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Next Round is Round 2 - Grafton 21st -22nd April
Shane will be heading down from the Gold Coast to Grafton after spending the week with Jason preparing and breaking in the engines ready for this round. Shane is very excited and can’t wait to get back behind the wheel, knowing that his engines are back to where they used to be when he won the Australian Title back in 2010. The team hopes this will put Shane back at the pointy end of the field, and with a bit of prop testing and practice on Saturday, the lap times will be what they normally are when the boat is on the money.

This round will unfortunately once again take place less a few team members due to other commitments. The team for this round will be Shane, Jason, Luke and Cameron.
Brendon and Matt are committed elsewhere for this round.

It’s official!

Shane will tackle the longest one-way race in the world - The Sydney Bridge-to-Bridge Powerboat Race. He aims to be the fastest man in an outboard, to ever go down the river.

It has been a long time dream for Shane to do this race. He has competed in every other outboard class, both winning and breaking records, which still stand today, in those classes. But he has never been the fastest man down the river in an outboard. He truly believes that this is achievable and it could possibly become an outright record as well.

Getting Ready for the next round at Grafton
All our running gear and engines have been taken back to the Gold Coast to Jason’s place, ready for a complete overhaul of all equipment. Jason has been working on rebuilding our engines and also arranging our gear boxes to be refreshed. Jason should have all the engines re-built for the weekend before Grafton, ready for us to break them in. Shane will head up to the Gold Coast on Friday April 13th to meet Jason and spend the weekend breaking in all the engines ready for Round 3 at Grafton.
Shane would like to thank Jason, Matt and the boys for the massive effort that has been put in over the last 6 weeks to hopefully get ‘Lindenvel’ #61 back on the podium.

Round 1 - Taree 2012
The team has made a late decision to join the round at Taree. The boat is not fully prepared at this point, but we are happy to run the round and get points. After the round, we will then refresh the running gear of ‘The Lindenvel Group’ #61. Shane and Matt headed to Taree early Friday morning to work on the boat and prepare it for the round. The boat hasn’t been in the water for 12 months, and there is some slight work to be done to keep it on track.

We only have one engine at this round, so we will need to be conservative to get through. The boat was prepared and set up ready for Saturday.

Saturday
The team arrives – Shane, Matt, and Brendan – the other team members, due to short notice, already had commitments and could not be part of this round. We sent the boat out for practice, and it was obviously it was not right on the money initially. Matt worked hard to try and find some extra speed and better lap times from ‘The Lindenvel Group’ #61. But unfortunately what we had is where the boat was going to stay.

Qualifying
The boat went out for practice 2 and qualifying, and unfortunately could only qualify in 2nd position, close to a second behind Damien McKenzie in pole position.

Race 1
We had a great start. We lead the field for the majority of the first straight, but Damien had pole position, took the turn on the inside and lead the race from start to finish. The boat did not perform that well, we had some slight issues and we did not finish that race.

Race 2 - Sunday
We had a good start off the line, but again unfortunately had some engine issues and did not finish the race. We thought this may be the case as the boat hasn’t been used for a number months . Good luck to Damien McKenzie in winning the round. We will now head back and regroup, and work right through the boat to get it ready for the round at Grafton.

Penrith 2011 - Friday
Jason and Matt arrived early Friday morning to pick up the transporter and head down to the pits and set up the SVR outfit for the first time in 12 months. The transporter was all completely set up, and the guys slowly but surely worked on the boat as it has not been in the water for 12 months. There were some minor issues that they dealt with at the time, and by the end of the day they had the boat prepared to go in the water for the first practice session on Saturday.

Saturday
We all arrived at the pits Jason, Matt, Cam, Brendan…unfortunately Luke couldn't make it. At the last minute, he ended up in hospital with an ear infection. It was great to see all the guys together to get the boat ready for the first practice. Shane was slightly nervous as he hadn't been in the boat for over 12 months. The guys set the boat up as they did 12 months ago and sent Shane out for the first practice session. It only took a few laps for him to get back into the swing of things and he was right back on the money as he left 12 months ago.
Lap times were down this year due to the course being 250m shorter than the previous year. Slowly but surely, Shane ticked away lap after lap and got faster and faster until the practice session finished.
The team changed the engine went to a different set-up due to the course being shorter, and sent Shane out for the second practice session. The change made a massive difference to the lap times and was only a few hundredths of a second off Damien McKenzie's fastest time.
All of the team were happy when they brought the boat back in after that practice session. The Qualifying session was done slightly different to what Shane is used to. All boats went out together, and the quickest time in that session will take pole and so on.

Shane gave it his best, and was getting quicker as the time went on, but unfortunately could not quite get to Damien McKenzie's time. He missed out by 0.005 seconds and finished in pole 2, with Damien in pole 1.

Race 1
The team prepared the SVR race boat back to its best set-up for the first race. All boats are lined up at the dock, Damien McKenzie in pole 1, Shane Vella in pole 2 and two other boats in pole 3 and 4 completing the field. The flag dropped for the first race, and as normal, Shane got a rocket start off the dock lead by 2-3 boat lengths into the first corner. As the great sportsmen he is, he never closed the door on pole 1 and left an ample space for Damien to come through. Shane and Damien raced the whole way through the first race. Unfortunately Shane could not quite get around Damien but was hot on his heels the whole time and finished in second position.

Race 2
All boats are lined up at the start line, with Shane coming out of pole 2. The flag dropped and Shane got a great start again and led by 2-3 boat lengths into the top turn. He turned the SVR yellow fella hard into the top turn and came around slightly in front of Damien McKenzie by 50 metres. Shane led down the first straight away in front of the crowd and took pole at the second turn at the bottom of the course. He led the whole way pulling over half a straight on Damien. Unfortunately on the second last lap, he had a problem with the propeller by breaking a blade and didn't finish the race.

Race 3
Shane came out of pole 4 this time due to not finishing the race before. The flag dropped, again he got a rocket start, going around the outside of the three boats inside of him, to come out beside Damien McKenzie, slightly behind him in the first turn. Shane and Damien continued racing down the front straight side by side, Damien in pole and Shane in pole 2. They were at the second turn side by side and they diced all up the back straight. Coming into the top turn, Shane went inside and under Damien's radar and took pole down the front straight. Shane continues to lead the race until the last lap when a plug lead line came off which allowed Damien to take the lead and win the race.

Shane would like to thank all his team for a great job.

Shane Vella makes a return to the water
and to the sport he loves

After 12 months away from the sport 5 times Australian Champion Shane Vella and The Lindenvel group #61 (The Yellow Fella) will make a return to the International Regatta Centre at Penrith.

