The Australian Water Ski Racing fraternity will converge on Gosford’s waterways this weekend, August 12-13, to get their first glimpse at the course which will host the 2023 IWWF World Water Ski Racing Championships in November.
Water ski racing is the ultimate water-based motorsport where a boat and a team consisting of a driver, observer and a skier can achieve varied speeds and experience different water conditions throughout the race.
The Australian Team Selection races to be held in Gosford this weekend have drawn competitors from all over the country as they race to represent Australia against the best in the world.
Several competitors have made the trek from New Zealand to qualify.
Women and men will compete in two categories, Formula 1 and Formula 2, while boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 17 will participate in the Juniors – each skier accompanied by a driver and observer inside the spectacular boats.
The boats can be worth upwards of $400,000 each and the Open category is expected to hit close to 110 miles per hour (177km/h) through the 5km course with the skier on a single ski and ropes 90-100 metres behind.
Current World Champion Nellie McMillan will be racing to represent Australia on home water at this year’s world titles.
No fewer than 10 current world champion skiers and crews will participate in this weekend’s Australian Team Selection races, having etched their names into the history books the last time the World Titles were held in France in 2019.
Of those participating, only one team remains intact from 2019.
As current World Junior Boys Champion, Carter Robinson will be piloted by his driver Brent Wisemantel and observer Evan Wooldridge and will compete in Formula 1 Men.
World Junior Champion Nellie McMillan will have her father David and new observer, Brett Armstrong, as her team while her 2019 observer Brayden Jameson will compete in Formula 2 Men.
World Formula 2 Champion skier Lachlan Nix will be competing in Formula 1 Men while his crew from 2019 – Alex Handley, driver, and Jason Cartlidge, observer – will compete in Formula 2 Men.
Ben Gulley, the current World Water Ski Racing Men Ski Champion, stays active in the 2023 Championships as an observer.
The driver is eyes forward to control the throttle and get the team around the course in the quickest time possible, while the observer keeps an eye on the skier and other boats to ensure the skier’s safety and advise the driver on any change of course needed from behind.
The men’s category races will be over a 60-minute (plus one lap) time-period, women’s 45-minutes (plus one lap) and juniors 30-minutes (plus one lap).
“This is the first opportunity that our competitors will have to see the world championship course as they attempt to qualify for November,” event spokesperson Stewart Smith said.
“It is an exciting time for the sport in Australia to be selected to host the world championships for the first time since 2011.
“It will be the first time a world championship has been held since the pandemic and coming to Australia – and especially Gosford – has been the talk of everyone in water ski racing.
“The liveries of the boats and the skill of the competitors on display this weekend will be a great spectacle and I’m convinced it will whet the appetite for the people of Gosford and the Central Coast for what they’ll see when the world comes down under from November 9-19.”
Both Saturday and Sunday will feature a race for women in Open and F2; Juniors; and Men’s Open and F2, with racing starting at 9am both days.
The action will continue into the afternoon with races and competitors getting ready to be part of the Australian Challenge Series, the support races for the weekend.
Smith said Gosford is expected to have a $5M plus economic boom as a result of not only this weekend’s event – which features 160 competitors across the categories – but the November event, where international, interstate and intrastate competitors, support crews and families are expected to be on the Central Coast.
“The world championship event is a 10-day event, but only four of those are actually on-water race days,” he said.
“So, on the off days the crews, their families and supporters will be taking in the sights of the Central Coast and surrounds – and everything it has to offer – from the beaches and food to wine, shopping and nightlife.
“It will bring a real festival atmosphere to the town and the business owners will see a fantastic benefit from it.”
As Team Australia begins its selection process, the United States of America last week announced its 50-strong team which will head to Gosford in November, aiming to take on the Australians and other nations.
Entry to this weekend’s event is free, with outstanding viewing points from the banks of the Gosford waterfront, Drifter’s Wharf and Gosford Sailing Club.
Source:
World Water Ski Racing Championships
Love it, watching from our dining/lounge. Such as entertainment.
what time is it on the 13th