All power to the water in Brixham show

The OCRDA Aqua Adrenaline Tour blasted into Brixham last weekend for Round 2 of the UK’s leading offshore racing series.

In an action-packed weekend, the crowds of spectators on the Breakwater and adjoining beach were entertained by powerboats, jet skis and ProCats with 14 races over the two days.

There were two UIM HOCR World Champion powerboat crews racing – 2024 F1 Champion’s Craig Temple-Murray and Mark Hayward in their boat “Scotty 1”; and 2024 F2 Champion Bob McCarthy, racing this year with Dave Chesney, replacing 2024 navigator James Goldsmith, in “If Only”.

Under overcast skies on Saturday, sea conditions were flat, which did not suit all the teams. Some racers prefer rough conditions, their boats set up to maximise performance in more challenging conditions.

The racing opened with the ProCats – the first of their three races. The South African-built two-man inflatable catamarans are very light and require one team member to be constantly adjusting position in the boat.

This is to achieve optimum weight distribution and ensure that the boat remains in the water and heading in the desired direction, whilst the other crew member controls the outboard engine.

All the ProCats are powered by the same Tohatsu engine ensuring parity amongst the teams, producing close racing. Race 1 honours were claimed by Stuart Holloway and Scott Kershaw - Waveform – they ended their day strongly by also winning Race 3.

Race 2 success went to the Plymouth-based crew of Ben Cantelo and Jeremy Linford in Blackjack.

In the powerboat F1 Class, Saturday’s flat conditions produced a win apiece for Richard Mason and Justin Copeland – Aquablast – and Robbie Mould and Michelle Jelfs - Smokey & The Bandit 2.

In the F2 Class, it was a winning double for Southampton-based Ben Brown and Andrew Jenvey – Fake Tax. Current F2 World Champion, Bob McCarthy and Dave Chesney finished both races in second place.

For Churston-based jet ski team Gliddon Marine Racing in the J2 “stock” Class it was a home event, top of the podium lock out with Darren Lodge and Steve Pidsley sharing a win each on Saturday.

On Sunday, the racers had to contend with very difficult and constantly changing conditions – every lap produced different challenges with wind direction and sea conditions.

Again, the ProCats were first out into the watery arena and the gathered crowds watching the action were treated to the spectacle of a “Le Mans style” standing start as the ProCat teams launched from the Breakwater beach. This proved very exciting and popular with the spectators.

It was the Blackjack crew of Ben and Jeremy who quickly mastered the conditions, scoring two wins and a second place. This completed a very consistent weekend of three wins and three second places to head the table overall. Waveform finished second from Marc Newton and Tris Carpenter in Bulletproof.

Sunday’s challenging conditions suited former F1 OCRDA powerboat Champion Jeremy Gibson – a rough sea specialist – with James Goldsmith in The A Team, they secured a win in Race 3. That made up for the disastrous Saturday the team endured – mechanical issues necessitated an engine change sidelining them for both races.

Saturdays race winners, Aquablast, finished runners up. In the F2 Class, Wayne Mort and Chris Mort – Thunderstruck – secured the win from Ben Amstad and Chris de Santos – Racing Green.

Race 4 produced the biggest drama of the weekend when, on the first lap, current F2 Champion Bob McCarthy in ‘If Only’ turned his boat over having caught the wash of the boat he was chasing. A racing incident, and always a risk on the first lap with the fleet racing in close proximity.

Fortunately, neither Bob or navigator Dave Chesney sustained any injuries, and the boat was recovered to the marina. However, in the interests of safety, the race organisers decided to cancel Race 4.

In the jet skis, Gliddon Marine Racing completed a perfect weekend. Steve Pidsley won both races on Sunday – sealing a hat-trick of wins and a near maximum score to top Class J2. Team-mate Darren Lodge finished second from Powersport Racing’s Jay Carr third in the overall table.

After a visit to Kings Lynn, the Aqua Adrenaline Tour returns to Torbay on July 19 and 20, with Round 4 taking place in Torquay. Spectators can enjoy this free event from Haldon Pier. For all the latest news from OCRDA please visit their website www.ocrda.com