Penrith is home base for Shane and he's taken 2 Australian titles at the International Regatta Centre. 2008 & 2010

Currently still the Australian Champion unfortunately will lose that title in 2011 due to the break away from the sport

The decision to race has been last minute. Shane's team of dedicated professionals and engineers will start preparing the boat on Friday, which has not been on the water for 12 months.

It will be interesting to see how competitive he is, as Shane has not been in the seat of his "super fast yellow fella" for over 12 month.

The people that know Shane know he has the tiger in him and that he will do his utmost to put on a show for all of his team members and supporters.

Shane would like me to thank his team and sponsors who have came together overnight to make this happen for the weekend. It would be great to see everyone come out to support the event, which will run this weekend (Saturday August 27th & Sunday August 28th) at the best venue in Australia by far.

Hope to see you there. (Photo above when a tiger meets a tiger!)

Good luck mate and welcome back

Brendon Baker - IT manager of the SVR team

2010 CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS
Australian Formula Powerboat Grandprix

Penrith - Round 6 2010

Friday
Media day and usual set up.

Saturday - Practice 1
Matty and the boys prepared the boat using our statistics and data from last years Penrith round where we won 3 from 3 races. It was great to see the team hoping to start off where we left off in Penrith last year, knowing the boat was very fast at that round and that we did win 3 out of 3 that year.

The team pushed Shane out into the magnificent regatta centre as if it was a purpose built race centre for F1 boats.  Shane did one warm up lap and was straight into it from the beginning.  The boat went down the back straight, it was super fast. 
Shane was on the radio to Matt instantly saying we “Have all red lights” (meaning maximum RPM). The Team just knew that the boat was on the money from the outset. Shane completed 10 laps and was overwhelmed with the speed and acceleration and decided to head back to the pits.

Practice 2 / Qualifying
The team prepared the boat with a slight change and a different propeller and headed back out for qualifying. 
Shane turned 5 laps and was unhappy with the performance and speed so headed back to the pits to put the boat back to the original set up as used in Practice One. The team pushed him back out, Shane headed straight back onto the course and instantly pulled 2 seconds off his time.

Shane put in one complete flying lap and took and additional second off his best time which in the end put The Lindenvel Group #61 on pole position being one second quicker than any other driver. The team headed back to the pits, jumping with joy with the outcome.  Shane and the team have been trying so hard to get the “Yella Fella” on pole.

Race 1
The team made no changes from the qualifying set up and sent Shane out for race one.  Shane completed the usual warm up lap and the boat was positioned in pole 1 ready for the start with Anthony McEnally in Pole 2, Damien Mackenzie in Pole 3, Craig Truslove in Pole 4, Craig Bailey in Pole 5, Jamie Butler in Pole 6.

The flag dropped, Shane got off to his usual flying start pulling 3 boat lengths from the field.  Going into turn one and coming out of turn two, when Matty called Shane and advised him to stop as there had been an enormous accident between Anthony McEnally & Damien Mackenzie going into turn one.  The race was subsequently cancelled due to the severity of the accident.  Anthony McEnally was airlifted to hospital badly concussed, Damien Mackenzie was fortunate enough to walk from the accident with bruising.
(photo’s of the accident can be found at http://lowdownphotos.zenfolio.com/p1023145876)

The SVR Team would like to wish Anthony & Damien a speedy recovery and hope they are back on their feet soon

Sunday - Race 1 (Re-run from Saturday)
The team prepared the boat as they did on the Saturday.  Shane was sent out to the start dock for the re-run of race one.
Shane was in pole, Craig Truslove in 2, Craig Bailey in 3, Jamie Butler in 4

The flag dropped and again Shane got a great start pulling 6 boat lengths through turns one and two.  The boat was performing better than it has ever performed to date with Shane seeing speeds that the Yella Fella has never reached before. He lead from start to finish to take a well earned 1st place.

Race 2
No changes were made to the boat after recalling all the data and it confirmed Shanes thoughts, that it was the fastest and quickest lap times over this distance of track that this boat has ever done before. Shane made his way to the start, assuming the pole 1 position with Craig Truslove in 2, Craig Bailey in Pole 3, followed by a couple of the F2 guys. Shane pulled out another great start, and was in the lead by turn one.  He continued his lead taking out first place.

At this point in time, due to Damien McKenzies accident with Anthony McEnally he was unable to complete in any races which put Shane in a position that he only needed to present his boat to the start dock to obtain the additional points needed to take out the championship.

Shane has released this statement: “I feel for Damien at this time.  Racing can be cruel or it can be kind. I have been in the same situation in previous years and my heart goes out to him.  I do not want to take away from the job that my team has done as The Lindenvel Group #61 boat was a second quicker than any other boat this weekend and pulled speed and times that we as a team have not seen from this boat to take the round win”.

Race 3
The team went out to the start dock and took their place which gave them the points to take out the round win and championship. Shane was presented at this time with the checkered flag and did his victory lap.

Presentation
The series presentation was held at the Log Cabin in Penrith.  The team was presented with their trophy for the round win and the Australian Championship.  This is third successive year that the Yella Fella will carry the Australian title and Championship.  At the conclusion of the presentation Shane welcomed all teams to his favourite spot “The Legends Bar” where celebrations and commiserations went long into the wee hours of the morning (actually 5:40am Monday, morning). 

We have included photo’s of the after party in our gallery.

Shane would like to thank his Team - Matt Gardner, Dale Sawkins, Jason Dreager, Brendon Baker, Luke Pye and Cameron Vella.

And also all of his sponsors - The Lindenvel Group, Precision Marine Refinishing, Seabold Racing, Signaction, Duwalt Propellers, BTW Communications and Castrol.

Without the continued support of my team and sponsors, I could not do what I do. Your generosity of time, money, parts and products is greatly appreciated.

On behalf of the Shane Vella Racing Team, a huge thank you to you our fans for your support.  I hope that I have the opportunity to race in 2011 and look forward to seeing you all in 2011.

Port Macquarie - Round 5

We arrived in Port Macquarie, Matt Jason & Shane set up the pit area mid morning to prepare for the up and coming races at the new venue. They worked on the boat all day to make sure the boat was ready for the first race on Saturday.

The rest of the team arrived late Friday night but it was straight to bed, ready for Saturday morning practice sessions.

Saturday

We were up early and down at the pits for our team brief to get us all on the same page for practice and race sessions for the day.

Practice 1.

