RaceR’sEdgE

March 2016

The official Ski Racing Australia publication

Robinvale - euston Race

PRevieW!

+ Directors Deck, safety UpDate, s80 pics & 5 MinUtes with Mick!

Pic: Luke Phillips/LP Visual

Stay updated aLL weekend

www.skiracing.com.au

Directors Deck..................................6

Safety Commitee Update...............7

Around the Buoys............................8

Rule Updates ..................................10

The Mistress wins hearts...............12

Robinvale/Euston Preview............14

Southern 80 your pics....................16

5 Minutes With Mick.......................19

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Hawkesbury 120..............AUG 29-30Ted Hurley Classic.............OCT 17-18Berri 90.............................PostponedNSWWSF Bridge to Bridge 2UP.........................................................NOV 7-8Barrie Beehag.........................NOV 14Southern 80........................FEB 13-14Robinvale/Euston Race..................................................................MAR 12-13Mildura 100.......................MAR 25-27Bridge 1UP.................................MAY 1

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Like you, I stand saddened by the tragic events at the Southern 80 with the passing of Kevin Vahtrik. Kevin had a long history in the sport, he loved the sport and it was a touching moment when his broth-er reaffirmed during the event presentation that he would have wanted nothing more than for the event to continue.

It was a difficult time for the volunteers that organise the race, those in race control all felt the weight of what had occurred and all worked late into the night in order to allow the race to continue the next day. I have to recognise the support and assistance of Roads and Maritime Services, the Victorian and New South Wales Police, and Ambulance Victoria in the running of the Southern 80.

On a weekend where our community truly pulled together, there is a debt of gratitude that has to go to Neil Donald and Andrew Donehue who gave up their driving positions in Sunday’s event to take up the scrutineering positions to enable safe racing to continue for the main race. Also to Betty McCoomb, Julie Golledge, Steve Shipp, Alan McDonald, Fran Hynes and the volunteers taking up the other posi-tions along the river during trying circumstances - my sincerest thanks for the way you excelled in trying

circumstances.

It is this type of incident that further cements how im-portant our recently announced research project into safety being conducted by Dr. Andrew McIntosh is to the sport. I look forward to the day that Ski Racing Australia can make an informed decision and man-date the required equipment for all skiers. In terms of a legacy to the sport I see this as a cornerstone of what I am striving to achieve during my time at Ski Racing Australia.

It was with great pleasure that I congratulated Leo Welch and the crew of the Mistress who took out the honours at the Southern 80. It was a fantastic win for a local crew with a long history in the sport. I am sure the King of the Murray title is now firmly on their agenda.

For the restricted classes the introduction of the real time advantage system seems to have been well accepted. In reviewing the data I noticed that the team that got the best result did not overspeed once, but the team that gained the best time fell down four places due to the penalty applied by the system. We will await further review and testing at the next race to see if any further adjustments are required to this approach.

We now turn our attention to March with the Robin-vale/Euston Ski Race followed by the Mildura 100. Both races are eagerly anticipated and I look forward to seeing you all there.

Safe Racing

Grant Cummin- SRA CEO

Grant Cummin

PAGE 6

Directors DeckA community feel At A tough time

Dear fellow competitors, Firstly on behalf of the safety committee I pass on our deepest condolences to Kevin Vahtrik’s family and friends. His accident at the Southern 80 has highlighted the importance of the process we are undertaking with the Safety Commitee. I again remind the entire ski racing community that knee jerk reactions are not the answer to abolishing safety concerns. We have Dr. Andrew McIntosh working with us to improve safety, and I wait with anticipation for his-project findings on the equipment used in ski racing. With his background and expertise we will get some terrific guidance in this area, but I must ask for your patience in order to get this process right. To assist the process we are undertaking, I encour-age all skiers to take the opportunity to complete the survey recently sent out by SRA. This is an anony-mous survey, so please don’t hesitate to be honest in your responses, as this will provide some terrific insight from skiers. The Southern 80 also provided the Safety Committee

the chance to host teams from Racesafe and Motec to discuss a range of options for the systems we could use moving forward. Technology is advancing rapidly and this will hopefully assist with the safety of our sport and continue to meet our requirements into the future. I would like to close with a number of key messages: We are on a journey for safety improvement, and please understand that this is going to take time.In the meantime please ensure that all equipment is checked prior to racing. This includes ropes for any marks, abrasions or burns and if in doubt, replace equipment where need be. This goes for handles also.Consider the helmet you are using very carefully. Recent bulletins have been issued in regards to this subject.The continuing need for teams to plan their races remains critical. This is particularly the role of the observer, who heads up communication and control of the crew. I would finally like to discuss the use of social media, something that the Safety Committee feels can be a dangerous tool in delicate times, such as we had at the Southern 80. It somewhat defies belief that social media lit up at the Southern 80 with speculation mere moments after an incident.

