Okay, so it’s a play on words, but the Australian V8 Superboats Championship presented by Penrite is a big show, this visit to the popular Spitwater Arena at Keith however sees the Series join a number of major events for the town as part of the annual Keith and Tintinara District Show on Saturday, October 8, but make no mistake, the third round of the season will see a number of the sport’s big names in attendance.
Reigning World Champion Phonsy Mullan leads the charge, the eight-time Australian Champion again on top of the Unlimited points and he comes into the third round undefeated in season 2022, but he will have no shortage of competition. Most notable will be former champion Daryl Hutton who will again be campaigning Slade Stanley’s former ‘Hazardous’ machine. Hutton took over the reins after it was bought by rival Chris Edmonds at the close of the opening round, Edmonds having inverted Hutton’s regular mount putting it out of action. Round two saw a tentative Hutton find his feet in what at one stage was the fastest Unlimited boat in the world, but once dialled in he showed that he was capable of getting to within reach of Mullan’s times.
The long-time rivals though will again face stiff competition in the guise of New Zealand front-runner Rob Coley. Coley built a brand-new twin-turbo Nissan powered ‘Sprintec’ hull for his 2022 Australian campaign, and despite it being AWOL after a shipping setback ahead of the season opener, he took the fight to Hutton and Mullan last time out, finishing the round on the second step of the podium after a late setback for Hutton.
In 400-Class the ongoing title battle between 2021 Champion Justin Roylance and Jody Ely continues, the pair trading blows again in both rounds so far this season, although at Keith – like round two at Cabarita – they will be joined by 2019 Champion Paul Kelly, the former title holder back from a two and a half year sabbatical, and if his efforts last time out – which were thwarted by a 20 cent part failure – are any indication, there will likely be a three way fight for the round win.
Whilst the internationally recognised categories will attract the bulk of the attention, it’s the LS-Class ‘feeder’ category that has taken the sport by storm in recent years with record numbers of entries at every round this season, Keith being no exception with 17 boats entered, including a great mix of rookie and experienced teams.
Leading the charge is second-generation driver and reigning champion Bastian Mullan, the 19-year old expected to set the pace, however he will have no shortage of challengers including local hero Matt Malthouse, former Champion Kyle Elphinstone and the man who very nearly defeated him last time we were at Keith – West Australian, Daniel Salter. The margin of victory in March when the Series last competed at Keith was just 14 one thousandths of a second, Mullan eking out just that little bit more in the final after Salter had set the pace for much of the weekend – Salter though will be keen to make amends and seal that elusive first national championship round win.
And for reigning Junior Development Champion Koby Bourke, he will face not one, but two rivals at Keith, Queenslander Connor Smith looking to add to the experience he has gained in the opening two rounds of the season so far, whilst for Eliza Roylance, daughter of reigning 400-Class Champion Justin Roylance, she will be looking to impress upon her debut in the category.
UNLIMITED SUPERBOAT
Last time we were at Keith the Unlimited Superboat title was on the line with reigning Champion Slade Stanley and long-time rival Phonsy Mullan separated by just a solitary point, forcing both to put everything on the line in an effort to claim the title. In the end, an electrical short decided Stanley’s fate, handing Mullan his eighth Australian title, but whilst there is no title on the line this time around, Mullan will again face off against the ‘Hazardous’ machine, although this time it will be in the hands of former Champion Daryl Hutton.
Hutton made his debut in the boat last time out, and showed that once comfortable, he could extract impressive performance from the naturally-aspirated 480ci Chev, although he did admit that as a ‘guest’ driver in Chris Edmonds’ new machine, that he was careful not to push too hard in an effort to avoid owning another boat..
Mullan will no doubt set the pace and look to maintain his unbeaten 2022 season record, but look to Hutton and round two runner up Rob Coley to push the points leader every step of the way.