Shane went out for the first practice session, the boat didn't seem to be on the money so he called in for prop changes. Unfortunately, the rear engine cowell (that seems to continuously come off) flew off during the practice session giving Shane limited seat time on the new boomerang course in Port Macquarie.

Shane took the boat back to the pits and the safety crew retrieved the cowell, the team refit the cowell to the boat and taped it on to ensure it didn't come off again. With another prop change Shane was back out for the last few minutes of the practice session. We were still down a few seconds on Damien Mackenzie, Shane was not happy so it was back to the pits to re-think the next strategy.

Practice 2 / Qualifying

We set the boat up with a few changes and the boat seemed to be a lot more settled in this session but we were still slightly off the pace to Damien Mackenzie. Back to the pits for another prop change and returned to the water for some more laps. Shane was feeling a lot better with the changes and the lap times were coming down and getting a lot closer. Came back in for another prop change and the course was so demanding with many turns and a large right hander which is unusual for this course but very challenging.

Sent the boat back out, and immediately you could see the change, the boat came alive. Shane was on a flying hot lap as he came around the bottom turn up to the right hander and unfortunately the boat stoped instantly, it was towed back to the ramp where the team were waiting. We had a motor issue. We were fortunate enough to put down a good lap time prior to this incident and the boat started on pole 2.

The team got to work on the boat to get it ready for race one.

Race 1.

Damien Mackenzie was in pole 1, Shane in pole 2, Anthony McNally, Craig Truslove and a couple of the F2 guys joined the class.

We headed out for one warm up lap and returned for the start, the flag dropped and Shane got off to a flying starting getting at least 2 boat lengths in front of Damien Mackenzie into the top turn. You can not change lanes on the first lap and Shane kept to his lane and took the turn, this allowed Damien to come up on the inside and pull back the gap that Shane had on him.

They raced for 15 laps, unfortunately with the boats being at equal speed Shane was unable to pass Damien and took 2nd place.

The boys worked on the boat to prepare it ready for Sunday's practice session. Out for a quiet dinner and home ready for the early start in the morning.

Sunday

Practice 1.

The boys had worked on the boat the afternoon before and sent Shane out in a very fast boat and Shane was feeling great after the seat time on Saturday and was looking forward to the next 2 races.

Race 2.

Damien Mackenzie was in pole 1, Shane in Pole 2, Anthony McEnally in pole 3, Craig Truslove 4th and a few of the F2 guys joined the session again also.

The flag dropped and Shane was off pulling 4- 5 lengths in front of Damien and this time Shane wasn't so generous in the top turn and left Damien one lane and they came out of the turn equal, heading to the next turn they were side by side, the crowd were roaring it was an awesome site seeing these 2 boats coming head on to the Port Macquarie crowd. They took the 2nd turn buoy, side by side heading to the top end heading turn 3 again there was nothing in it as they headed to turn 4 which is a sharp 180 degree turn back to the right hander. They turned and as Damien had pole was slightly in front of Shane. Shane chased the whole way, inside, outside all over the back of Damien and was right on top of him by 5th Lap and they were coming up to traffic. One of the boats had stopped and the race was red flagged and they returned to the bank for restart.

At the restart, Shane got away again, and by the third turn Shane and Damien were neck and neck side by side. On turn 4, Damien just edge Shane out to take the lead, Shane continued his fight to regain the lead but before he could do it there was another red flag and a return to start.

At this time, one of the boats had to be towed back and it gave us some time to have a quick re-think about our set up. We considered another prop change to see if we could do something even better to get in front of the quick Mackenzie. The boys decided to change props and put Shane back out there for the restart.

The race started and the new prop gave Shane a good advantage from the start gaining a good lead on Damien. Shane lead through the first & second turn buoys still leaving the pole 1 lane open as the rules state and it wasn't long before Damien and Shane were at it again, racing side by side for 3 -4 laps. Damien finally got the lead and a game of cat and mouse between Shane & Damien ensued. The crowd were delighted with the racing.

Shane definitely had the advantage with quicker lap times overall but just couldn't get by Mackenzie.

Shane got out of the boat he was stoked, particularly with the hard times he is going through personally he still has it in him.

Back to the pits to prepare for the last race of the weekend.

Race 3.

Race 3 was no different from any other this weekend with Shane getting the lead followed closely by Damien, again racing side by side lap after lap with Damien just edging in front to take the lead and 1st place.

The weekend finished it was a great result for the SVR Team, as here has been a 4 month layoff so it was great to see the team working well together.

Off to Penrith we go, Shane is pumped to his home town event, cant wait to bring the SVR Team home in 1st place is his home town.

PORT MACQUARIE THIS WEEKEND

Next race Port Macquarie 23rd – 25th July 2010
It’s been a long time since we have been able to race and there have been a number of changes within the Shane Vella camp both personally & professionally. Shane would like to take this opportunity and thank those people involved in our sport that have been in contact with him over the last few months.

Shane has released this statement:
“It has really put a smile on my face and it’s great to see there are still real people out there!! As long as my situation allows me to and my team and sponsor continue there support, I will continue to race and be involved with the sport I truly love, It has been great to me over the years.

Thank you for the support it is greatly appreciated in tuff times

Looking forward to Port Macquarie and my home town race at the international regatta centre in Penrith”Heading down to Geelong after finishing second for the round at Grafton the SVR team has made some slight changes to the engine configuration and have loaned some new props for the Geelong course which is traditionally a very short course.

Geelong - Round 3
Geelong is expected to be a new start for the SVR team with the launch of our new colour scheme & sponsor. The “Yella Fella” is not longer just yellow…

Let’s hope the weather and the wind is kind to us, as Geelong is well known for races to be “blown” out and cancelled.

Friday – Set up
Shane & Cameron arrived late Thursday night eager to get set up Friday morning and start works to the boat to unsure all is ready for round 1. The rest of the team arrived late Friday night all keen and eager to get the boat on pole Saturday morning.

Saturday – Practice 1
The newly signaged SVR boat really turned some heads as it rolled out of the pits on Saturday morning for the first time. The comments were great and much appreciated as the boat hit the water for its first practice session.

The course was very short and very hard to get the boat on the money. We tried allot of different options but finished the first practice session in third place. Back at the pits, we did some modifications to some of the running gear as the water became rougher and the wind became stronger.