While it is only natural to want answers immediately, it is my belief that the communications from SRA were timely, considerate, accurate and appropriate. SRA use the services of a communications team who are experienced, especially in implementing crisis com-munications plans.

Please be considerate of the specific communica-tions process that must be followed when an incident occurs, and trust that we will provide as much infor-mation as we can.

Terry Welch - SRA Safety Committee Chairman

Terry Welch

PAGE 7

Safety Commitee Update

On a weekend when the Ski Racing Community truly pulled together, the Southern 80 provided a weekend of racing that typified the passion that competitors and fans alike have for the sport.

As the likes of The Mistress, Merc Force, 99 Psycho Clowns and Stinga battled for the overall victories, the racing in other classes was equally as exciting for those involved and on the riverbanks as Australia’s best skiers plied their trade on the Murray River.

One standout for the weekend was our very own Mick Kelly who skied with the Reactor team of Lance Heathcote (driver), Neil Donald (observer) and Darren Purdom (skier) to record a slick time on the Saturday course in the unlimited inboard social class, backing up that effort on Sunday morning with anoth-er quick run.

The closest finish on record from the Sunday morn-ing’s racing was between Coojac Racing and No Fear, the two teams competing in the 200hp expert class putting in times that lit up the live timing and saw only a meager 5.8 seconds separating them at the finish line.

It wasn’t the only close finish of the day, later that afternoon the unlimited inboard expert class again proved to be one of the most exciting races, as it has been throughout all the river classics so far this season.

Pigs Arsenal claimed the win just a short 7.6 seconds ahead of the ever competitive Burnin team, who were charging hard towards the finish line and recording quickest sectors. Unfortunately their run for victory was too little too late, Pigs Arsenal holding onto their lead following a strong start.

Impressively in other classes Ultra Troublemaker took out the 6 litre expert race; and Se7enF1, with Jack Harrison and Cameron Osborne on the skis, placed 12th overall to take out the 16-19 boy’s expert cate-gory.

Sportspage won the 8 litre expert; Pure Evil the unlim-ited inboard naturally aspirant expert, Merc Force F1 the open women’s expert; Agent Orange the unlimit-ed outboard expert; and Triple 666 F1 the 16-19 girl’s expert class.

Meanwhile, Mojo, piloted by V8 Supercar star Rick Kelly, with his fellow driver and brother Todd up on skis, clocked 42:08.40 to finish 55th overall and in first place in the 5.2 litre & 6 cylinder expert class.

Back in Superclass it was a bittersweet weekend for 99 Psycho Clowns who didn’t finish Saturday’s shootout, leaving them buried in the pack for the Sunday’s main event. As it happens they were able to catch the boat in front, but were unable to pass and elected to bring the team home safely.

While disappointing that the weekend didn’t go to plan, the team still managed to create their own slice of history, ensuring that their third place result meant that driver Jessica Pearse became the first female to win a place on the Southern 80 podium.

With the event over for another year, attention turns to the next event in Robinvale. Those that enjoyed success in Echuca will no doubt be looking for more, while for a handful of crews the race will be all about redemption for the Southern 80.

Southern 80 event WrAp

PAGE 8

Around The Buoys

http://www.mercuryracing.com/

NOTICE OF AMENDMENT TO SKI RACING AUSTRALIA (“SRA”) RULE BOOK (“RULE BOOK”)

I refer to the above matter.

In accordance with rule 2.6, the Ski Racing Australia (SRA) board ratified an amendment to the SRA Rule Book (Rule Book) on Monday the 22nd of February 2016.