Coley campaigns one of the most impressive boats to have ever hit the water, the brand-new twin-turbo Nissan powered Sprintec has impressive credentials, and like Mullan’s ‘RAMJET’ machine is not lacking in either performance or financial resources. The New Zealander is also keen to make an impression and show that he has the ability to challenge for the next world title so is desperate to bridge that gap to Mullan and show that he can be a contender for the world #1 plate – a big ambition, which against the experience of an eight-time champion on home soil will make captivating viewing.
Sadly, delays continue to plague the efforts of the ‘Loose Cannon’ team, Tyler Finch still waiting on parts for his jet unit after a spectacular testing failure a week out from the season opener saw the boat sitting on the bottom of the Murray River. For his fellow Keith podium finisher Scott Krause, he will be spending the weekend at Mount Panorama enjoying the iconic Bathurst 1000, but what that does is open up the opportunity for Glenn Roberts and Chris Edmonds to challenge for a podium result.
Roberts has shown good speed in amongst the technical setbacks the budget racer has faced so far this season, notably claiming third in the opening round, before narrowly missing a return to the podium at round two, the popular Victorian actually out-pacing a number of his rivals to be third fastest at the close of the opening elimination final.
For Edmonds, he will be in his backup hull again for the weekend, the team unable to fix the ferocious ‘Yippee Ki-Yay’ after it’s engine setbacks at the season opener, instead electing to campaign the supercharged-LS they ran at round two in the new guise of ‘Non-Hazardous’ a nod to its sister boat (also owned by Edmonds) campaigned again this weekend by Hutton whose own boat was delayed by a late setback with the availability of engine parts.
400-CLASS (International Group A)
You could expect some trepidation coming back to Keith for points leader Jody Ely, the ‘Rampage’ driver enduring a love-hate relationship with the circuit, a venue at which the popular Victorian has never seen victory.
Back in March – to close out the 2021 season – Ely was hoping to take the fight to newly crowned champion Justin Roylance, but an untraceable intermittent electrical short saw him spend more time on the bank than in the water, the ‘Rampage’ machine ultimately failing to advance past the opening elimination round. That saw shades of the 2018 World Series event at Keith where Ely came in as one of the favoured Australians to take the fight to the New Zealanders, but early in the event he was faced with an engine failure which had a big impact on his performance for the following 18 months..
On current form though you’d be hard pressed to look past the silver ‘Jetspeed’, Ely turning in back-to-back round wins at Cabarita to comfortably lead the championship points into this weekend, but whilst he has two wins to his name, his 2021 title rival has actually gone faster at both events, although Justin Roylance comes back to Keith – as a two-time winner – off the back of a dramatic exit to the most recent round..
Looking to put his methanol fuelled machine into the top spot in the opening elimination final, Roylance clipped a bank on the run to the line, flipping the ‘Outlaw’ machine into the channel, then back the right way up. Fortunately he and navigator Tracey Little were okay, as was – incredibly – the brilliant black ‘Jetspeed’ hull and engine..
The team have gone right through the package in the ensuing weeks, and are set to go at Keith where they hope to maintain their winning record, although they’ll have another two-time Keith 400-Class winner to contend with in Paul Kelly.
After a two and a half year sabbatical to focus on family and business, the popular Queenslander made a return at Cabarita last time out, and not surprisingly was right in the mix at the pointy end of the timesheets, but like Roylance, whilst poised to go for the round win as the fastest boat in the opening final, the Kelly team were unable to get the boat on the water for the second final, a 20-cent part failure forcing them to retire early. Like Roylance, Kelly will be looking for retribution making Ely’s endeavours to claim his maiden Keith victory just that little bit more challenging..
With back-to-back podium finishes to start the season, Brendan Doyle and the ‘PULSE’ team return to Keith, the very venue at which the former MMA fighter first became aware of the sport back in 2018, and whilst he has been on a steep learning curve ever since, he is finally starting to see the results that experience and commitment deliver.