Practice 2 / Qualifying
Shane was all geared up & obsessed to get the boat on pole as his team has a nice reward for him if he does. With the modifications and new propeller completed, the boat left the dock and you could tell things had been changed.
Shane did a few warm up laps, and then got straight on the money and in one lap took the boat from 3rd position up into pole position. The team were happy but there was still 15 minutes of qualifying left to run.
Grant Trask came out and did a couple of warm up laps and laid out a slightly quicker time and took pole position. Shane took a rest waiting for the water to settle and the headed back out to try and better his previous time. One quick warm up lap and Shane was straight back on it and the boat looked very fast and up the back straight coming back down along the jetty straight was at least .3 of a second in front of his fastest time with only one corner to turn. Unfortunately as Shane came into the final turn, the wind slightly picked up the back left hand corner of the boat and unsettled it just as he was about to make the turn at 220km per hour which cased the boat to turn at some unspeakable g force and unsettled the rear cowling which sent it into the sky over 70m in the air. The g force impact caused Shane to black out for a short time and ended up inside the course and did not complete his hot lap. We were fortunate enough to have the cowell recovered and although Shane was badly shaken and disappointed he remained unharmed and finished in pole 2.

Race 1.
The flag dropped, Shane got away to a flying start, pulling at least 3 boat lengths from position 2. Sticking to the rules as he always does and driving at the upmost speed and safety Shane maintained his pole 2 position even though he was way in front which allowed the GTR boat come up the inside as he had pole 1. Shane & Grant raced side by side for the first lap. On the second lap as the right hander comes into play Grant had a better run and Shane ended up back in 2nd position. Shane pushed his hardest to close the gap but on such a short course was unable to.

The boys were happy with the performance but will be doing and engine change and prop change for the start of Sunday’s race.

Sunday – Race Day
All the team woke eager and ready to go, unfortunately, Mother Nature other ideas. The wind was up and the rain came down. The rain finally stopped prior to briefing but the wind continued to blow. All drivers at the briefing decided they would wait another hour to see if the wind dropped prior to hitting the water.

As time went by the wind got stronger and the committee & the drivers decided due to safety they would cancel the remained of the day.

We packed up and headed for home. Huge thank you to my team for their on going support and look forward to Townsville.

Townsville

Unfortunately Townsville was cancelled due to waterways red tape... Maybe next year

Grafton - Round 2
Well we arrived in Grafton very late Thursday night, with a few hours work ahead of us we thought we would get a head start early.

Friday seen us set up in the pits and prepare for the weekends racing. The scheduled boat parade through Grafton city was cancelled by the Formula Powerboat Grand Prix.  But Shane had media commitments for the meet the drivers at 4pm.
The Grand Prix committee and the members had their event meeting and a few quiet beverages followed by an early night.

Saturday morning change in program sees a hectic few hours in preparation for the 1st race. The program now has 1 race on Saturdays and 2 races on Sundays with no official hot laps for pole position, this now is determined during the final practice sessions before race 1.

The Shane Vella Racing team qualified 3rd fastest after David Trask and Damien McKenzie. The top 3 boats were within 300 of a second of each other….. so close.

Race 1
Off the start line seen the top three again so so close. David, Damien and Shane..
They were battling it out for the first lap. Shane settled in very nicely to circulate in 3rd place, the front runners came across lap traffic and Shane was closing the cap.
Lap after lap Shane and the boys were content with the position they had.
3rd place it was for race # 1.

Job well done boys, bring on Sunday…..

Sunday morning seen beautiful blue skies after some very heavy run overnight. We have one practice session before Race 2. The boys were happy with boats performance so far for the weekend so they thought they would change power heads and props to see what they can come up with. Power head change was probably not as good as the team would have liked, but themes’ the breaks that’s racing.

Race 2
In starter’s hands, flag drops and off they went, McKenzie was squeezing Shane right from the drop and Beasley on Shanes outside was not much better actually on top of the sponsons. Round the top turn and the race was settling into turn 2 Beasley decided to come up on Shane and bang over he goes. Once he came to a stop Craig Truslove could see this with only 3 seconds to respond, Craig ran straight over the back of Mick’s boat, No one was injured just some boat damage.
Race 2 restart was close once again. Shane was down on speed right from the out set. Around and around he went, sitting in a comfortable 4th to see out the race, by the last lap the engine was not very happy. Boys had some work ahead as the power head was coming off and the replacement was going on.

Between race 2 and 3 the rain hit Grafton, we thought this was it for the weekend. The pit area was flooded.

Race 3 went ahead under blue skies, starters hands again a few less boats on the start grid. Off to a better start this time not much between Trask, McKenzie and Vella. The boys settled in very quickly and kept their speed up but at this late stage in the weekend neither of them were about to destroy their hard work, points at this stage are vital. Shane came in 3rd after Trask and McKenzie. The Shane Vella Racing team is on the podium once again to receive 3rd place trophy for Round 2. This places the “yella fella” in 2nd place for the year so far.

Congratulations team your effort is endless and is a credit to the entire crew.

Taree - Round 1
Taree’s Race 1 and 2 saw the team closely behind Damien McKenzie with Craig Truslove a close 3rd place. Race 3 saw the Yella Fella hit stale mate and lost considerable amounts of power.

This weekend Shane would like to improve on his speed in practice on Saturday morning to better his pole position for race 1.

Good luck to all the teams coming to Grafton.

The Shane Vella Racing team welcome enquires for corporate sponsorship for the remaining 6 rounds of the 2009-2010 racing year. All enquires can be made through the contact us page.

The 2008 racing year seen the SVR Team crowned Australian Champions.

We would like to thank the entire 2008 racing team for there help support.

The off season has been a busy one for Shane, Cherie & family. This has not allowed any on water time. The crew game together only weeks ago to prepare the entire outfit for racing. At this time a few changes took place, Jason – Crew Chief has moved on from our team to a rival team, Brendon- It Guru has called it a day as his work and family commitments come 1st. We wish them all the best in the future.

The 2009-2010 year is set to be another challenging year of racing. The SVR team would like to welcome Dale onboard and look forward to many great weekends of racing. Matt, Luke & Cameron and the girls are continuing on again this year.

As you all may be aware the Australian Formula 1 Superboats Series has ceased operation and a new Owners / drivers Incorporation has been formed.
‘Formula Powerboat Grand Prix Inc.” With hard work and dedication the Formula One circuit will be up and running under the new format with not to much disruption.

Gold Coast- Sunday race day
Early start to the day the team where ready to complete the last round for the 2008 year. Qualifying was fast Shane drove very well but unfortunately this time not the fastest on track. Pole 3 beside, Rhys Coles & Bob Trask,

Race 1 - Shane got a great start 1st to the turn but Rhys went around in front of him; settled straight into an awesome rhythm. A very comfortable 2nd place was at our fingers tips. The water conditions were near perfect for racing. Lap 15 was called and SV took home 2nd place for race 1

Race 2 - Another line up off the beach, Shane got the jump 1st again but a very close field into the 1st turn once again SV settled quickly, The start boat was on the course in lap one which Shane had to back of the gas to avoid running into them This allowed Rhys to get a few good boat lengths on the SVR team the boys were happy with the boats set up and bought home another comfortable 2nd.

