Like the Unlimited Superboat category, the fight for top honours in the 400 Class at Round Four of the 2021 Penrite Australian V8 Superboats Championship was a big focal point.
This class features engines that are restricted in size to 412 cubic inches to ensure a reasonably fair playing field for all competitors and would see the Outlaw67 driver Justin Roylance continued his title battle with fellow Jetspeed driver Jody Ely. The pair sharing all three wins for the 2021 season with Roylance holding the upper hand up until the Penrite series returned to Cabarita last June, where Ely dished out a big hiding to his rival.
With that memory still fresh, Roylance and his team worked tirelessly to be ready for the weekend, and it showed. The points leader was just too good in the end, turning the tables on Ely to take a dominant win, almost two seconds clear at the top of the timesheets.
Third was the returning Tremayne Jukes, the experienced campaigner getting to within one, one thousandth of a second of Ely. He is in the process of working on developing the new PULSE hull alongside Daniel James. It’s showing a great deal of promise for team-owner Brendan Doyle who is expected to take the reins of the new machine for the 2022 season.
Sadly, for Doyle, he was an early victim after being blinded during his practice lap, a journey up the grass and into the tyres fortunately less dramatic than it looked. The Girlfriend was quickly back on the water and up to speed, although the weather setback didn’t allow him to challenge the leading trio. Instead, he became embroiled in a battle for position with veterans Mark Garlick and Greg Harriman over a place inside the top six.
Consistent as always, multiple champion Mark Garlick was shadowing the leaders and waiting for his chance to pounce. He conceded that unless one of them suffered a problem, he’d struggle to make the final three. In the end he was comfortably fourth and almost two seconds clear of Doyle, with Harriman rounding out the six.
Daniel Warburton on his return to the sport was seventh ahead of Danny Knappick, with Darren Kesper and Hugh Gilchrist rounding out the top ten. Former champion Brett Thornton was a no show after being trapped by rising floodwaters north of Brisbane.
400-Class (Group A) (after round four of six)
- Justin Roylance (Outlaw67) – 141-points
- Jody Ely (Rampage) – 135
- Brendan Doyle (The Girlfriend) – 104
- Greg Harriman (Apache) – 98
- Hugh Gilchrist (Apache) – 84
- Mark Garlick (Grumpy) – 82
- Danny Knappick (Tuff N Up) – 64
- Brett Thornton (Still Obsessed) – 58
- Tremayne Jukes (PULSE) – 30
- Ron O’Day (Agro-Vation) – 26
The Penrite Australian V8 Superboats Championships season continues at the Spitwater Arena in Keith, South Australia on Saturday 26 March and the organisers will certainly be hoping for better weather.
