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7 boat fields with plenty of speed to boot
10th December 2009
The Supersport category is one of the most hotly contested in South Australia and the guys had their hands full on the rough river course at Martin's Bend last Sunday.
Led by a charging Linton Price in 'Showbag' the racing was again fast and furious. Geoff Cutler made a turn one move on the inside of newcomer John Chigros in another tunnel hull 'Tunnel Vision'. These two battled it out side by side for second spot and Cutler managed to hold on by less than a boat length.
Race 6 on the program saw yet another field of seven line up and it was the tunnel boats showing their superiority leading the mono hulls in their wake. Cutler was a little further back this time and took a respectable third ahead of the Stunell brothers who raced closely with 'Kaos' driven by Aaron Dennis. 'Thommo' rounded out the field in 'SNAFU II'.
Race 10, this time down to 6 boats and up front quickly were Price and Cutler. Although running side by side Price appeared to be toying with the mono hull, the decision to go full throttle toward the end of the race showed the difference in speed the tunnel hull provides.
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| From left: Adam, Jeffrey & Ryan Stunell |
In the battle for third it was again Adam & Ryan Stunell and this time the elder of the two claimed superiority. Dennis closely trailed for 5th while Thompson finished another race in the rough water for 6th.
Race officials skipped over number 13 on the program to avoid any bad luck in the last race for the day, and it was once again seven afield but this time with a two-row start. On the back row sat current championship leader Linton Price alongside last years winner Geoff Cutler in 'Shortcut'. They would have to find their way around sibling rivalry Adam & Ryan Stunell plus Aaron Dennis and Luke Thompson who lined up at the front.
The small handicap wasn't enough to fend of the two fastest boats of the day and both Cutler and Price weaved their way through the heavy traffic ahead. Price's drive was particularly good and judging by his performance in front of his adoring fans on the weekend, he is a hot favorite to take out the Australian Championships.
Aaron Dennis managed to nudge ahead of Ryan Stunell in a good drive for third and some well needed championship points. Sharing the points this time around was Thompson who finished off a consistent day of racing which included crewing for the Tuff'e'Nuff team in the Premier Division.
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