The Penrite Australian V8 Superboats makes a welcome return to Lake Centenary in Temora on the edge of the New South Wales Riverina this weekend, for the fourth round of the season and the opening event of the 2024 calendar year.
To the teams it feels an eternity since they were last racing on the water, although that has something to do with the postponed third round, the Cabarita event in November ultimately shelved after heavy rain set in, rain that has had a big stranglehold on the north-coast of the State ever since, but inclement weather isn’t something that will play a part this Saturday with warm dry conditions expected, ideal conditions for both competitors and fans.
With the prospect of the first clear event of the season, teams are fired up to get the Penrite Series back underway, the Christmas break potentially having an impact on Saturday night’s result with plenty of work going on in garages across recent weeks, whilst it also had an impact on entries, a number of expat New Zealanders having turned their attention back to their national series as they focus on the 2025 World Championships at home.
One New Zealander who hasn’t lost focus on the job at hand though is reigning 400-Class World Champion Ollie Silverton. The reigning New Zealand title holder has been a dominant force again at home this season, but is yet to take a win in the two races contested in Australia. That said, he also shares the Penrite Series points lead with Keith winner Jody Ely, and he’s made no secret of the fact that he’s focussed on becoming AUS#1.
With reigning Champion Brendan Doyle, round one winner Danny Knappick, Keith winner Jody Ely and returning 2021 Champion Justin Roylance in the field, Silverton’s task will be no easy feat, especially off the back of Ely’s dominant Keith victory in his new Australian-made ‘PULSE’ hull – that served as a real eye-opener for the Kiwi, who’s not convinced he has anything in store to take the outright fight to the Aussies – although he’s well renowned for playing the long game!
In Unlimited you could expect Phonsy Mullan’s ongoing run of domination to continue, especially off the back of a convincing couple of rounds against NZ#1 Rob Coley – the New Zealander continuing his run of bad luck on Australian shores to return home and regroup.
For Tyler Finch, he will be hoping to have resolved the issue that saw engine fires at both Keith and Cabarita to continue the development of his new package in an effort to close down Mullan’s current margin, whilst former Champion Daryl Hutton will be buoyed by his recent AUS vs NZ Junior boat challenge win at Cabarita to push himself closer to the #1 RAMJET machine.
Saturday’s race provides a new challenge with a twisty rotation set for the teams, something that will test their navigational skills, and reward the more technically proficient drivers – it could also widen the void between teams.
LS-Class is very much about driver skill with the bulk of the top teams very closely matched on performance, but whether or not they can master the rotation, it’s likely that they’ll all continue to be chasing reigning champion Bastian Mullan. The two-time LS-Class title holder convincingly won the opening round back in September, before narrowly defending his points lead at Keith – both times against his younger brother Nate.
Matt Malthouse emerged as the greatest threat to the Mullan brothers last time around, and he will look to push that message again this weekend, the Keith local getting some valuable pre-event practice whilst assisting the Jet Sprint Association with modifications to the Temora circuit ahead of this weekend’s round – an effort he hopes will bring him a little more pace come Saturday night.
The Temora round will also feature the perpetual Colin Parish Memorial Trophy awarded to the most consistent driver in the finals. For local hero Scott Krause, he is a three-time winner of the award and always a contender at home in the outright Unlimited class, but recently he’s been forced to play second-fiddle to rising star Bastian Mullan who is the current holder of the award – that too will provide an interesting focal point come Saturday night.
UNLIMITED SUPERBOAT
Having continued to see off all challengers over the last ten races, you’d be hard pressed to look past nine-time Australian Champion Phonsy Mullan extend his winning streak.
Two-time Australian Champion Daryl Hutton found a new lease on life 12-months ago campaigning the mighty ‘Hazardous’ machine of Slade Stanley alongside new boat owner Chris Edmonds. That gave him his best chance in a decade to take the fight to long-time rival Mullan and renewed his enthusiasm for a return to his own boat this season, so much so that he’s continued to tinker with the ‘American Automotive’ machine in an effort to find some more pace.
He’s also smarting about the Series’ last visit to Temora where he was beaten to second place in the final by an agonising four one-thousandths of a second by Scott Krause. He returned the favour at Keith to comfortably deposit the Temora local onto the bottom step of the podium, but in front of his home fans, Krause is a massive threat.
