When PRW spoke to Sean Henshelwood from the AFJSA about the viewing figures the championship gets not only via social media but also across various TV platforms he said

Our Facebook page – V8 Superboats – is currently running at 7.2M people per month and we haven’t raced for eight months.

We also have a global TV presence off the back of Covid that rates to 300M homes from all corners of the globe with TV reproduced in multiple languages (including Mandarin). So, we’re on the crest of a wave now, sadly we may fall prey to mother nature which would be a pity after being away for so long, but fingers crossed!

So is it a case of ‘the harder you work the luckier you get’ as quoted by the golfing legend Gary Player?

I wasn’t aware of that one, but there’s some truth to it. I’ve been a race car fan my whole life, and for a brief time a driver, but found motorsport journalism was a way I could stay involved and make $$ instead of spending it. Back in 2006 was the first time I saw Jetboats. From then on, I was hooked and have been involved pretty much full time since then, morphing from print media into TV.

Sadly, his career in commentary and production with CTVS, a Beijing based production company for whom he produced the Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup for eight seasons, ended as Covid hit.

So, he turned to learning to produce TV and used his connections in Asia and elsewhere to open opportunities for Jetboats and it has (fortunately) just exploded from there Henshelwood continued

Our greatest challenge is finding a commercial partner to take advantage of the immense exposure we are currently generating. Arguably we are one of the highest rating sports in Australia now, but few people are actually aware of the value that presents. It is something we’re looking to address soon, but it was very much an issue of the cart and the horse… without a media profile, we’d have never attracted commercial support, so that’s one box ticked, now we just need to work on making it financially viable in the long term.

Henshelwood also credits the support and passion from their photographer Russell Puckeridge, who like him, reinvented himself to transition from stills to video (he shoots both at every race meeting), along with the foresight of the AFJSA board, led by Justin Roylance, who allowed them the freedom to pursue the project with almost complete autonomy in order to help push the sport into the spotlight.

With the prospect of Henshelwood having a 3600kms round trip to drive we hope the weather gods are on his side especially as they have a  ‘fleet’ of new entries coming into the sport, and record crowds attendance.. the future looks pretty good!

Sean Henshelwood from the AFJSA said

The track is set into a natural amphitheatre which provides excellent spectator viewing. The tight and twisting course is a favourite amongst many drivers and there are always some remarkably close times posted during the Cabarita meetings.

Leading the charge will be the thunderous Unlimited Superboat field where reigning World Champion Phonsy Mullan comes in as points leader ahead of the 2019 title holder and long-time rival Slade Stanley. Stanley (see above image) has been the benchmark for the sport since Mullan claimed his maiden world crown at Cabarita in late 2018. Last June though saw him make a rare mistake whilst comfortably leading the timesheets to invert his naturally aspirated 480ci ‘Hazardous’ into the channel, handing Mullan his first win in three years, and with it, the points lead.

After such a long break between races, Cabarita will provide plenty of action across all three senior classes. A lot has happened over the past eight months, notably an all-new hull for reigning champion Mullan, and the return of V8 Superboat royalty, with second-generation driver Tyler Finch bringing a new look ‘Loose Cannon’ back into the fold to take the fight to Unlimited points leader Mullan and Stanley.

Whilst a throwback to his father Dean’s bright orange championship winning livery, the new ‘Loose Cannon’ is not the boat the team used to take the 2007 and 2011 titles, although it is a close relative. The hull is a sister to their original ‘Stingray’ hull (now owned by Paul Gaston after a couple of seasons as ‘MANIAC’ with Tremayne Jukes), whilst the twin-turbo powerplant with which they pioneered the technology in the sport, is also built by Darren Farr, although a different engine to their original unit.

The Finch’s have always been at the forefront of the sport, and the knowledge they have in boat design and jet unit development will see them immediately running towards the front of the field, but whether after a lengthy sabbatical they can take the fight to Messrs Mullan and Stanley is yet to be seen, and as to the question of whether Dean Finch will make a return to the seat, that too is another unknown, but it makes for a tantalising close to the 2021 season.

In the 400-Class (International Group A) its tightly regulated nature always provides close racing, and the return to competition will see one of the biggest fields since 2018. The LS-Class has been the emerging story of the 2021 season, and there will be no shortage of contenders for the podium, although points leader Bastian Mullan will be looking to carry over the form, he showed at Cabarita last time out. Whilst the sole entrant in the Junior Development category will be back in action, as Queenslander Koby Bourke will be looking to gain more experience in ‘Lil Pyscho.’

Unlike past Cabarita rounds, each of the two days of competition will see the conclusion of a championship round, completing rounds four and five of the 2021 season.