Bring on Port!

Both Watersports Marine boats were excited for this round after the extended break from round 3 and with repairs to Anthony’s F1 complete and further testing on Tim’s F2 this round was filled with anticipation and confidence. Both teams arrived on Friday to prepare for the weekend ahead, the tents were set and the teams were ready to race. Saturday saw both boats set some good laps in the practice and also showed some positive signs.

F1

Race one saw McEnally start in pole 3, as the flag dropped McEnally was off to a strong start but the boat had other ideas for him. McEnally stopped mid race and the team was thinking the worst, but McEnally started again but the boat was not performing to his expectations and finished the race in 4th. When the boat was back in the pits the team looked over the engine and found a problem in the fuel system which explained the boats poor performance. After making some changes to the boat the team was ready to make amends.

Day two and the team was ready to improve on race one’s result. Race two saw Mackenzie and Vella sprint off to an impressive lead but McEnally was determined the chase them down, with some high flying and strong boat performance McEnally began to gain some ground but unfortunately McEnally got too close to one of the turn bouys (made contact) and was penalised a lap. Race two saw McEnally finish in 3rd position but he was pleased with how he drove and the performance of the boat.

Race three and it was time to pull out all the stops. McEnally rectified a few gremlins and was determined to improve the boats performance. As the race was underway McEnally drove the boat through some rough conditions and was gaining ground on 2nd position and as each lap ended McEnally was displaying some great driving and really had his boat at great speed and performance. McEnally finished the race in 3rd place, but was pleased as he had made up significant ground from the previous race.

Anthony would like to thank his pit crew for their efforts on the day but also the lead up to the event, Josh Morgan, Darren Tickel, Graeme Vickers, Steve Shelton and Geoff Ford, and also a special thanks to Alanna for volunteering at the event on the team’s behalf. Anthony would also like to thank his sponsors who help him participate at each round and keep the team going Watersports Marine, Orrcon, Amsoil, Haltech and Motorsport connections.

F2

The practice session saw Bollins setting some fast laps and where he took provisional pole from Page, but then Michael Page hit the water again and Tim was relegated to Pole 2. The F2 line up for race one saw Page on Pole, Bollins pole 2 and Smith pole 3. With a few minor set up changes the team was ready for race one. The flag dropped and the boats were off, Page was at the bouy first with Bollins and Smith close behind. The first few laps saw Bollins and Smith challenging hard for second position and with the legs on the back straight Bollins took 2nd. The boats settled themselves into comfortable positions to finish out the race. Results of race one, Page 1st, Bollins 2nd and Smith 3rd. After returning to the pits Bollins was happy with the boats performance and felt that it was going the best it had for sometime. The team was pleased with the result and couldn’t wait for day two.

Race two saw Bollins begin in pole 2, and unfortunately due to a slow start he had the fight hard to pick up placings and hunt down Page and Smith. By the second bouy Bollins had Smith in his sights and down the front straight Bollins and Smith were still challenging each other for 2nd position, and once again on the back straight Bollins took second and was on the hunt for Page. As the race progressed Bollins began to gain position on Page, with his team cheering from the bank and wife Sarah on the radios letting him know his gains Bollins was using the full potential of his boat. As the last lap approached Bollins had gained some excellent ground on Page and was pushing till the last bouy, Page finished in 1st but Bollins only finished 2 boat lengths behind in 2nd with Smith 3rd. When Bollins came in from the race the smile explained it all, it was one of the best races he had the whole season. With confidence after race two, Bollins was eager to get back out on the water for race three. Again the challenge was on and Page was out in front with Bollins and Smith again fighting it out for 2nd position. Each boat was using their full performance to get in front, but Smith didn’t complete a turn around the bouy and was penalised a lap and with Bollins’ boat going “off song”, Bollins finished the race in 4th position with Smith in 5th. Bollins limped the boat home hoping the damage was not too severe but was still smiling as he had taken out 2nd place for the weekend, the teams best result so far. With the boat back on the trailer and the team packing up for the weekend, Bollins had a quick look over the engine and was glad not to see too much damage. As the team packed up and were looking at the long trip home they were still talking about the great performance of the boat on the weekend and were excited for the next round at Penrith in August.

Tim would like to thank his team, Sarah, Greg and Melissa for their tireless efforts in getting the boat on the water and also a special mention to Maureen, Amanda and Tanya who helped with Ben (newest family member) and Hayley and also a special thanks to Inga for volunteering to help out the event on the teams behalf. Tim would also like to thank his sponsors for their continued support Watersports Marine, KIM Haulage, Global Race Oils, Alchem Aluminium Fabrication, Light Commercial Spares, Ann’s Embroidery and P & K Tilt Trays.