The amendment relates to the implementation of compulsory wire tracers for all inboard boats that have over transom exhausts or turbo outlets. The rule has been placed in the rule book at 9.39 (h) and is effective im-mediately:

9.39 Inboards Requirements(a) Engine mountings shall be sound.(b) Where an out drive - or jet unit - is fitted, the out drive ring connection to the transom andthe unit to the ring shall be secure.(c) Transmission and all parts motivated by the engine shall be efficiently shielded so as toprevent damage to persons or structure in the event of breakage. Exposed steering cables inthe vicinity of Driver and Observer shall be shielded.(d) Bearers shall not be saturated with oil.(e) All turbo air intakes must not have any exposed moving parts eg: need to have mesh in frontof forward facing air intake trumpets or air filters fitted(f) The boss of the propeller shall have, at all times, some clearance between the rear of theskeg.(g) All knees, cavitation plates, rudder and skeg are to be secured and without flaws.(h) All inboard boats that have over transom exhausts or turbo outlets must run a wire tracerof a minimum length of 500mm to be measured from the end of the exhaust tip.

NOTICE OF AMENDMENT TO SKI RACING AUSTRALIA (“SRA”) RULE BOOK (“RULE BOOK”)

I refer to the above matter.

In accordance with rule 2.6, the Ski Racing Australia (SRA) board ratified an amendment to the SRARule Book (Rule Book) on Wednesday the 2nd of March 2016.

The amendment relates to the implementation of a speed cap for under 10 skiers at 60 mph. Asystem generated time penalty will be applied for overspeeds as per rule 8.12. This affects Rule 8.3(a) (ii) under Divisions and is detailed below. This rule is effective immediately.

8.3 Competition Divisions, Age of Competitors, Maximum Boat Litres & Social ClassRules

(a) Competition in each event may be separated into the following sections:-

(i) Divisions NB: male and female (including boys & girls) are to beseparate divisions

(ii) Divisions

PAGE 10

RULE UPDATESAll inboArd boAts to run wire trAcers

under 10’s speed cAp

5 - 10 Years Under 10 Boys and Girls. Speed is capped at60 mph and is in accordance with rule 8.12.

Remainder of the rule is unchanged.

A review of the skier falls in Australia since 2011 that SRA is aware of reveals that out of the five fatal falls each of those five skiers was reported to be wearing a Cookie branded Helmet. From a recent skier survey it was found that less than 30 percent of skiers are using this helmet brand.

Although Ski Racing Australia has no direct or firm evidence as to whether this helmet brand and type is a contributing factor in the tragic result of these falls (in many cases, but not all, speed was also a common fac-tor), the pure statistical weight indicates that there may be an as yet unknown issue with the Cookie branded helmet. On balance the most appropriate course of action from the sport’s governing body is to suspend the use of the Cookie branded helmet pending the findings of the McIntosh Consultancy research.

As previously announced, we are working with McIntosh Consultancy and Research in an effort to under-stand the injury mechanism and we will provide ski racing competitors those findings when this research is complete.

As with all helmets used by skiers in Ski Racing events, they are not specifically fit for the purpose or de-signed for the rigours and forces applied while skiing. In fact, the manufacturers of these helmets (including the Cookie branded helmets) are careful to ensure clear warnings are placed regarding use of these items outside of the design specifications and intentions.

As there is currently no helmet specifically designed as being fit for purpose for use in the sport of ski racing, competitors are required to make their own choice as to the skiing helmet they wish to use based on their own assessment of their comfort and needs. In the short term, subject to the above suspension, this will con-tinue until any findings or recommendations are presented through the McIntosh project regarding new skier protective equipment.

Helmet Clips

Following up the safety committee advice provided in October 2014

Ski Racing Australia is aware that competitors may have modified the manufactured clips on the skiers hel-mets. Ski Racing Australia does not support this approach and advises competitors to source an appropriate-ly manufactured clip from their supplier in line with their own personal views according to how they want their clip to behave. Clips are available on the market with measurements from 18kg – 87kg and competitors are advised to source their clips accordingly.

Scrutineers will be checking helmet clips accordingly at the Robinvale Ski Race and modifiedclips will be identified. Modified clips will not be accepted to race from the Mildura 100onwards.

PAGE 11

cookie Helmets suspended

‘The Mistress’, the boat that stole Leo Welch away from his wife night after night, the boat that is the most recent iteration of his family’s long time involvement in ski racing and the boat that carried Leo, his son Zac (skier), observer Brian Griffin, and fellow skier Dylan Stevenson to victory at the 2016 Southern 80. It’s the iconic race of the Australian water skiing season.

Leo has a long history in motorsport, and his foray in ski racing has seen him own boats for the past 15 years. Behind every man that loves his motorsport is a great shed and an understanding family that know’s ski rac-ing is more than a sport, it’s way of life.