Second in the points race provides a fantastic platform from which Doyle can continue to push, however it will be interesting to see how he faces three experienced campaigners with multiple race wins under their belts – the pull to push just that little bit harder might be just too hard to resist, although his experience in competitive physical sports could also provide him the edge he needs to combat that desire to go too far, because it’s pretty clear that he now has the equipment to take the fight to the points leaders.
For Danny Knappick, his sophomore season has been outstanding, the ‘KMC Performance’ backed team also coming off two solid results, results which sees the team third in points heading back to Keith where they’ll be looking to continue the trend.
Darrin Kesper is another who has endured a mixed relationship with the Keith venue but he’ll be hoping to change that dynamic this weekend where he’ll be looking to recover from what was a dramatic exit to the most recent round, the veteran driver sinking the ‘Let’s Boogie’ machine in the spinout pool during the first elimination round, fortunately without significant damage to the boat or engine, nor importantly, to the crew.
Hugh Gilchrist might not have been behind the wheel to this point of the season, but he’s had no shortage of mileage, the Series regular having navigated for the likes of Mark Garlick and Brendan Doyle this year, but only whilst he’s been focussed on business, the aim always being to debut his own boat, a boat that he will look to reveal at scrutineering on Friday, before embarking on his own journey towards a podium finish.
Throw in returning former 350-Class Champion Andrew Medlicott and you have a competitive list of drivers all looking to make an impression at arguably the best venue on the calendar.
LS-CLASS
Whilst the Unlimited and 400-Class field will provide plenty of action as teams battle to claim a podium finish, the LS-Class season is unfolding as another great battle for supremacy, although like team-mates Jody Ely and Phonsy Mullan, Bastian Mullan comes into the third round as a two-time winner in season 2022, and also as the defending champion at Keith from the last event at Spitwater Arena back in March.
Mullan’s pace at times has been breathtaking, but last time out there was some hope for his rivals as both 2019 Champion Kyle Elphinstone and Keith local Matt Malthouse were within reach of the 19-year old, whilst at Keith, the March event saw a fantastic battle for the top spot between Mullan and West Australian Daniel Salter who is back this weekend to try and make amends for that narrow loss.
Again the field of entries is strong with 17 teams entered for the event, another fantastic field with a good mix of experienced competitors and rookie drivers, some of whom have never seen the Keith venue previously.
Whilst Messrs Mullan, Malthouse, Elphinstone and Salter will provide a focal point up front, there is no shortage of drivers looking for their own place on the podium..
Paul Hill will be looking to shake the established order once more having suffered setbacks in both rounds so far this season despite starting the year with a new powerplant, whilst Nate Mullan will be looking to make his own return to the podium having finished second during his debut race at the circuit in March 2021, his recent performances suggesting it’s only a matter of time until he is a regular feature on the podium.
Lawrie Howlett will be looking to maintain his strong season momentum in ‘Drop Bear’ whilst father-and-son pairing Ron and Tyler O’Day too will be looking for an improvement after a mixed start to their season.
Rob Johnston makes his return for the first time this season in ‘Almost There’ and he will be hoping to make an impression alongside fellow Keith returnee Mike Hessell, whilst rookies Lance Edmonds, Luke Walters, Rodney Norton, Noel Verning and Jade Atchison will be taking their first look at the pristine Keith facility alongside Cabarita regular Mitch Curtis.
Junior Development
After a couple of years running on his own against the clock, reigning Junior Development Series Champion Koby Bourke will face strong competition this round from not one, but two rivals, all sharing driving duties in the ‘Lil Psycho’ machine.
Karting and Speedway regular Connor Smith has been a welcome addition to the field this season, the Queenslander running on the ‘starter key’ in the two rounds so far, as he will be again this weekend, however both drivers face a third entry looking to make her presence felt.
As happens regularly in this addictive sport, family members are often attracted to the competition, and for the second of Justin and Bree Roylance’s three daughters – Eliza – she will make her debut in the boat at Keith, laying the foundations for what she hopes might be a longer term future in the sport!