Throw Tyler Finch into the mix and you have the makings of an interesting final.
As for new Unlimited recruit Peter Monger, everyone will have their fingers crossed that the Cabarita veteran can finally turn some laps in anger in his new ‘Mongrel’, a package that has been years in development. The boat did hit the water at home in Cabarita during the pre-event test day, but they struck technical gremlins and were forced to go back to the drawing board – they’ll be hoping this weekend will be the start of many more to come!
For experienced campaigner Glenn ‘Spider’ Roberts – he was hoping to unveil a performance upgrade of his own, but focus on a World Record challenge has seen that project sidelined for the short term, the Victorian instead returning the boat to it’s original guise, and with much of the event to be held in daylight, he will again be a podium threat should any of the contenders lose step, making for what promises to be an intriguing night.
400-CLASS
For reigning Champion Brendan Doyle, he started the new season as the hot favourite to defend his title, but two rounds in, things aren’t looking so great, technical setbacks sideling the #1 ‘PULSE’ at Temora and Keith forcing him to jump in alongside his brother for round two in an effort to card some valuable Championship points.
Years involved with mixed martial arts has made Doyle a cool operator, so he doesn’t give much away, but acknowledges that he needs to start winning again this weekend in an effort to get back into the title fight.
With a season behind the wheel of the new ‘PULSE’ package already, he has the edge on new PULSE recruits Jody Ely and Justin Roylance, and he was the pace-setter when at Temora last September, in fact, his lap time in the early practice sessions eclipsed any other 400-Class lap that day, so he has the performance he needs – he just needs to use it.
For reigning World Champion Ollie Silverton, he came back to Australia with solid credentials having handed the local teams a real hiding during the 2018 World Series, but that was more than five years ago, and the Australians have shown they learnt a lot from that unpleasant lesson.
To be fair to Silverton and his ‘PSP Racing’ team, they are campaigning a new package in Australia this season so have been on a steep learning curve and with their boat staying in Australia between rounds, their windows of development are not as big as they’d like, and admit that’s costing them. As arguably the best team in the business, they will try and find some magic, but he also has a super-power – his greatest strength is his consistency.
With Brendan Doyle failing to make the final in his own boat in either round to date, and Ely forced into a backup boat at Temora after an unusual off in the qualifiers, they’ve been anything but consistent, whilst for Justin Roylance – he missed the opening round completely before making a rookie error at Keith. As for round one winner Danny Knappick, he also struck drama at Keith with food poisoning, so the Aussies have not presented a solid defence, and with four rounds to go, they’ll need to find form and quickly, otherwise the title could well be going offshore!
Whilst the leading contenders are looking to fight for the podium, don’t discount their rivals – one of them – LS-Class graduate Noel Verning, has been working quietly away in the background on his own challenge, and with his own PULSE hull pending, he’s not intent on just making up the numbers.
Sadly Hugh Gilchrist will be absent from the Temora round, the ‘Australian Moulding & Door Company’ boss committed elsewhere much to his frustration as he looks to build on his own new PULSE package – we expect to see his return at Griffith in three weeks time.
As for Simon Doyle, he too has a new lease on life after sharing the driving duties with the reigning AUS#1 and #2 – Jody Ely and brother Brendan transforming the boat over the two rounds to date, so Simon is primed to turn that performance into outright speed.
Temora also sees the return of Andrew Medlicott, the Victorian back in ‘Gone Nutz Again’ looking to continue his development program into the new year.
LS-CLASS
In LS-Class the focus will continue to centre on reigning Champion Bastian Mullan and younger brother Nate, the pair having been the standouts since the introduction of their new boat mid last season.
During the opening round at Temora last year, Bastian set a stunning pace to blitz the field – including his brother – but by round two the margin was a lot smaller, just 18 one-hundredths separating the team-mates. Bastian acknowledged that the more flowing nature of the Keith circuit meant that the margin would be smaller, and that this weekend he’ll be looking to re-establish his dominance.
He might not have the credentials of his older brother, but Nate Mullan is just that, a Mullan, and they’re not recognised for giving up, so he might just spring a surprise come late Saturday afternoon – stay tuned!