Race 3 - time to try a few things different with the championship in the bag  
“Why Not” tried a bigger propeller and this clearly didn’t work. Down on Revs and speed, this clearly was the wrong choice. Shane was in 4th place which is where he ended up for race 3 which placed the SVR team 2nd overall for the Gold Coast event.

The proceeding of the days presentation was closely followed to the last race. The team packed up for the year and went home to prepare for the end of year presentation to be held tonight.

This is where we will be crown 2008 Australian Formula 1 Champions “Oh yeh”

Friday media day the people were turning up in car loads the UIM yearly meet has bought the attraction to this weekend’s event. Shane had Jason’s help for set up and the motor from Penrith has now been repaired. The team all arrived and we attended the series function, a good night was had by all.

Saturday practice
Shane & the team were ready for an action packed day of practice test and tune. The weather continued from yesterday the Gold Coast certainly turned it on.

Practice one went off well, the wind was up, SV was reasonably happy but was also happy to make some changes for the next practice section. The yella fella was the fastest on the track with a close McKenzie in 2nd.

A short break due to some inconsiderate people not obeying the safety rules of the series. The QLD Water police where soon on to them and made sure they now obeyed the rules in place so the day’s proceedings can continue.

Practice two was going off well and Shane turned some consist laps to this mornings times. Fellow competitors joined the session and gave SV some laps to turn under race conditions. This gave SV and the team enough for the day and the boat was washed and prepared for race day.

The wash up of times for the day was Rhys, Gavin than The Shane Vella Team.

2008 Championship Winners
Its official the Shane Vella Racing Team are the 2008 winners. With enough points at completion of the Penrith event we can’t be beaten. The Gold Coast round would have had an enormous amount of pressure but now we can just run our own race. The season win is a credit to the entire team and a well deserved 1st Place.

Penrith- Home Town Event
Friday usual media day only minus the Spurs Ribs & Panarottis Pizza’s.
Set up came easily as we didn’t have to travel.
Saturday Practice
All was going well SV comfortable in the seat as its been a few months since the last race. The boys trying different things and all seemed to go to plan. Than disaster struck and a replacement power head was being fitted for practice 2.
This meant no spare engine for the entire weekend. SV and McKenzie where the 2 fastest boats on the track for the day with a close Gavin Bricker in 3rd.
The Bricker racing team was kind enough to lend us a spare engine if need be for the rest of the weekend. The final practice of the day went smoothly and all pack away ready for Sunday race day.

Sunday race Day,
1st practice for the day seen some very fast lap times being produced by all teams. Shane was 2nd fastest for practice than came qualifying. The SVR team went straight to the top on pole with a very close Gavin bricker behind by 100th of a second.

Race 1
A great start by Shane and a few consistent first few laps. A close race was settling until a boat rolled over and back to the dock for a restart we came. The start went exactly to plan and SV kept a very constant speed to take the race.

Race 2
Another line up with the Yella Fella in pole 1 and the guys pumped. Race start went off again in style straight to the front and this time the boys were pegging Shane by the intercoms pushing him hard. Half way into the race another boat went over and this time a pole boat restart. The flag dropped and SV got the leap with a very close Truslove behind. A strong finish for SV made it 2 from 2.

Race 3
Minus a few starters by this late stage of the day the F2 had joined in for the final race. SV made a jump and found himself out in front yet again. The round win was lingering but more importantly the Season win. The boys were happy just to bring it home in 1st position to wrap up the event.

3 from 3 a great effort team and a well deserved trophy yet again.

Wednesday 15th October 2008
Well we are back, its been a long break with the last 2 rounds being cancelled, Port Macquarie council problems, Gold Coast council and Waters Police Problems. Sorry for the lack of information but I hardly felt it was worth the write up as it was bad news all around. The Australia Formula 1 Superboat Series has moved forward to providing another great round of the series at the International Regatta Centre in Penrith this weekend. The 2007 event at Penrith was a spectacular event that provided plenty of on water action and was a great weekend of racing.

The Shane Vella Racing Team is heading into this weekends round with a very comfortable lead as far as the championship points are concerned, with only this round and the Gold Coast in a couple of weeks left on the calender the team is very excited. Shane & Jason seem very keen to get back onto the water to complete the job, with the trophy in our sites SV wont be settling for 2nd best without a fight this weekend.

After some testing a few weeks ago at the UHPBC Spectacular Shane is eager to race againest his fellow drivers once again.

The SVR team will be hoping to set off were we left of in Newcastle, as the last few performances by the team have been near perfect with 3 from 3 wins it doesn't get much better than that.

The word for this weekend is the turn out of F1 boats sounds promising and heres hoping for some clean fast racing.

Media Day Friday is at the pits, practice on Saturday and racing all day Sunday bring the family for a fun day out.

Round 3- Newcastle -14th-15th June 2008
A year ago the Newcastle round of the XLR8 Home Loans Australian F1 Superboat Series was blown off the water, as a savage storm blew the Pasha Bulker onto Nobbys Beach.
This year the weather seemed no different on arrival into Newcastle for media day but all systems go and a great turn out on the foreshore.

Saturday practice
Weather not any better today which delayed the 1st session on the water but held out the heavy rain and allowed some on water seat time. Shane wanted to start off where he left off at Toukley last round and that he did. Boat responded to Newcastle water very quickly as it has been 3 years since Shane has raced at Newcastle. Prop changes happened and practice 2 was closing in. Shane was happy with the original set up from this morning and was confident enough not to even go out in the last practice session of the day. The team prepared the boat for qualifying hot lap for tomorrow prior to calling it a day and went for the normal ritual Chinese dinner. An early night had by all.

Sunday Race day,
Qualifying hot lap Shane entered the water and completed a few fast practice laps boys not entirely happy with motor set up and done a few motor changes on the dock. SVR were sent out first for hot laps and WOW WOW WOW Shane took nearly a full 2 seconds off his fastest lap yet this weekend. After all drivers hot laps the SVR team was on Pole 1 followed by Rhys, Jon T and Damien Mc. “ Bring it on” was the whisper in our pit area.

Race 1-
Shane got the jump and was 1st out of turn 1 closely followed by the rest of the competitors. He held on very nicely to the lead and was being pushed by the boys on the radios for some personal best driving whilst out in front. The SVR team bought home the first race of the weekend. Back to the pit to check the entire set up and prepare for race 2.

