Offshore gets close and personal

Offshore powerboats will race on Auckland's inner harbour next Saturday for the first time in 10 years, providing plenty of close-up viewing for spectators.

About 40 fast craft will battle it out, starting at the Viaduct Harbour, then racing under the bridge to a mark further up the inner harbour, returning on the Freemans Bay side to a turn-buoy just outside the entrance to Westhaven Marina. They will complete 15 laps for the 100-mile (160km) race and 10 laps for the 60-miler (96.5km).

It will be the second-to-last clash of the eight-round Armacup New Zealand Offshore Powerboat Championship. Grant Valder, spokesman for the Northern Offshore Powerboat Club, which organised the race, says it is hoped to make it an annual event.

Auckland City Council, Westhaven Marina, and the Auckland Regional Council - including harbourmaster John Lee-Richards and his patrol team - have planned a changed style of race with the public in mind. Previous offshore championships have taken the boats on a long course beyond Kawau Island.

The best vantage points for the public will be along the breakwater at Westhaven, Wynyard Wharf, Herne Bay, Fisherman's Wharf and Kauri Point reserve. Boaters will be able to view the race from the middle of the course under the supervision of ARC patrol boats, coastguard craft and official race patrol boats. Valder says the return to the inner harbour will make a great outing for spectators.

The boats will be on display at the Viaduct Harbour from noon on Friday, and on Saturday they will be launched at Westhaven from 11.30am.

A range of watersport entertainment will take place before the 1pm start, including a Thundercat race and a ski-racing demonstration. Valder says the rapidly growing Formula Honda class and the revival of the Classic Class - which has some famous racers from the past back in action - indicates bigger and better events in the future.

Chasing line honours in the 100-mile race will be five-times national champion Richard Shores, of Auckland, in PlaceMakers.

The 32-foot catamaran with 1300hp of twin Buick V8s leads the championship by just 44 points after wins in Taupo, Wellington and Whitianga. Rival Peter Turner, back after a break of seven years, is right on the tail of PlaceMakers in his 34-footer Sleepyhead. Turner won at Napier and Rotorua.

The final race of the series is at Tauranga on May 20, which could well be this year's championship decider if Turner heads off PlaceMakers next Saturday.

Offshore race fans will be keen to watch Jesse James. The former 30-footer champion missed the last two races because of engine trouble.

The Superboat Light class is also close, with only 25 points separating Auckland brothers Warren and Scott Lewis (FMI Racing) and Wellingtonians Grant Smith and Dave Aldridge (Addictive Racing).

Close racing is expected in the Classic and Sports classes and in the new Formula Honda class racing the 60-mile course. The identical Sonic hulls, powered by Honda 150hp 4-stroke outboards, have introduced a new dimension to budget offshore racing that has become increasingly popular since its introduction last season.

The prediction is for close racing and lots of excitement as the big boats start lapping the other classes. Harbourmaster Lee-Richards has a word of warningthough: be alert , watch for fast-moving race boats, and remember your lifejacket rule.