RECORDS tumbled in the third Bridge to Beach Classic on the Manning River conducted by Ski Racing NSW.
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New times were set in a number of categories, from the outright winner to the under 14 boys.
The race was conducted in perfect conditions with big crowds watching from riverbank vantage points.
Superman, with skiers Daniel Cotton and Daniel Graziano won the Super Class and were the outright winners of the race that saw crews leave Taree, head to Harrington and return before again racing to Harrington and back.
Superman set a record for the course, taking 50 seconds off the previous best by TR the inaugural race in 2022.
The time to beat is now 35 minutes 32 seconds.
Supernova finished second in 36 minutes and 33 seconds.
First in unlimited inboard and third outright went to The Sting, a crew who clawed back a leg 1 deficit of 11 seconds to come home with a 9 second advantage over their closest rival. The Sting clocked 38 minutes 55 seconds.
Tru Blue was fourth outright at 39 minutes and 4 seconds.
In the women's race Strike F1 dug deep after a rope issue in the first leg and just did enough to take the trophy from Flaamin F1 by a mere second.
Young skiers show promise
Record holders Alabama cut a whopping 6 minutes 50 seconds off their previous best time to win the under 14 boys. Skiers Caleb Oliver and Will Armstrong sent a message to older competitors that they are a combination with potential
Team Trim Stalker established two records. In the main event skiers Dylan Osmand and Jaali Walsh in under 18 boys, took 4 minutes and 54 seconds off the mark set by Argo in 2022. Clearly, coming out of the world championships in 2023, both Dylan and Jaali have continued to develop and are going to be a combination to be reckoned with.
Brand Cropper flew Team 26 high and stole the F2 record from his good mate, Darren Hitchcock, pulling the mark back by a very good 30 seconds. Bryce Horne from Victoria paired with Patrick Valencour to take out the class and another record for Team 26.
Last year's winners, Epic F1 came home in almost the same time in both legs. Consistency not only gave them the win in Sportsman's 100mph, but also the record, taking 4 minutes and 16 seconds away from the previous mark set by ORSM in an epic achievement.
A record was also established in Clubman's 90mph, with Phantom F24 stealing 53.6 from Mirror Image's previous record of 45.15.
Qualifying
Saturday's qualifying in the team challenge had Superman the first away, followed by Supernova, Tru Blue, The Sting and Epic F1.
With the race track declared ready, MidCoast deputy mayor, Alan Tickle officially opened the event.
Darren Maguire, owner and driver of Superman, said on Saturday that he would 'send it' on Sunday and send it he did, with a first leg time of 17 minutes 19 secs. Supernova also delivered a sub 18 minute leg one, giving themselves every chance to take it to Superman in the second leg.
Tru Blue sat in third place with The Sting and Epic F1 not far behind and ready to give their best for the second leg.
In women's the crew of Flaamin F1 were in prime position, with Strike F1 ready to chase.
Four seconds split the two teams in 60mph. Across the board, the leg one times were pretty quick.
The wind started to pick up a little for leg two compared with the relative calm of the first 50kms. For some teams, this translated to a slightly slower second session, but for others the conditions brought out their best and records were smashed.
"Although the on-water feats are to be celebrated, we also want to recognise the collective spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie that permeated the event,'' NSW Ski Racing vice chair Kelly Lindsell said.
"Every competitor pushed themselves to the limit, showcasing their skills and determination with each exhilarating run and the community came together to support and make sure that this event was the best it could be.''
Sponsors were MidCoast Council, Taree Aquatic Club Sailos, Nabiac Hotel, Shoreline Tavern at Harrington, Petrie's Mitre 10, Kennards Hire Taree, Allpro Scaffolding and RJ and CL Thomas Carpentry Building Maintenance.
The Bridge to Beach was the first event in a six race NSW pointscore series. While dates have to be confirmed, the race will return in 2025, Kelly assured.