Race 2-
Again Shane got the leap and what a view from the bank the boys have worked very hard on the starts in the last few meets and it has paid off. Straight out in front and again held his own the entire 15 laps. Shane adapting to his winning position very easily.

Race 3-
Final race of the weekend the feeling in our pit was a 3 from 3 would be very nice to take home 2 rounds in a row. Although SVR not getting to over confident as we know how quickly the tides can change. Shane was very relaxed going into the cockpit this race. Well another great start and this time was again challenged early in the race. The boys again driving Shane through the radios for some very tidy laps working on driver confidence. Shane bought home another race win which give the 3 from 3 we were hoping for.

Down on pit crew this weekend a few new helpers were needed. Jason was away with Rachael and had to cut his holiday short for the SVR team “thank you” and Matt & Kristy are due with the little one any tick of the clock. Matt surprised the team with a show on Sunday”Thank you”

We would like to thank the team for the efforts shown on commitment this weekend and a special thanks to Dale, Troy and the girls for a great job filing in when times were tuff.

Round 2 Toukley- May 25th 2008
Friday usual media day seen a great turn out of boats and teams at the Beachcomber Hotel, plenty of interest from the Toukley locals. From media day to pits for the all important set up. The weather shone down like a beautiful summers day.
The SVR team found some different fun on a boat racing computer game; we challenged a few of the other F1 drivers with not much luck for Shane we were hoping this wasn’t setting the president for the weekend.

Saturdays practice saw some prestige water conditions, the water was allowing for some great practice laps with a chance to try a few new things. Shane was turning some very hard consistent laps. The SVR team was down on pit crew this weekend as Jason had work commitments at the Boat Show. Matt stepped up to the occasion and filled Jason shoes quite quickly. Set up was completed and Shane said “I am happy enough lets put the Yella Fella to bed and prepare for tomorrow races and qualifying”.
That we did. Shane was able to sneak away in the afternoon to witness his brother Troy and new sister in law Regina tie the knot in the neighbouring suburb.

Sunday- Race day,
As always an early start, boat was set ready to go in the water for 10am practice for qualifying. Shane only tuned a few laps and came back to shore and waited patiently for his hot lap. The team was sent out first and Shane was ready as he was ever going to be. His lap was slightly unsettled compared to his prior laps but a lap time which was consistent with his times from yesterday and this morning. Team after team set some very fast times which place the SVR team in 4th position behind Bob Trask, Rhys Coles and Damien McKenzie. Shane slightly disappointed with this hot laps but unfortunately time to re group for race 1.

Race 1,
WOW the Yella Fella leapt from the start line like never before leaving the other drivers in its wake, 1st out of turn 1 the crowd roared. Shane had a comfortable lead and had settled into a very nice rhythm with Bob Trask a near 2nd followed by McKenzie. Lap by lap Shane got a more convincing lead on Bob which left a few heads turning. On the final lap the race was red flagged as McKenzie flipped in the bottom corner. The race was declared and the SVR team took the win

Race 2,
Another great start and first lap once again saw Shane with a great lead but a stopped boat saw the race red flagged and a restart was ahead.
A short wait for boats to be towed and a few spare parts bought to the start area for boats with problems.
The restart was shortly followed and yet again a spectacular start from Shane, the other F1 drivers can’t believe what they are seeing. But within no time Bob Trask found the boost button and past Shane down the front straight, Bob seemed to have something Shane didn’t. But the tiger shone and Shane challenged Bob and up the inside he went and took 1st place back, and wasn’t about to let it go and comfortable 1st place seen two from two and the team feeling electric.

Race 3,
Well the yella fella does it again the start line a blurred vision from Shane’s mirrors another win was looking good if no gremlins were to arise. Round and round in a comfortable 1st place seen a very tidy 15 laps which seen a clean sweep 3 from 3 hat trick. The entire team were blown away as it has been a while between drinks for a round win. This was great for the championship points and a great feeling going into round 3 at Newcastle 15th June.

Round 1 - Geelong April 27th 2008
Friday usual media day on the banks of Corio Bay a great turn out with plenty of interest being shown to the F1 teams as this is the 1st time for the F1 Super Boat Series has come to town in VIC. There will be 8 F1 boats contesting this weekend. The weather was turned on for us blue skies and all.

Saturday- seen a dramatic change in weather cloudy and blowing a gale, the conditions only allowed the Jet Ski’s in the water. At midday the series made a discission to cancel the days proceeding, the team took full advantage of the situation and did some routine maintenance and than settled nicely into our motel rooms for some team bonding.

Sunday- The weather was turned back on with blue skies this morning. An earlier start than usual as the series wanted to get as much on water entertainment they could in case the weather is to turn bad. One warm up session was given and than straight into qualifying, Shane was quite happy with the set up, went out for his qualifying lap and put the team in pole position.

Race 1
Lined up saw Shane, Rhys Coles, and Damien McKenzie and so on down the field. The flags are in place and the fuel pumps are on, GO! Rhys gets the jump on Shane and SV stays in a comfortable 2nd for a few laps coming up on lap traffic sees Rhys go around the outside and the old famous up the inside for Vella sees him back in 1st position where he completed his 1st race win for a few rounds now.

Race 2
After the boat didn’t fire off the start dock too well in race 1 the boys found a minor problem one off the batteries had gone flat and a replacement one was on the way from the Bricker Racing Team. The start better this time and SV and Rhys neck a neck right to the top buoy. Rhys got the heads up on Shane where he sat for a very close 2nd place for race 2.

Race 3
Shane starting in pole 2 this time round and the conditions where as good as the first race. Another great start again this time side by side with Rhys all the way to the top turn and again Shane follows Rhys in a comfortable 2nd. Shane seemed quite content by half way through the race to bring a comfortable 2nd place home which has placed the Shane Vella Racing Team in a very close 2nd place at the completion of round 1 2008.

Our next stops Toukley 25th May look forward to seeing you all there!

Congratulations to Brendon and Rebecca on the birth of Cody James Baker the newest team member for the SVR Team.

Hello 2008
Wow. The new season has just kicked off and for the Shane Vella Racing team it has kicked off in a direction different to previous years. This year team yellow has no major sponsor to begin the year.

The 2008 year promises to be an exciting year with new venues on the calendar, Free to air TV “Channel 9” sign for the entire year. The Gold Coast will contest 2 rounds hosting the UIM general Assembly in conjunction with the Australian Power Boat Association. Another home town event for us in Penrith the Sydney International Regatta Centre. A few new drivers and teams join the series and a few returns from past drivers.