As for the contenders, looks to Matt Malthouse to continue his opening round form. The boat has had a bit of a birthday since his spectacular off at Keith, and with son Mitch absent for the weekend, the more relaxed pace could suit the veteran. Like the Mullan’s, Malthouse is certainly not giving up – the margin to Nate in September less than four tenths of a second, so anything’s possible.
And as for 2019 LS-Class Champion Kyle Elphinstone – well, it’s been a long time between drinks, and he’s been working tirelessly to reduce the performance deficit to the ‘RIPSHIFT’ and ‘Nood Nutz’ teams, but he also comes into the Temora round race-ready having turned laps at Wanaka during the most recent round of the NZ Series, and in positive news for the ‘Blackout Racing’ driver, he was quick, quick enough to be a podium contender on debut.. He’ll be looking to carry that form into this weekend.
And talking New Zealand – Matt Hareb will make his second visit to Temora, but the first with his own boat, Australian Customs stalling his debut at the opening round forcing him to join Jade Atchison and ‘Disturbed Racing’ for the weekend. That weekend saw both teams fighting for a position in the top six, but they’ve both learnt a lot since then, Jade emerging as a real threat at the tail of the lead group, whilst for Hareb, he’s been doing plenty of miles in the NZ Series over recent months so is more than race ready.
Queenslander Lawrie Howlett returns to Temora looking to take the fight to the lead pack, electrical gremlins last season now a thing of the past and as a former top six runner at Temora, he’ll be looking to rediscover that form, whilst for wife Karen, she will take turns with Lawrie swapping between seats as she gets more and more comfortable with the ‘Drop Bear’ machine.
One driver sure to make an impression on the leaders is Tyler O’Day, the young Victorian one of the most exciting drivers in the field, and alongside his father – who is one of the most experienced drivers in the field, the ‘Agro-Vation’ machine will be sure to entertain.
For Darren Pollard, he makes a welcome return to Temora looking to apply pressure to the top half of the field, but he won’t be alone, Lance Edmonds too has been finding form and looking to break into the top six making the midfield fight even more enticing, whilst for Rodney Norton who makes a welcome return in his ‘new’ boat, he too will be keen to find some form.
Having made her Penrite Series debut at Temora during the opening round, Queenslander Jodie Cottam has adapted quickly and surprised a few of the more experienced teams in the process. With a return to a circuit she already knows, she too could be one to watch, whilst for James Machan, he returns to Temora with yet another new boat, a boat he hopes will allow him to mix it with his ‘Disturbed Racing’ team-mates.
Junior Development
Sadly due to commitments, the Junior Development category will see just a single entry this weekend, former Champion Koby Bourke the sole entry in the category, although the very nature of the sport sees you racing against the clock, so he’ll be keen to improve his times across the weekend as he prepares for his graduation to the LS-Class in the not too distant future.
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Round four of the 2023/24 Penrite Australian V8 Superboats Championship will be contested at Kennards Hire Park located at Temora’s Lake Centenary, on Saturday 03 February, with opening qualifying from 1:30pm ahead of the finals which will begin at 6:30pm.
For anyone attending the opening round, the circuit is located at Lake Centenary, 3.0-kilometres north of Temora on Barmedman Road – diagonally opposite Temora Airport. Tickets are available online or at the gate (EFTPOS available on-site).
For those of you unable to make the event, this weekend a range of interviews and videos will be made available via www.facebook.com/V8Superboats where results and updates will also be posted, but if you live in the area, do yourself a big favour, and drop down to Lake Centenary to take in some of the action live, you certainly won’t be disappointed!