Well this round started for the Bollins team in the early hours of Friday morning with the long trip down from Sydney. Once the team arrived at the race location it was time to set up the tent and boat in preparation for the weekends racing.

Both Watersports Marine boats were set up and anticipating an action packed weekend with both boats trying new set ups and some new equipment.

The sun rose on Saturday morning with what promised to be some good weather (being Melbourne and all), and both boats were on the water running the load wheel to set up their equipment. Anthony (F1) was running in a new engine and Tim (F2) was doing an overall check of the engine. Unfortunately while Anthony was running in the engine he felt it go “off song” and took it straight back to the pits to check it over to see if there was any damage, and yes the unfortunate part, there was. Once the team had stripped down the engine and looked over the boat set up they found the inbuilt fuel tank had come apart internally which meant Anthony would not make it back on the water for the weekend.  

Tim was happy with how the engine was going and it was time for the first practice session, the team went out and was happy with the times they recorded and came back into the pits and made some minor adjustments to get some more potential out of the boat. The second practice was up and the team almost missed the session due to the changes made and also not hearing the call to the ramp. With only 5 minutes remaining in session, Bollins pulled out some great laps and the team was happy with the times and felt positive for the first race. After the timed practice the following poles were secured; Kuznetsoff Pole 1, Page Pole 2, Bollins Pole 3, Wedlock Pole 4, Hodder Pole 5, Mckenzie Pole 6 and Milgate Pole 7.

Race One for the F2’s and Bollins was pumped for the race after again making some minor tuning adjustments and couldn’t wait for the start. The weather conditions had changed slightly with a westerly wind now on the course it would definitely test the drivers. The white flag was down and the race was away. Bollins had a tough start and made it to the first bouy in third, with Page in first and Kuznetsoff in second, Bollins was on a mission to hunt Chris down. With each lap Bollins was gaining on second place, as Bollins feels at ease in the windy, rough conditions and towards the end of the race had gained serious ground on second place, but with the chequered flag out, Bollins had to settle for a well fought third place. When Bollins returned to the pits he was pleased with the boats performance and said “bring on tomorrow” with the hopes of moving up the ladder. The team packed up the boat and started working on the game plan for day two but unfortunately that did not eventuate as the event was called off due to bad weather. With Bollins securing third in the only race for the weekend, he got third for the round. Now the challenge for Bollins is Port Macquarie in July were he will try and secure the second place in the series championship table.

Tim would like to thank his sponsors for helping him get to the Geelong round and there continued efforts which contribute to his racing, Watersports Marine, KIM Haulage, Global Racing Oils, Light Commercial Spares, Ann’s Embroidery, Alchem and P&K Tilt Trays. Tim would also like to thank his crew for making the long trip to the round and their tireless efforts over the weekend, Greg, Melissa, Sarah, Hayley and a special thanks to Jeff and Nick for jumping in and helping when needed.

Anthony would like to thank his sponsors for their continued support Watersports Marine, Haltech, Orrcon & Motorsport connections. Crew – Josh, Corey, Graham, Steve and Geoff. A special thanks to his family for the support over the weekend.

Grafton was a weekend full of action and all types of weather. The F2 team, Watersports Marine driven by Tim Bollins had a successful weekend. Coming into this event the team had made some changes to the boat in the hope that there would be an improvement from Taree. With new radios onboard, a new propeller and some more products from GRO the team was excited about the racing coming up.

Saturday was the day of practice and race one. The practice sessions proved crucial for the team with different set ups showing different times and performance. When it was time for the qualifying session Bollins was pleased with his efforts and elected not to stay out on the water for the whole session, this was a risk the team was willing to take. The times were in, and Bollins was in Pole 4 with Kurstonoff in pole, Wedlock Pole 2, Page Pole 3, Bollins Pole 4, Smith Pole 5 and Hodder in Pole 6.

Race one began with a lot of spray for the spectators and also a rollover on the first corner. Dave Wedlock unfortunately had a rollover on the first bouy, he got out of the boat safely with minimal damage to the boat (cell lid was lost in the river though). The restart had all the competitors on edge, but Bollins was eager to get up the front. The first couple of laps was where most challenges were fought. After the first bouy, Page was in first, Krustonoff 2nd, Bollins third, Smith 4th and Hodder 5th. As the race went on the boats began to spread out, but this did not mean the pressure wasn’t still on each boat. With some high flying from Bollins he not only entertained the crowd but he came home in third, this was a pleasing start to the weekend’s racing. Back in the pits and it was time to check over the boat, with all components healthy the team could pack up the boat for the night and return for day two.