On the SVR home front not to many changes to report. The team’s commitment is once again on going and excitement ponders for the first race to kick off. With a few early postponed races and cancellations of others, sees the team’s patience wearing thin.

Shane is gearing up for a good season with the finish of last year still a vivid memory SV quote “now that’s what I call racing”he said after the completion of race 3 at Penrith one of the best races the team has seen him drive for a few years now.

The year will kick off April 27th in Geelong. This sees the Superboat series travelling south to VIC. This is set to be a great venue for teams and supporters. The series in now contesting rounds in NSW, VIC and QLD.

The closure of SPONSORSHIP now leaves the SVR team with excess merchandise that we have discounted for our supporters. We are selling our yellow peak hats for $8 at the venues or if you would like one posted to you in the mail they are $15. Please send an email through the contact us page with your postage details and quantities required and an invoice for payment will returned via email to you for payment. 

On closure the SVR management send our “best wishes” to the ladies of the team Rebecca and Kristy who are about to give birth to their first child very soon, we look forward to your company at the up and coming races this year.

Sponsorship opportunities available please contact us to be involved with our professional F1 Racing Team.

January, 2008

2007 Year in review

An overview of the 2007 championship, Congratulations Shane Vella Racing.

The SVR Team welcomed a new and enthusiastic pit crew for the year.

Round 2 - Toukley
With a few late changes & cancellations at the beginning of the year saw the first race being held in Toukley on Lake Budgewoi (Round 2 due to Round 1 Taree rescheduled)

SV had to participate in his yearly cell orientation in case of an accident not that he believed he needed it with the 2006 year still a very clear memory of 4 accidents from 5 starts.

Saturdays practice was very worth while for the team as a constant day saw a very relaxed team in preparation for Sunday race day,
SVR qualified 4th fastest for pole position

Race 1 - 3rd Place
Race 2 - 2nd Place
Race 3 - 5th Place

SVR received 2nd place for the weekend and a podium finish was near perfect for Round 2.

Round 3 – Newcastle
Newcastle was cancelled due to very bad weather and flooding to the Hunter Region. That same weekend saw the Pasha Bulker run ashore on Nobby Beach Newcastle.

The team returned home in preparation for Taree Round 1  

Taree – Round 1
A cold winters weekend saw all the boys & girls rugged up in there winter woollens.

The new rule of ECU 9600rpm was introduced. This was seeing an instant change in racing a much closer result between all F1 teams.
SVR qualified 4th after a disappointing qualifying lap.

Race 1 - 3rd Place
Race 2 - DNF (ECU burnt out)
Race 3 - 5th Place

SVR received 6th place for the weekend.

Round 4 – Port Macquarie
A late mid week venue change saw all teams head to Wauchope just out of Port Macquarie.
Saturdays practice saw an eventful day with the safety equipment playing havoc; the airbag system was activating itself until the boys ran without it to get some valuable water time.
Forth fastest time of the day saw SV content with a days work.
SVR qualifying 4th fastest.

Race 1 - 4th Place
Race 2 - 3rd Place
Race 3 - 3rd Place

SVR finished in 3rd place on the podium for the weekend and packed up with the Gold Coast in our sights.

Round 5 – Gold Coast
SVR heads north early in preparation for one of the years best venues. The wet front had delayed things for Saturdays practice. A few new items to the transporter this round saw a little more in depth work than usual prior to Saturdays practice. After a days work on Saturday the SVR Team was a comfortable 3rd fastest.
SVR qualifying 4th fastest again.

Race 1 - 2nd Place
Race 2 - 2nd Place
Race 3 - 3rd Place

An overall 2nd Place podium just what the doctor ordered for this weekend. The effort from the whole team was condemnable and payed off.

Round 6 – Penrith
SVR’s home event and not a better way to introduce the Sydney International Regatta Centre Wow what a venue, the SVR team was excited, but very anxious with the final placing’s for the 2007 series still very open. Heading into this round saw us in 2nd position which was being held very high on the importance list as 1st Place was already secured for the championship.

Media day saw Spurs and Panarottis get involved as always with this Penrith event. Panarottis and Spurs accommodated all the F1 Super boat Teams for their meals over the duration of the weekend.

Saturdays practice saw the SVR Team very keen to set the way, and this we did.
The Team changed some 3 power heads over the day and turned some 80 laps doing so.
Qualifying was going to be nothing short of amazing with the talks in our pits.

SV went out and flew the boat so high this cost him valuable seconds and placed him 2nd on the grid. If nothing else was gained by this some fantastic photos were shot and the hearts and breathing of Cherie and the team were very unsettled.

Race 1 - 2nd Place
Race 2 - 6th Place – Motor trouble but received valuable points for a finish
Race 3 - 2nd Place

This had to be the race of the season, wow, if this is what SV has in stall for the 2008 season he will be a man of his words. 3rd Place podium finish for the weekend.

Series Presentation
Saw the SVR Team receive 2nd Place for the 2007 Championship.
2nd WOW what an achievement. This year was one of the most consistant years so far in Shane’s experience of F1 racing.
The SVR team received another award which was presented to the team.

The “best achiever award” this was a surprise to the entire team. But a credit for everyone involved. A great night was had but a lot of focus has already been put on the 2008 year.

A huge thank you goes out to all the Sponsors for your support. This journey would have been impossible without your involvement.

The Crew
A huge thankyou is given to all the boys Jason, Matt, Luke, Christian, Brendon and Cameron. Your efforts are gratefully appreciated. Not to mention the girl’s efforts behind the scene, this allows the boys to continue to work. Cherie, Kim, Rebecca, Rachael, Kristy, Danielle and Stephanie.

We the SVR Team look forward to an exciting year in 2008 and guarantee you some spectacular racing and results for that matter.

Bon Voyage Fans and Sponsors.

Yours in Racing – Over and out

Sunday 14th October, 2007
Round 6 Race Day Penrith
Practice for qualifying. The boat was set from yesterday and the team was ready to do a few quick warm up laps prior to qualifying, the SVR team was last to qualify as we had set the fastest time yesterday. The boys left Shane on the trailer to prepare for what should have been his fastest lap of the entire weekend so far.

Shane’s turn was up and at this stage Rhys Coles was the man to beat. Shane headed out with Jason and Matt on radio with motivating talks of how the boat was to be. Shane set the boat nicely sitting it high with only millimeters touching the water. Out of the bottom turn Shane was flying the boat a wee bit high which was costly on time, coming down the straight towards the finish buoy, wow what a sight, you could see nothing but scenery under the boat. The crowd went wild and our crew’s hearts missed a beat or two. The boat went up in the air and looked as if it was never coming down but the Seebold came down and skated to the finish line in spectacular form. Due to the lost time at this point Shane lost pole position by .28 of a second to Rhys which placed him on the start grid in 2nd place.

