Near dead-heat in historic Napier boat race

Fairview Racing leaves the water in Saturday's racing. Photo / Mark Sudfelt

The historic Napier offshore powerboat race day had one of its closest finishes when the two national series leaders were separated by less than a second at the end of the first of Saturday's two 30-minute races off Westshore and Ahuriri.

The overall and Superboat 1000-class win went to Whangārei catamaran Outboard Pro, with owner Haydon Spiers on the throttle and trimming and Allan Branch at the wheel, breaking a points deadlock to go into the lead in the national offshore drivers championship after three of the seven racedays.

Series favourite and defending Napier race champion Fairview Racing, with Auckland racers Warren Lewis and John Shand in the cockpit had to be content with second again in the second race, losing the chance for another last lap dogfight after a near spin-out on the Port corner at the southeastern end of the course and ultimately being beaten by about 15 seconds.

It was the biggest win in Napier for Spiers, and a popular triumph with those who recalled the 2013 Napier race which ended with wife and co-driver Delia in hospital after their bat-boat flipped in the Sports 60 class.

The team had later stepped through the classes in changes of boats leading to the racing of the latest 32ft catamaran, best known as the last racing Sleepyhead of former multiple title-winning Auckland racer Peter Turner.

Wondering about a downturn in the size of the racing fleet, blamed mainly on economic times Spiers had worked to make Outboard Pro more competitive, and was pleased with the outcome, although disappointed with the numbers, with just 10 boats on the water, all finishing both races in an hour of machine racing heard across most of Napier.

"I thought the economy wasn't doing too bad," he said from his shop back in Whangārei. "We've put in a lot more work, a lot more preparation, rebuilt the engines and refreshed the whole boat," he said.

The excitement of the first race was prevalent throughout, and leading to the fierce charge on the southern leg off Westshore to the last bend, Outboard Pro powering at the finish line off Perfume Point, where most of the team supporters and spectators had gathered.

Outboard Pro had won the first two races on Lake Taupō, Fairview Racing the next two off Gisborne, and the fleet faces four more racedays at Paihia (March 14), Marsden Cove (March 28), Whitianga (April 18), and Tauranga (May 2).

In an almost exclusively out-of-town fleet, mainly from the Auckland area, the major Napier crew interest was in classic boat Gullforce, including Napier racer and former two-times national drivers champion Tony Carson. It was the only boat in its class.