As always, the Keith round will be a daytime event, running from 9:10am Saturday morning (08 October) through till around 5:00pm.
For those that can’t be at Spitwater Arena, the action will be streamed LIVE on YouTube (the link will be posted on www.facebook.com/V8Superboats) from 10:00am, whilst a post-produced highlights package will be released on 7mate, and then 7+ immediately following (the Keith program is scheduled for Saturday, December 03).
Tickets are available at the gate or via; https://bit.ly/3Rv1S1w
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Rnd#3 2022 Australian V8 Superboats Championship presented by Penrite
Spitwater Arena, Keith, South Australia
08 October, 2022
UNLIMITED SUPERBOAT
1. Phonsy Mullan/Leigh Stewart (RAMJET)
28. Daryl Hutton/Mick Parry (Hazardous)
44. Chris Edmonds/Jamie Maroney (Non Hazardous)
111. Rob Coley/Scott Munro [NZ] (Poison Ivy)
888. Glenn Roberts/Tiarna McGifford (Blown Budget)
400-CLASS (GROUP A)
1. Justin Roylance/Tracey Little (Team Outlaw)
2. Jody Ely/Jessica Webb (Rampage)
4. Brendan Doyle/Rory Doyle (PULSE)
6. Andrew Medlicott/Jason Anderson (Gone Nutz)
40. Paul Kelly/Naomi Gow (4Zero Racing)
43. Ken Kesper/Kayla Foote (Let’s Boogie)
45. Danny Knappick/Darren Tickell (Tuff N Up)
863. Hugh Gilchrist/Narelle Pellow-Djukic (Mattrix)
LS-CLASS
1A. Bastian Mullan/Tahleah James (RIPSHIFT)
1B. Nate Mullan/Jayden Vella (RIPSHIFT)
14. Lawrie Howlett/Karen Howlett (Drop Bear)
26. Daniel Salter/Mitchell Hade (The Hustler)
29A. Ron O’Day/Paris O’Day (Agro-Vation)
29B. Tyler O’Day/Xavier Jackson (Agro-Vation)
69. Matt Malthouse/Leighton Collins (Nood Nutz Racing)
114. Rob Johnston/Grant Dodd (Almost There)
212. Lance Edmonds/Peter Sendy (Solid Gold)
219. Kyle Elphinstone/Jacob Bellamy (Blackout Racing)
248. Mitch Curtis/Georgia Aungle (Smoke & Mirror)
267. Rodney Norton/Camden Ayton (Hot Shot)
269. Noel Verning/Nathan Garrett (Quiet Time)
300. Luke Walters/Juzzi Calvert (The Spartan)
370. Mike Hessell/Ruairi Crilly (Borrowed Time)
512. Paul Hill/ Alex Singleton (Slicer)
777. Jade Atchison/Erin Kearney (Twisted)
Junior Development
97A. Koby Bourke (Lil Psycho)
97B. Connor Smith (Lil Psycho)
97C. Eliza Roylance (Lil Pyscho)
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RACE SCHEDULE
RND#3 – Saturday, 08 October; (ACDST)
9:10am – practice laps commence
10:20am – Qualifying #1 (70-minutes)
11:30am – Qualifying #2 (70-minutes)
12:40pm – Qualifying #3 (70-minutes)
1:50pm – Qualifying #4 (70-minutes)
3:00pm – Jnr. Dev FINAL + Top 12 Finals (LS-Class/400-Class/Unlimited)
3:55pm – Top 6 Final (LS-Class/400-Class/Unlimited)
4:35pm – FINALS (LS-Class/400-Class/Unlimited)
5:00pm – Racing Concludes
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History; V8 Superboats and Cabarita
2021 Australian V8 Superboats Championship – Rnd#5 [FINAL]
26 March, 2022
FINAL
Unlimited Superboat
1. 23. Phonsy Mullan/Leigh Stuart (RAMJET) – 42.790
2. 28. Daryl Hutton/Mick Parry (Phoenix Lubricants) – 44.541
3. 32. Tyler Finch/Jarrod Ballard (Loose Cannon) – 45.810