For Leo and his wife Jacqui, family is everything, that much was evident as the raw emotions spilled over on the finish line at the Southern 80, as Jacqui made her way onto The Mistress to congratulate her husband, son and their team on an electrifying performance. It was a victory that was 26 years in the making for Leo and to top it off, he won it with Zac, a crew that is more family than friends, and won it in the memory of his late son Jai.

‘The Mistress’ is a local Echuca boat, manned by a local Echuca crew and without a doubt the result at this year’s Southern 80 was one of the most popular in the event’s history. It’s not often that the crowd gives a standing ovation for a crew, and although it wasn’t the biggest crowd Leo has seen in Echuca, he said the response to their efforts at this year’s race was like no other he had seen before.

“The crowd was like a colosseum of people,” Welch said.

“Back in the day the crowds used to be bigger at the finish. The first time I won it with Island Cooler was big, the next year we were favourites and won it…but I can’t ever remember it being a standing ovation like we had this year.

“As a team we had goose bumps as we cruised back on the boat to the crowd. Everyone on the riverbanks

locAl lAds win tHe soutHern 80it WAS poSSibly the moSt populAr Win in yeArS, the croWd Went Wild!

Pic: Luke Phillips/LP Visual

and on the houseboats was cheering. The reaction throughout the town for the past few weeks has been huge. The telephone hasn’t stopped.

“When we crossed the line I knew we had run a very respectable time. During our run I thought we would be beaten, we had a few issues and I thought the other guys would be quick. We were glued to the stopwatch once we finished, I even had my own watch on so I could keep track of the pace of the other boats.”

A significant step towards victory for Leo was bring-ing Brian Griffin into the team as an observer for both the Barrie Beehag and the Southern 80. Results didn’t go their way at the Beehag, and the team faced a big turnaround to improve their results at the South-ern 80. For Griffen, helping make the change meant

bringing all his experi-

ence to the ta-ble, and helping each person in the team focus on their job.

“I’ve had the best crews to win the Southern

80 be-fore and it just never worked on the day, so to finally win one, it was special,” Griffin said. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years, I was a skier for the first 14 and have observed ever since. I had retired prior to these races, but when Leo asked me to observe for the Beehag and the 80 to help out his skiers, it was something that I really wanted to do.

“I have worked with both Dylan and Zac before, and I think the difference between this year and other years is that we got our preparation right and had a bit of luck on the day too, you need that.

“As an observer, my job is to try and keep the whole team calm, that includes keeping our skiers in the right headspace all week and keeping the driver focused on his job. This year I was relaxed going into the race, the whole team kept a level head, we knew our roles and it played out before us.”

While Griffin is quick to praise the team, Leo was also full of praise for the man he had identified as a key to help bring in good results, and who would have the trust of the skiers from their first outing on the water.

“Griffo is a good man, a good genuine man and his priority is to look after the skiers. He has a happy bal-ance of keeping the driver in check, but also letting you drive aggressively. He puts the skiers at ease and is so well respected,” Welch said.

“I was very relaxed on the Saturday night after the shootout, I have had a horrid run of not qualifying well, so it was great to grab P1 at the Southern 80. I

have always said that if we can start ahead, we will be hard to beat.

“We went into the race knowing exactly what we had to do, it was structured to a tee. Some people were stressing about the politics, about the rule that skiers had to be within the wash, but we just got on with it and made our plan. Our improvement from the Bee-hag was phenomenal.

“Not only was our plan right, but our skiers did an outstanding job too. Dylan is a guy that is still rela-tively new to the sport; he’s a great starter and has developed well. It was his first year in Superclass, and like Zac, he’s a thinker. They both had plenty of input to our preparation, they’re not backward in coming forward, and that really helped our planning and structure for the race.”

For Welch, his wife, their family and the team, ev-erything they do is at 100 per cent. So involved has Leo been in fastidiously preparing his boats over the years that his wife would tell anyone that called at night, that he was out with his mistress – and so came the name of the boat.

It’s that dedication that underpins this sport, and the significance of a local team triumphing at the South-ern 80. History will show that in 2016 it was a crew of impassioned, hard working and likeable people that won the race. Behind them was an even more under-standing group of friends, partners and family.

“I am massively proud, if it wasn’t for family I wouldn’t be racing,” Welch said.

“This was a massive positive for our sport, our town. We worked so long and hard to get here. We are pas-sionate about what we do, whatever it is.”

