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By Glen Laundy. Pics: Dale Atwood
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| Survival Kit |
Team Proformance is a 100% family run race team. The Borg's have developed as a complete package over several years and are totally self sufficient in all facets of the sport - boat building, engine building, driving, and maintaining. Team leader Dean has for a while been pioneering his own brand of racing, and some may remember the days of trialling a turbocharged 5 litre boat many years ago. Things have certainly moved forward since then.
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| The yellow 5 litre boat |
This team is all about trying new things, and doing it with confidence on their own. The sometimes hot headed Dean takes pride in what has been achieved, and has put all his faith into the raceboats that he and father Vince build themselves. The term faith can't be emphasised enough as 16 year old daughter Ellise has taken the reigns of their 5.2 litre campaign, so obviously the family believe their boats have what it takes to keep her safe. Being among the earliest to successfully implement cell capsules into their boats, safety is obviously a high priority.
The importance of safety couldn't be more paramount when it comes to their B.A.D boat. 2000 horsepower bolted to less than 18 feet of fibreglass can make for a bit of a bull ride, and who could forget seing Dean spin the blown boat 180 degrees while heading down the front straight at the Dorwin, in mid air. How is that possible? Throw a prop blade with this kind of power and something's gotta give. The boat actually landed rather gracefully, upright with Dean still in the seat & unharmed, thanks to the cell cockpit.
Watch for the Proformance boats in the corners- both Dean and Ellise aren't afraid of throwing themselves around a 1 buoy turn at any stage of a race.
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