Day two of the weekend and the team was geared up for the day’s events. After making some adjustments to the set up, the team went out for practice and showed some promising times against the other boats, it was time to race yet again. With all boats making the start, Bollins was in Pole 3 to begin the race. Again the start showed to be challenging for some boats, with tight lines being held by some. This race again was challenged in the first couple of laps, Page in 1st, Smith 2nd and Bollins in 3rd with some great driving by Bollins he was able to withstand challenges from behind and remain in that position. Back in the pits and it was time to make the final set up changes for the last race of the weekend, and then the heavens opened, with torrential rain hitting the area it was doubtful that the last race would hit the water, but after everyone’s fingers being crossed the weather cleared and the final race was on. Race three started with Bollins in pole 3 and he was ready to take on the final race. The first couple of turns set up the race, with Page in 1st, Smith and Krustnoff fighting for 2nd and 3rd and Bollins in 4th, he was trying to pick up the race line that would help him move up the pack. With some great driving Bollins was gaining on 3rd place, when Krustnoff retired from the race, Bollins moved into 3rd and held that position to finish the race.

The overall weekend placings were Page 1st, Smith 2nd and Bollins 3rd. The team was pleased with this result as it was a step forward from Taree and now the team will head back to the workshop for some more set up changes and tuning to get another step up at the next round in Geelong on April 10 and 11.

Bollins would like to make special thanks to his crew for their tireless efforts to keep the boat on the water (Sarah, Greg and Melissa), his sponsors who help him get to the events (Watersports Marine, KIM Haulage, Global Racing Oils, Light Commerical Spares, Ann’s Embroidery, Alchem and P & K Tilt Trays).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Besides the weather being hot the weekend was a success for the newly formed club and the teams.

Saturday was practice/qualifying and race 1 for both of the teams under Bollins Racing.

In the F3 class, 5 boats lined up for the weekend. Geoff Bollins, in his new boat qualified in poll 4. Geoff won race 1 only to realise when the boat was back on the trailer that he threw a propeller blade, which affected the condition of the boat during the race.

In the F2 class, 7 boats filled the line up. Tim Bollins in his newly designed Watersports Marine vessel and team apparel, was having mechanical problems and was not able to make either practice session, therefore not qualifying for a poll. Race 1 saw Tim start from the outside, which meant the task of winning, was going to be difficult. After some strong driving Tim took 4th place. 

There was 2 races for each class on Sunday.

For Geoff in the F3, unfortunately only 3 boats were still running, In the 1st race Geoff placed 2nd after missing the start and in the 2nd race he also placed 2nd after challenging the leader on several occasions.

The F2 class had all 7 boats completing and the 1st race saw Tim place 4th after some great driving and challenging 3rd place on several occasions. In their final race of the weekend, Tim got off to a great start and came around the 3rd bouy in 3rd and was challenging 2nd place for the next 5 laps. With a lot of encouragement from the bank (wife, family and sponsors) Tim drove an outstanding race which showed that he isn’t afraid to push the boat to it fullest potential.

The overall positions for the round saw Geoff win the F3 and Tim place 4th in the F2. The Bollins team is happy with the start to the new series and are looking forward to Grafton in February 2010.

Geoff would like to thank his sponsor KIM Haulage for all the support for the weekend and his pit crew for the tireless efforts to keep him in the races, so thankyou Maureen, Alec, Ken, Kristie and Tanya.

Tim would like to thank his sponsors for their support for the round especially Watersports Marine (Anthony, Sean and Josh) for their support to help get the most out of the boat. He would also like to thank KIM Haulage, GRO (Global racing Oils), P & K Tilt tray’s, Alchem, Light Commercial Spares and Ann’s Embroidery.  Tim would like to pay special thanks to his pit crew for their efforts to keep him on the water Sarah, Greg, Melissa, Hayley and Sean.

After running in a new engine over the weekend the team is looking forward to some great racing at Taree on the 21st & 22nd of November.

The trailer will be heading over to Alchem Aluminium Fabrications on Monday to have the floor completed to complete all of the hard work the team has put in over the last few months in preperation for Round 1 of the Australian Formula Power Boat Grand Prix.

"I am looking forward to the media day on Friday 20th as we have all new team apparel which I am busting to have on display along with the new look of the boat."

The Bollins Racing F2 boat will be hitting the water this weekend with its new look sticker designs.

 

"I will be heading out to UHPBC this weekend to capture some action shots of the boat with all its new sticker design. These photo's will be part of the artwork on the 2009 - 2010 team shirts".

 

I am happy to announce that we have some new members to the Formula 2 team this season, which I will be putting up on my Sponsors page as soon as the artwork is ready. I am looking forward to working along side all of my team sponsors in the 2009 - 2010 season.

 

After a rocky start to the Formula 2 seen, we are confident that we have now got a package that will be competative.