The Mistress team celebrate a strong finish in Echuca

PAGE 13

“This was a massive positive for our sport, our town. We worked so long and hard to get here. We are passionate about what we do, whatever it is.” - Leo WelchPic: Luke Phillips/LP Visual

While the waters may have only recently calmed following the Southern 80, ski racing action is just around the corner with the Robinvale event set to roar into life, but don’t be mistaken the next event on the mighty Murray River doesn’t sit in the wake of the Southern 80, it has a whole new temperament of it’s own.

Rewind 12 months and the team that held the ace in the deck was Sapphire, who claimed victory, a win that will have them among the favoured teams again this year. However their reign at the top won’t go unchallenged with crews such as 99 Psycho Clowns, Merc Force and Superman all keen to be in the win-ner’s circle.

While winners of the Southern 80, The Mistress will be competing, a change in their personnel has seen owner/driver Leo Welch make the call for the team to enter the Unlimited Inboard class. Re-joining the team is Clancy Vaughan who will replace Welch’s

son Zac on the ski’s, after the latter called time on his career following the team’s victory at the Southern 80.

Although much of the excitement will come from the big hitters in the field, Ski Racing Victoria (SRV) Chairman Stephen Shipp said that it is an event that truly caters for all skiers, and is about ensuring that there are options for everyone to get out and have a crack at skiing.

“Saturday begins with social class racing, and they will be doing the full course that the expert classes will do on the Sunday, which is exciting for them,” Shipp said.

“That afternoon will be all about the dash boats, those being the Superclass competitors and then the invitational entries that will make up the top 35 boats from the seeding process.

PAGE 14

ROLL ONROBINVALE

“There will also be a junior dash for the under 16 skiers as a way to give them a hit out on the short course. We started doing this a number of years ago to bring them up to speed with what the main guys do so they can see what it is all about.

“Following the dash we will have senior social, veter-ans, disabled and tadpole (under 10’s) on the water. They all love having a race, and this session is an opportunity for them to join in on the action. It’s also a great chance for the parents, observers and others to ski if they aren’t already in the main event.”

Pleasingly for Shipp and his team at SRV, who have worked tirelessly on this event, entries are on par with those receive in 2015, ensuring that there will be a healthy field of competitors for the 2016 edition of the race. Notably there are a number of competitors taking advantage of this race being their home event, and in accor-dance the Robinvale community have also shown great support for the event again.

With community sup-port and racing aplenty, Shipp continued that competing among the top runners (irrespective of class) will be deter-mined by those who can hold a consistently high top end speed, on a course that is more open than the Southern 80 course, but not quite as wide as events such as the Sydney Bridge to Bridge.

“ This course is always pretty good and it’s calm during the race, but inevitably it will be top end speed that will determine the result,” he said.

“The main thing for this race will be consistency. Teams will need to be able to drive fast through the corners but also be wary not to tire their skiers out down the straights. I would expect to see close racing, it’s a more open course than the Southern 80, with less bends, but at the same time the result will be dependent on how the skiers are managed.

“For our fastest boats that also compete in the dash on Saturday, it is so important to qualify well and go for the pole. If Sapphire and 99 Psycho Clowns can qualify well and probably Merc Force too, they will be hard to beat.

“I think for other guys, such as Superman who have a bit more boat to muscle around the course, they will do better than they did on the tight Southern 80 course, but they may still struggle as it isn’t as wide and open as other races. Watch for them at the Mildura 100 in a few weeks.”

Like any event, the race in Robinvale exists due to the large number of volunteers and sponsors that support the event, Shipp thanking those that continue to help make the race what it is today.

“I need to thank our major sponsors for sticking with the race, particularly Fishers’s IGA, Euston Club and Robinvale Caravan Park. Thanks also goes to the organising committee, local community and SRV,” Shipp said.

Action in Robinvale commences on Saturday March 12 with social class racing, the dash as well as senior social, veterans, disabled and tadpoles. Sunday March 13 will see the main race take place.

the Sapphire team were victorious in 2015, can they repeat their success in 2016?

PAGE 15

Pic: @sparradalgleish (Instagram) There’s a few

ponies ready to play here!

Pic: @axtionimages (Instagram) The team that

put it all together on the main day!

Pic: @steve_bh (Instagram) The crowd? They just went nuts

for the action!