400-Class (Group A)
1. 67. Justin Roylance/Tracey Little (Outlaw67) – 45.925
2. 4. Tremayne Jukes/Kimberley Holmes (PULSE) – 46.434
3. 95. Mark Garlick/Hugh Gilchrist (Grumpy On Edge) – 48.914
LS-Class
1. 24A. Bastian Mullan/Ellen Arnold (RIPSHIFT) – 46.179
2. 26. Daniel Salter/Mitchell Hade (The Hustler) – 46.193
3. 219. Kyle Elphinstone/Jacob Bellamy (Blackout Racing) – 47.707
Junior Development
1. 97. Koby Bourke (Lil Pyscho) – 42.900*
* different circuit rotation to other classes
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2021 Australian V8 Superboats Championship – Rnd#1
27 March, 2021
FINAL
Unlimited Superboat
1. 08. Slade Stanley/Vanessa Stanley (Hazardous) – 45.207
2. 23. Phonsy Mullan/Leigh Stuart (RAMJET) – 47.019
3. 37. Scott Krause/Rachel Parsons (KAOS) – 48.995
400-Class (Group A)
1. 67. Justin Roylance/Michelle Hodge (Outlaw67) – 50.488
2. 33. Jody Ely/Greg Blaz (Rampage) – 50.987
LS-Class
1. 69A. Matt Malthouse/Leighton Collins (NoodNutz Racing) – 52.602
2. 22B. Nate Mullan/Coda Kolak (Ripshift) – DNF
3. 22A. Bastian Mullan/Josh Borg (Ripshift) – DNF
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2019 Australian V8 Superboats Championship – Rnd#1
23 March, 2019
FINAL
Unlimited Superboat
1. Mick Carroll (Excalibur) – 48.707
2. Scott Krause (True Blue) – 49.671
3. Phonsy Mullan (RAMJET) – DNF
400-Class (Group A)
1. Paul Kelly (4Zero Racing) – 50.664
2. Jody Ely (Rampage) – 51.347
3. Daniel Salter (The Hustler) – 52.055
LS-Class
1. Kyle Elphinstone (Blackout Racing) – DNF
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2018 UIM World Series – Rnd#1
27-28 October, 2018
FINAL
Unlimited Superboat
1. Peter Caughey (Sprintec) – 49.247
2. Phonsy Mullan (RAMJET) – 50.707
3. Nick Berryman (NZ Riverjet) – 51.099
400-Class (Group A)
1. Ollie Silverton (PSP Racing) – 52.212
2. Ross Travers (Radioactive) – 54.147
3. Justin Roylance (Outlaw67) – 54.982
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2018 Australian V8 Superboats Championship
24 March, 2018
FINAL
Unlimited Superboat
1. Scott Krause (KAOS) – 49.667
2. Rachel Swarts (All Torque) – 53.308
3. Ivan Safranek (Katana) – ww
400-Class (Group A)
1. Paul Kelly (4Zero Racing) – 52.760
2. Mark Garlick (Grumpy) – 53.478
3. Justin Roylance (Outlaw67) – 54.113
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2017 Australian V8 Superboats Championship
25 March, 2017
FINAL
Unlimited Superboat
1. Tremayne Jukes (Maniac) – 48.327
2. Phonsy Mullan (RAMJET) – 48.912
3. Ted Sygidus (Frankenzstain) – 51.049
400-Class (Group A)
1. Ben Hathaway (Weapon) – 53.026
2. Mark Garlick (Grumpy) – 54.414
3. Brett Thornton (2Obsessed) – 55.657
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2022 Australian V8 Superboats Championships presented by Penrite – Series Points
Unlimited Superboat (after round two of seven)
1. Phonsy Mullan (RAMJET) – 72-points, 2. Scott Krause (KAOS) – 61, 3. Rob Coley (Poison Ivy) – 59, 4. Daryl Hutton (Phoenix Lubricants) – 54, 4. Tremayne Jukes (The Girlfriend) – 54, 4. Glenn Roberts (Blown Budget) – 54, 7. Chris Edmonds (4PLAY) – 44