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Rnd#4 2023/24 Penrite Australian V8 Superboats Championship
Lake Centenary, Temora, NSW
03 February, 2024
UNLIMITED SUPERBOAT
1. Phonsy Mullan/Leigh Stewart (RAMJET)
28. Daryl Hutton/Mick Parry (Victorian American Imports)
32. Tyler Finch/Jarrod Ballard (Loose Cannon)
37. Scott Krause/James Parsons (KAOS)
96. Peter Monger/Matt Host (Mongrel)
888. Glenn Roberts/Narelle Pellow-Djukic (Blown Budget)
400-CLASS (GROUP A)
1. Brendan Doyle/Holly Small (The Girlfriend)
2. Jody Ely/Brooke Tanner (Rampage)
6. Andrew Medlicott/Jason Anderson (Gone Nutz)
31. Ollie Silverton/Jessica Little (PSP Racing)
45. Danny Knappick/Cliff Bamford (Tuff N Up)
67. Justin Roylance/Tracey Little (The Outlaw)
99. Simon Doyle/Cael White (The Mistress)
269. Noel Verning/Nick Smith (Quiet Time)
LS-CLASS
1A. Bastian Mullan/Tahleah Mullan (RIPSHIFT)
1B. Nate Mullan/Lisa Dellar (RIPSHIFT)
14A. Lawrie Howlett/Karen Howlett (Drop Bear)
14B. Karen Howlett/Lawrie Howlett (Drop Bear)
22A[NZ]. Matthew Hareb/Matthew Nairn (Moist As)
29A. Ron O’Day/Paris O’Day (Agro-Vation)
29B. Tyler O’Day/Todd McDowell (Agro-Vation)
69A. Matt Malthouse/Leighton Collins (Nood Nutz Racing)
77. Darren Pollard/Steve Muhvich (Disturbed Racing)
199. Jodie Cottam/Kaine Henman (Steady Eddie)
212. Lance Edmonds/Peter Sendy (Solid Gold)
219. Kyle Elphinstone/Jacob Bellamy (Blackout Racing)
267. Rodney Norton/Pam Moran (Crackers)
777. Jade Atchison/Erin Kearney (Twisted)
7777. James Machan/Louis Borg (Toxicity)
Junior Development
97A. Koby Bourke (Lil Pyscho)
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RACE SCHEDULE
Saturday, 03 February, 2024;
12:00pm – Gates Open
12:30pm – Practice laps commence
1:30pm – Qualifying #1 (60-minutes)
2:30pm – Qualifying #2 (60-minutes)
3:30pm – Qualifying #3 (60-minutes)
4:30pm – Qualifying #4 (60-minutes)
5:30pm – Qualifying #5 (60-minutes)
6:30pm – Junior Development Final
6:40pm – Top 12 Finals (LS-Class/400-Class)
7:15pm – Dinner break (sunset – 60-minutes)
8:15pm – Top 6 Final (LS-Class/400-Class/Unlimited)
9:05pm – FINALS (LS-Class/400-Class/Unlimited)
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V8 Superboats and Temora – HISTORY
Rnd#1 2023/24 Penrite Australian V8 Superboats Championship
Kennards Hire Park, Lake Centenary, Temora, New South Wales
09 September, 2023
FINAL RESULTS
TOP 12 FINAL
Unlimited Superboat
1. 1. Phonsy Mullan/Leigh Stuart (RAMJET) – 39.809
2. 37. Scott Krause/James Parsons (KAOS) – 40.855
3. 28A. Daryl Hutton/Mick Parry (Victorian American Imports) – 40.859
400-Class (Group A)
1. 45. Danny Knappick/Cliff Bamford (Tuff’n Up) – 44.432
2. 31. Ollie Silverton/Jess Sitt (PSP Racing) – 44.533
3. 214B. Jody Ely/Brooke Tanner (The Mistress) – 48.013
LS-Class
1. 1A. Bastian Mullan/Tahleah Mullan (RIPSHIFT) – 40.428
2. 1B. Nate Mullan/Cain Wallace (RIPSHIFT) – 41.593
3. 69A. Matt Malthouse/Leighton Collins (NoodNutz Racing) – 41.968
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Rnd#5 2022 Australian V8 Superboats Championship presented by Penrite
03 December, 2022
FINAL RESULTS
TOP 3 FINAL
Unlimited Superboat
1. 1. Phonsy Mullan/Leigh Stuart (RAMJET) – 38.701
2. 28A. Daryl Hutton/Mick Parry (Hazardous) – 39.500
3. 28B. Chris Edmonds/Jamie Maroney (Hazardous) – 40.140
400-Class (Group A)
1. 4. Brendan Doyle/Rory Doyle (PULSE) – 42.537
2. 33. Jody Ely/Nathan Pennington (Rampage) – 42.586
3. 45. Danny Knappick/Darren Tickell (Tuff’n Up) – 47.194
LS-Class
1. 1A. Bastian Mullan/Tahleah James (RIPSHIFT) – 41.210