Pic: @olidowrick (Instagram) It was all business mode once

qualifying was on the hoirzon

Pic: @poyser80 (Instagram) No

matter the result,. people LOVE

coming & skiing this iconic race!Pic: @rconnorpatrick97(Instagram)

A huge shout out

goes to those who raced for the

first time!

PAGE 16

Southern 80 Your PicS!

Pic: @rickkelly15 (Instagram) The Mojo team found all the

right angles with their GoPro’s!

Pic: @tomgreen987 (Instagram) Nothing cooler than a few

lads snaking down the Murray

Pic: @sparradalgleish (Instagram) There’s a few

ponies ready to play here!

Pic: @axtionimages (Instagram) The team that

put it all together on the main day!

PAGE 17

Southern 80 Your PicS!

ENTRIES OPEN!

Meet Mick Kelly.

A world champion observer, former win-ner of the Southern 80, top racer, mentor to newcomers - at times outspoken (but always with the best intentions) - Mick’s always up for a chat!

In each edition of Racer’s Edge, Mick puts one of our members under the spotlight for an in-depth chat. They’re not always fa-mous, nor prolific winners, but each person is committed and loves the sport...that’s what turns Mick on.

Sit down, have a breather and spend 5 Minutes with MICK!

The more things change, the more they stay the same, so goes the old saying. For me, it’s completely true. I was sitting on the deck of an eight litre, 18’ V bottom Stephens 20 odd years ago at the start of the Southern 80, all the while quietly packing myself, and the other week it was no different as I prepared to race to Echuca, although this time the colour of the boat was different! Luckily the stoke at the finish line was just as fresh as 20 years ago. So this month I thought I’d catch up with the main man, Dean Johns, and spend five minutes with him over a quiet beer.

Name: Dean JohnsAge: 42Years skiing: 30Years racing: 5 + a few dodgy comebacksTeam: SportspageFamily: Nancy (wife), Kayli & Libby (DaughtersMick Kelly: First up, I had the pleasure of staying out at your place the other weekend Johnnsy – should you really have Carlton Dry in the fridge?

Dean Johns: Haha, it’s a refreshing beverage and sponsor of the race Mick! Why wouldn’t I?

MK: Jokes aside, there is a pretty good on course rivalry between you and Lauby – it’s still friendly yeah?

DJ: Lauby and I get on very well and I love the on water rivalry, it helps to keep me pushing to improve.

PAGE 19

5 Minutes with MiCK!

MK: Let’s get back to the boat – it’s a bloody rip-per, but like you and me, it’s getting a little old in the tooth. Is it getting better with age?

DJ: I just think the little red boat has so much to offer. It’s fun to drive and rewards you when things go well. Why update when there is more left? Just keep de-veloping and make it better. I never finish a race and say the boat is perfect. MK: How’d you get into the red girl? I still remem-ber it as a boat named ‘Stress’ as a kid.

DJ: I skied behind my dad’s boat ‘Sportspage’ be-fore he retired from racing, and after that I took up steering wheel duties. My father and my sister Page named the boat after me ‘Sporto’. So I just rolled on with it. MK: You’re not scared to change up the signage, do you get bored easily or what? What’s been your favourite? I’m sold on the sweet current Brock HDT theme myself.

DJ: Changing it up makes me feel like I have a new boat. I just like to mix it up a bit and re invent. I think I do like this one the best so far too. I actually took the idea from Holden Racing Team. They change the livery every year and I like it. You just have to look at a photo and you know what year it was. MK: No doubt there have been many, many peo-ple telling you you’re kidding yourself sticking with the v-drive while everyone else is going legs. What made you stay with the combo, and how have you stayed competitive?

DJ: Testing, testing & testing. I’m more than a little obsessed. I read about engine and parts; I was con-stantly looking in books and the internet for any new ideas or things to try. I have tried so many things for the smallest of gain. I’m a firm believer that v-drives can still compete in any class. You just have to work harder to get it. There have been many improve-ments in v-drives over the years in other forms of racing. I just talk to people and try things. Sometimes it works; sometimes it’s really bad. MK: Any further info on that, or all top secret? My big tip is RPM is king. If you are brave enough to rev it up a bit it will go fast.

DJ: Any engine class boat winning races is revving harder than the others. MK: Further to that, you picked the record up (again) on the weekend, how’d that feel?

DJ: Stoked buddy, I couldn’t be happier. We had a cracker weekend with a great bunch of blokes that just work really well together. MK: What’re your thoughts on naturally aspirated vs. forced induction in engine classes?