400-Class (Group A) (after round two of seven)
1. Jody Ely (Rampage) – 72-points, 2. Brendan Doyle (PULSE) – 63, 4. Danny Knappick (Tuff’n Up) – 58, 4. Justin Roylance (Outlaw67) – 53, 5. Daniel Warburton (Team Attitude) – 48, 6. Greg Harriman (Apache) – 28, 7. Darrin Kesper (Let’s Boogie) – 26, 8. Brett Thornton (Still Obsessed) – 24
LS-Class (after round two of seven)
1. Bastian Mullan (Ripshift) – 72-points, 2. Matt Malthouse (NoodNutz Racing) – 63, 2. Kyle Elphinstone (Blackout Racing) – 63, 4. Nate Mullan (Ripshift) – 52, 5. Lawrie Howlett (Drop Bear) – 50, 6. Paul Hill (Slicer) – 48, 7. Tyler O’Day (Agro-Vation) – 42, 8. Ron O’Day (Agro-Vation) – 32, 9. Mike Hessell (Borrowed Time) – 30, 10. Daniel Salter (The Hustler) – 28, 10. Noel Verning (Quiet Time) – 28, 12. Matt Riley (Toe Cutter) – 18, 13. Darren Pollard (Disturbed) – 16, 14. Mitch Curtis (Smoke & Mirror) – 14, 15. Jim Beaman (JB Racing) – 12, 16. Lance Edmonds (Solid Gold) – 10, 16. Jade Atchison (Twisted) – 10, 16. Luke Walters (The Spartan) – 10
Junior Development (after round two of seven)
1. Koby Bourke (Lil Psycho) – 72-points, 2. Connor Smith (Lil Psycho) – 66
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2022 Australian V8 Superboat Championships
Rnd#1 – Tweed Coast, NSW – 23-24 July, 2022
Rnd#2 – Tweed Coast, NSW – 27-28 August, 2022
Rnd#3 – Keith, SA – 8 October, 2022
Rnd#4 – Temora, NSW – 5 November, 2022 (Colin Parish Memorial)
Rnd#5 – Temora, NSW – 3 December, 2022
Rnd#6 – Griffith, NSW – 11 February, 2023
Rnd#7 [FINAL] – Keith, SA – 25 March, 2023
About Penrite
Founded in Melbourne in 1926 by – then – 16-year old Les Mecoles, Penrite Oil utilised high-quality lubricants from Pennsylvania [USA] base stocks, hence the name ‘Pen’ from the base stock and ‘rite’ for the right oil.
In 1979, due to ill health, Les sold the company to John and Margaret Dymond. A mechanical engineer by trade and a car enthusiast at heart, John rapidly expanded the Penrite range of products. His technical background and commitment to quality ensured that Penrite continued to produce the highest quality products becoming the market leader in Australian oil and lubricants.
90 years on from those early beginnings the Dymond family have built Penrite into one of Australia’s most prominent and recognised brands.
The iconic Australian-made and owned lubricants company has a simple philosophy: ‘the right product for the right application’.
Penrite Oil Company produces a large range of high quality products suited to the Australian conditions including the exciting 10 Tenths Racing Oils range which offers a superior package of performance and protection for both competition and high-performance engines.
For more information about the extensive range of Penrite Oils available, visit www.penriteoil.com.au
For more information on the Australian V8 Superboat Championships, please visit https://www.v8superboats.com.au
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