The QPWC’s new leadership – veteran riders and Australian champions Dan Fox, Tim O’Neil and Tony Gray – as well as renown race director Ross Moore, provided an excellent event.
Wintertime in Queensland, Australia doesn’t have snow-covered mountains, leaving you sitting by the fire wishing summer was here so you can get back on the water and rip up some buoys. All year ’round you can get out there, though some mornings are a bit fresh. So having a race in the middle of winter isn’t to much of a big deal.
The Queensland Personal Watercraft Club started off this winter with a bang (remember, we’re on the other side of the equator) this past 26th and 27th of July.
The QPWC is under new management for 2014, with Dan Fox as the club’s new president, and did a fine job last weekend making the Winter Titles event at Atkinson Dam one to attend. Plenty of skis and spectators adorned the beach, with everyone keen to get some racing started.
In an interview with The Gatton Star, Fox said, “[Atkinson Dam’s] a great location for racing. We’ve got guys from the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba racing and it’s a bit of a central location for them.”
The Ski Open class went to James Xveres who won the title, followed by Michael Stevens, as Tam Clucas was the only female entrant. Tam fared extremely well amid a field of triple-cylinder Kawasakis and Yamahas.
Anthony Lo put up a good fight on his Ultra Kawasaki but was kept off of the podium.
Racers from all over the East coast (a 1,800km or 1,120-mile drive didn’t stop a few of the boys) ventured to Atkinson Dam to scratch that itch that is PWC racing. By the look of some of the skis, it was going to be a exciting day ahead. It was so good to see so may pole (standup) ski riders turn up.
Practice on Saturday was short and sweet with a bit of course adjustments and fine tuning before a thunderstorm rolled in (just in time to wet all my campfire timber – I had decided to camp out that weekend).
Mick Stevens reported: the pole ski classes were combined for the weekend’s racing, with Open class showing four triple Kawasakis and one triple Yamaha, as well as having one female rider on a Lites Kawasaki.
We new the racing was gonna be fun as we had former Australian champion Tony Grey and also Justin Windsor and James “X-Man” Xveres to throw a spanner in the works.
The Pro Open Runabout class welcomed Worx Racing’s Guy Greenland, but saw Sunday’s win go to Brendan Boyd and his RXT-X whose speed and reliability kept him on top.
Michael Stevens rode hard and reeled in the second place spot on the podium in Ski Open.
X-man’s Yamaha was definitely showing some speed, winning three out of the class’ four motos and Michael Stevens winning the second moto on the Kommander Industries Kawasaki.
Fox continued, “It was fantastic and you couldn’t have asked for a better winter’s day. For the first race meet of the season we were happy with it and looking forward to the next one.”
Atkinson Dam will host to an additional four rounds of the Winter Titles over the next few months. QPWC president Fox – who earned second place in the Runabout Open class, admitted it was a great start to the season. “We have four more rounds to go at Atkinson Dam and then we’ll break for Christmas and come back in February for five rounds at Redcliffe,” Fox concluded.
The 2015 Australian tour has already been announced and ready to go, so hopefully everyone is getting their race skis ready.
Although competition was fierce, this was a club event after all, and everyone was happy to lend a hand and help one another between motos.
QPWC Winter Titles – Atkinsons Dam Qld
July 26-27
Ski Open: 1. James Xveres, 2. Michael Stevens, 3. Justin Windsor; N/A & Sports: 1. Justin Calvert, 2. Jamie Eade, 3. Clyde Grant; Beginner Runabout: 1. Brett Douglas, 2. Sam Barrott, 3. Fraser Heaton; Amateur Stock: 1. Mathew Atallah, 2. Wade Clucas, 3. Dave Albert; Pro/Am Stock: 1. Mitch Wyatt, 2. Mark Dallow, 3. Greg Hack; Pro Open: 1. Brendan Boyd, 2. Dan Fox, 3. Justin Belczowski