DJ: This is a tough question to answer for me Mick, thanks! It hasn’t really bothered me too much but the rule is very outdated. Maybe the ratio needs to be re-viewed? It has put a dent in the number of eight litre boats competing, that I do know.

MK: And what do you think about the prolifera-tion of the Mercury package (which is brilliant) and capable boats being available on engine class racing? Plenty of people now seem to ‘skip’ stages in their racing and go straight to the big boats? I know I was still running behind the eight litre boats thinking we were killing it in my early twenties – I wouldn’t have even considered asking anyone with a turbo boat for a run.

DJ: Well Micko, I see it as good and bad. It’s good you can buy a very powerful engine combo ready to go fast and be reliable. Not many boats stop these days. However I do think it’s a bit boring. I love the ideas and tricky little things people come up with to try and get an edge over their rivals with their home built engines and setups.You don’t get that self-satisfaction with the mail order engine packages and I think it’s a little sad. However I do understand why people do it. Not everyone likes spending countless hours in the shed turning span-ners. I obviously love it. I’ve even started doing some customer boats and engines.

MK: How do you go getting decent skiers to ski behind an old, engine class v-drive? (Note – I don’t necessarily consider myself in that catego-ry)

DJ: I have been very lucky over the years with skiers. I believe we get skiers because we enjoy what we do and have a great time and a few laughs. We win some we lose some but we always have a good time. I do this sport because I love it and don’t take it too serious. It’s a hobby! MK: Is that the key? I know from a skier’s per-spective, it’s sometimes easier to do good runs/times when you’re not feeling the pressure?

DJ: I agree buddy, if you are enjoying yourself and having a good time, things just seem to happen. Just relax we’ll just do what we can and see what hap-pens.

MK: Ski racing has given, but it most certainly has taken too – in light of yet another tragedy, how do you see the future of racing?

DJ: It is just shattering the losses we have seen in recent times. I hope we can all bounce back and regroup like I know the people taken from us would want us to.I do think we all need to continue looking at skier safety moving forward. I am worried about the ev-er-increasing cost of racing. We are losing numbers. I just don’t want to see any more grass roots racers like myself being pushed out due to costs.

PAGE 20

MK: How much work gets actually done when you tell Nancy (your lovely wife) you’re heading out to the shed to work on the boat?

DJ: Plenty Mick…Shhh. Time does disappear very quickly out there though.

MK: She won’t read this mate, don’t stress….You toyed with an unlimited motor in the red girl for a few years – it should have been ballistic but besides an amazing blitz time (sub 7!), it never really seemed to gain the momentum I expected from it. Was it too hard, or just a combination of things not quite adding up?

DJ: Yeah, it was disappointing. I hate to admit it, but I think I over powered it. I did have a plan to take on the world but it just didn’t happen. I just couldn’t get the handling back. When I got it to turn well it was a slug in a straight line. Then I got it flying in a straight line and it wouldn’t turn well. It also turns out big cube engines don’t like big revs. Bang! MK: What do you think it takes to form a successful team? (How the hell did you, me, Benny and Sam-bo become one?)

DJ: DJ: You have to all get on well and have faith in each other and should be comfortable enough to push each other. If that happens easily then that is a strong team and success will come. You have to enjoy racing together.As for us, well…Sam and I have been mates since we were babies. Our fathers raced together in the 70s and 80s, and then we skied together a few times and he jumped on the boat with me when Aaron retired in 2013. I towed your fine self and Steve Berry in 2011 and had a great time, and a taste of success, stayed in touch and always talked about racing together again.So after you had a year off and a few medical body adjustments I hit you up to make a skiing comeback be-hind my boat. Bugger me you accepted.So I figured once we had you on board, skiers would come from everywhere to ski with the legend! Then one day I saw an ad on Facebook and it was Ben Hackett looking for a tow for the coming season. I thought stuff it, I’m going for it, he can only say no.

Well Mick, after you and I caned him for the next few weeks he finally weakened and said yes. I was rapt, what a team. I couldn’t be happier with the team and how we get on away from racing and on race weekends. Just good fun blokes havin a good time.Hopefully we can press on together for a bit Mick, Mick, Mick…

MK: Sorry, what was that Johnnsy? I was just getting another Carlton Dry…

PAGE 21

MICK

RaceR’sEdgE

March 2016

In memory of Kevin Vahtrik