2. 219. Kyle Elphinstone/Macey Roylance (Blackout Racing) – 42.243
3. 1B. Nate Mullan/Cain Wallace (RIPSHIFT) – 42.422
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2023/24 Penrite Australian V8 Superboats Championship – Series Points
Unlimited Superboat (after round two of six)
1. Phonsy Mullan (RAMJET) – 72-points, 2. Scott Krause (KAOS) – 63, 2. Daryl Hutton (Victorian American Imports) – 63, 4. Tyler Finch (Loose Cannon) – 52, 5. Glenn Roberts (Blown Budget) – 48, 5. Rob Coley (Poison Ivy) – 48, 7. Chris Edmonds (Hazardous) – 26, 8. Sam Everingham (Excalibur) – 24
400-Class (Group A) (after round two of six)
1. Ollie Silverton (PSP Racing) – 63-points, 1. Jody Ely (Rampage) – 63, 3. Danny Knappick (Tuff’n’Up) – 64, 4. Brendan Doyle (The Girlfriend) – 54, 5. Noel Verning (Quiet Time) – 52, 6. Simon Doyle (The Mistress) – 48, 6. Hugh Gilchrist (Mattrix) – 48, 8. Justin Roylance (The Outlaw) 20, 8. Andrew Medlicott (Gone Nutz) – 20
LS-Class (after round two of six)
1. Bastian Mullan (Ripshift) – 72-points, 2. Nate Mullan (Ripshift) – 66, 3. Kyle Elphinstone (Blackout Racing) – 56, 3. Mitch Malthouse (NoodNutz Racing) – 56, 5. Matt Hareb (No Limits) – 46, 5. Matt Malthouse (NoodNutz Racing) – 46, 7. Luke Walters (Borrowed Time) – 38, 8. Jade Atchison (Twisted) – 36, 9. Mike Hessell (Borrowed Time) – 34, 10. Lance Edmonds (Solid Gold) – 30, 11. Lawrie Howlett (Drop Bear) – 24, 12. Adam Sulcs (Steady Eddie) – 20, 12. Jodie Cottam (Steady Eddie) – 20, 14. Tyler O’Day (Agro-Vation) – 18, 15. Darren Pollard (Disturbed) – 16, 16. Rodney Norton (Crackers) – 6, 17. Ron O’Day (Agro-Vation) – 4, 18. James Machan (Twisted) – 0, 18. Karen Howlett (Drop Bear) – 0
Junior Development (after round one of five)
1. Koby Bourke (Lil Psycho) – 36-points, 2. Harry Jay (Lil Psycho) – 0-points
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2023/24 Penrite Australian V8 Superboats Championships
Rnd#1 – Temora, NSW – 09 September, 2023 (Colin Parish Memorial)
Rnd#2 – Keith, SA – 14 October, 2023
Rnd#3 – Tweed Coast, NSW – 04 November, 2023 (postponed due to weather)
Rnd#4 – Temora, NSW – 03 February, 2024
Rnd#5 – Griffith, NSW – 24 February, 2024
Rnd#6 [FINAL] – Keith, SA – 23 March, 2024
Rnd#7 [FINAL] – Tweed Coast, NSW – 04/05 May, 2024
About Penrite
Founded in Melbourne in 1926 by – then – 16-year old Les Mecoles, Penrite Oil utilised high-quality lubricants from Pennsylvania [USA] base stocks, hence the name ‘Pen’ from the base stock and ‘rite’ for the right oil. In 1979, due to ill health, Les sold the company to John and Margaret Dymond.
Almost 100 years on from those early beginnings the Dymond family have built Penrite into one of Australia’s most prominent and recognised brands. The iconic Australian-made and owned lubricants company has a simple philosophy: ‘the rite product for the application’.
Penrite Oil Company produces a large range of high-quality products suited to the Australian conditions including the exciting 10 Tenths Racing Oils range which offers a superior package of performance and protection for both competition and high performance engines.
For more information about the extensive range of Penrite Oils available, visit www.penriteoil.com.au
7mate + 7plus
For the 2023/24 season, the Penrite Australian V8 Superboats Championship will again be aired free-to-air on 7mate, and ‘on-demand’ on affiliate 7plus providing fantastic access to the sport not just in Australia, but through networks all over the world, each program going to more than 1-billion homes in every corner of the world.