The new ‘Fairview Windows and Doors’ combination of Warren Lewis and Offshore Superboat Rookie Steve Whitford had a disappointing end to the opening round of the 2010 Rayglass NZ Offshore Powerboat Championships on Lake Taupo last weekend (Jan. 31).
Whitford, who has been helping to prepare the Fairview Skater Superboat through his Auckland based Marineworx business, joined the team during the offseason, with last years driver Ted Taiatini unavailable to race during the 2010 season. With some successful record breaking runs, a full off season rebuild, and a couple of successful tests, the team arrived ready for action for the 2010 season opener.
Wind and rain greeted the nearly thirty teams assembled at Taupo for ‘Thunder on The Great Lake’ on race day, but thankfully conditions improved markedly for the race start at 1.30pm. While still overcast, the wind was gusting in from the south east at between 25 – 30 knots making it tricky for some of the smaller boats, but not the four big Superboats.
Lewis and Whitford in the ‘Fairview Windows and Doors’ 35 Foot Skater made a good start to the twelve-lap, 100 mile race, battling initially with the former ‘Sleepyhead’ Phantom Superboat “Doosan’, Australian Superboat ‘Team 3’, and ‘A1 Homes’, who had problems initially getting up on the plane at the start.
‘Fairview’ then worked their way to the front and traded the lead with ‘Doosan’ for the better part of the next six laps, with both boats putting on a great show for the thousands that lined the Lake Taupo foreshore.
Disappointingly though for ‘Fairview’, all their hard work during the offseason came to nothing, as a power steering hose failed on the seventh lap while leading, bringing the big Skater to a standstill out on the course.
“To say I’m devastated is an understatement. It was a brand new part!”, explained Warren Lewis after the race. “We had the boat speed, and Steve was doing a great job driving considering it was his first time in the boat in race conditions. I know there are still seven rounds still left to go, but we’ve dropped four hundred points already to the Championship leader, but we’ll regroup and go for the win in Gisborne”
The race was won in the end by Superboat rookies Sam Fillmore and Cary Gleeson in ‘Doosan’, followed by ‘A1 Homes’, and ‘Team 3’.
The next round of the Rayglass NZ Offshore Powerboat Champion is this coming Saturday (Feb. 6) in Gisborne.
