of the bank.
“It’s okay, the engine’s fine and we’re okay, but boy it was a crazy ride. The good thing now though is we’ve worked out what the drama was, and now we can go away and rectify it for the next event.”
As ever, you can catch all the action from the 2010 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships on SBS Speedweek and Speed Channel’s [Foxtel] 'Inside Speed' (check local guides and keep an eye on www.v8superboats.com.au for dates and times).
Triple X will now start planning for the seven round 2011 Tyreright Australian Superboat Championships which will kick off at home at Melton on March 26-27, however before then there is a state title to be decided at Melton, with the Victorian Superboat championships scheduled for December 5.
From there it’s Christmas, and heading into the festive season, all at Triple X Racing would like to wish their friends and associates at GM Race Engines, GM Motorsport, SGA Engineering, RAMJET, Ripshift, D.G. Parsons Transport, Gill Engineering, Sign Perfection, Showcase Constructions, Leggett Crane Hire, Tom Matthews Accounting and Big Benna Events all the best and thanks for their ongoing support.
“Without them we couldn’t do it,” Darek Sygidus acknowledged, “and to them go our sincere thanks, this is their championship as much as ours. Now it’s 2011 and we’ll get the chance to do it all over again, only this time, it’s my turn!”
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2010 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships
Rnd#5, Temora NSW
October 31
Unlimited Superboat
1. Dean Finch (60 points)
2. Slade Stanley (53)
3. Dary Hutton (52)
4. Jamie Welch (45)
5. Phonsy Mullan (41)
6. Greg Mercier (40)
7. Andrew Page (34)
8. Mick Carroll (30)
9. Peter Freckleton (28)
10. Jody Ely (26)
11. Cheryl Welch (24)
12. Paul Burgess (23)
13. Adam Raverty (16)
International Group A (400 Class)
1. Ted Sygidus (60 points)
2. Darek Sygidus (54)
3. Brooke Dixon (51)
4. Jake Garlick (47)
5. Rohan Smith (41)
5. Daniel Walton (41)
7. Mark Garlick (32)
8. Robert Colman (30)
9. Tremayne Jukes (29)
10. Greg Harriman (26)
11. Damian O’Leary (24)
12. Rodney Krause (21)
13. Louise Dixon (13)
14. Peter Monger (11)
15. Brooke Lucas (10)
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2010 Continental Tyres Australian Superboat Championships
Unlimited Superboat
Championship points (after five rounds of five)*
1. Daryl Hutton (228 points), 2. Slade Stanley (224), 3. Mick Carroll (193), 3. Greg Mercier (189), 5. Phonsy Mullan/Bill Biggin (183), 6. Andrew Page (143), 7. Peter Freckleton (123), 8. Jody Ely (119), 9. Paul Burgess (115), 10. Adam Raverty (113), 11. Dean Finch (97)
* championship points are calculated from the best four point scoring rounds (of five)
International Group A (400 Class)
Championship points (points after five rounds of five)*
1. Ted Sygidus/Kelsie Gill (208 points), 2. Darek Sygidus/David Gill (206), 3. Brooke Dixon (203), 4. Rohan Smith (189), 5. Robert Colman (183), 6. Jake Garlick (180), 7. Daniel Walton (169), 8. Mark Garlick (144), 9. Damian O’Leary (117), 10. Rodney Krause (99), 11. Greg Harriman (97), 12. Brooke Lucas (96), 13. Tremayne Jukes (80), 14. Mick Manini (74), 15. Louise Dixon (70), 16. Peter Monger (51), 17. Chris Bollins (42), 17. Kevin Laugesen (42), 19. Shane Loughnan (35), 20. Kieran Krause (33), 21. Darren Watkins (30), 22. Phil Weinthal (21), 23. Tony Whalan (20), 24. Geoff Kunkel (10), 24. Nathan Dickenson (10), 24. Daryl Dickenson (10)
* championship points are calculated from the best four point scoring rounds (of five)
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2011 Tyreright Australian Superboat Championships
Rnd#1 March 26-27 Melton, VIC
Rnd#2 April 22 Temora, NSW
Rnd#3 April 23 Griffith, NSW
Rnd#4 June 25-26 Cabarita, NSW
Rnd#5 August 27-28 Cabarita, NSW
Rnd#6 October 1-2 Melton, VIC
Rnd#7 October 29-30 Temora, NSW
www.triplexxxracing.com
www.gmmotorsport.com
www.sgaengineering.com.au
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