Race 1
Well here we are again waiting for the white flag to drop, and were off, SVR approaches the 1st turn buoy in 2nd place and was settling into a rhythm. Chasing Rhys was always going to be the hardest drive around the track. Shane was under instruction from Jason and Matt the whole entire 15 laps. Shane was tiring towards the end and was some what glad to see the chequered flag. Exhausted as he was, time to recoup ready for race 2.

Race 2
Again 2nd place on the start grid beside Rhys. The SVR team got a great start and stuck side by side with Rhys to the top turn. After few laps still in 2nd place Shane radioed to the crew that the motor had gone off song, word from the bank was keep on going as we needed as many points as we could with at least a race finish to help the point score to add towards the overall championship ladder. Shane headed to the outside of the track and nursed the motor very slowly to the end. Back to the pits we found that motor was damaged and needed to be replaced prior to race 3. The crew worked hard to have the boat ready for the next race. The motor change to still another good motor going from Saturdays practice times which clocked one of the fastest times of the day so the SVR team knew this motor was very competitive.

Race 3
This time we started at the rear of the grid due to the last race finishing position. The team knew from the offset that lots of hard work was needed to be done right from the start and Shane did exactly that. Straight into third place after the first turnbouy. Sitting in 3rd behind Rhys and Jon Tsaccounis the challenge was on between 2nd and 3rd. Shane was trying all sorts of maneuvers to get past Jon but he was not giving in that easy to SVR. Lap after lap of fantastic racing between Shane and Jon. Shane finally taking 2nd place after a fantastic turn at the bottom turnbouy and a drag race all the way up the back straight with Shane finally taking 2nd place past Jon. Shane eventually extending his lead past jon and never looking back.
Shane went on to finish a very comfortable 2nd placing the SVR team in 3rd place overall for the weekend. What a weekend Shane drove some amazing laps both Saturday and Sunday doing some approx 130 laps over the course of 2 days.
The Sydney International Regatta Centre has to be the favorite spot of racing for the SVR team not only as it is our local round but the venue is nothing short of amazing.

Saturday 13th October, 2007
Round 6 Saturday Practice Penrith
8am the SVR team was in the pits setting the boat for practice hoping to start off where we left at the Gold Coast. The boys were excited as this our home town race with sponsors involved with the weekend adds to the intensity.

Practice 1
Straight into business Shane felt comfortable from the outset and the boys were on the radios motivating Shane. After circulating approx 20 laps the boys were calling for a prop change trying to gain every second possible. After completion of Practice 1 a power head change was completed.

Practice 2
The boat sit differently but was very consistent with the times of Practice one. Another prop change seen again a different response from the boat. The SVR lap times were very fast and only Rhys Coles was up the pointy end with SVR.
Jason called Shane in and got prepared for Practice three.

Practice 3
Again was a different set up trying to gather the best set up for qualifying tomorrow morning. Shane seemed by this stage to be very very comfortable with the course and set up of the team and the boat. Jason, Matt, Luke, Brendon and Cameron where happy and said lets bring it in and wash it ready for tomorrow.

The boys are happy as this time the SVR team has set the fastest time over the day. Bring on tomorrow see you all there!

Friday 12th October, 2007
Round 6 Penrith Media Day
Media Day Friday at Spur Steak Ranch went off with a bang the SVR boat was seen hanging from the crane over Mulgoa Road for hours. The attention was enormous and a great spectacle was seen by the passes by. Spurs turned on lunch for all the F1 Superboat Management, teams and fans. From media day was a straight trip to the International Regatta Centre to set up home for the next couple of days. The seen was set for what was to be a great weekend all round.

Dinner for all the teams was at Panarottis Pizza Pasta and well what is left to say, the food was nothing short of amazing as always. An early night was had by the SVR team.

Wednesday 19th September, 2007
F1 Superboat Grand Finale
Well fans its time for our home race, this year the Penrith event is set to be the biggest ever with the venue change to the 2000 Olympic International Regatta Centre. As pictured below this venue will be pristine for the Formula 1 Super boat Series event. The event will be held on the 13th – 14th October. The SVR team is sitting in 2nd place on the championship table heading into the final round for 2007.

Get yourselves down to the regatta centre and cheer Shane on. We are also organising meals at Spurs and Panarottis over the weekend if anyone would like to join us let us know.

Also Friday 12th October media day will be held at Spur Steak Ranch Mulgoa Road Penrith 11am – 1.30pm. All super boats will be on display come and meet the drivers.

Sunday 26th August, 2007
Round 5 - Race Day Gold Coast QLD
Practice Session and then straight into qualifying. The boys set the boat similar to final practice yesterday and Shane was quite happy to do a few laps as he felt comfortable.Shane managed to complete four laps and was ordered back to the beach for preparation for his hot lap.  The SVR team was first off the rank to set the pace for the remainder of the field with Shane laying down a 28.97 second lap time.  The final results had Shane start starting in position 4 behind Bob, David and Rhys.

Race 1
Shane was off to a flying start taking the first turn buoy in third position when disaster hit in front of him with 2 boats having an altercation resulting in a restart and debris being removed from the course.

At the restart Shane sat in a comfortable second for the entire race, circulating consistently finally crossing the line in second position behind David with Craig Truslove in a close third.

Race 2
Shane was off and got the jump on David, on approach to the first turn buoy David had the inside line which put Shane in second place. Shane was driving hard closing the gap on first place, until lap traffic from the SST120 Class allowed first place to pull away.

The SVR team sat in a very comfortable second place to receive the checkered flag. The boat was back in the pits for preparation for race three.

Race 3
SVR was in pole 2 in between both Trask’s, the white flag dropped, Shane had a reasonable start when he approached the top turn buoy he was forced to back off as there was no room to go around the buoy in-between David & Bob.  This saw a comfortable 3rd place but unexpectedly found our selves in fourth behind Craig Truslove.  Unfortunately for Truslove he spun out on the top turn buoy which called for a restart after lap 5.

The restart saw us go straight to third position where he circulated for the remaining 10 laps to secure 2nd place for the overall position for the weekend.

Jason, Matt and the boys are content with this result which has advanced our overall point score. The team is looking forward to competing in the final round of the 2007 season in our home town of Penrith, 13th - 14th October and hope to see all the fans there.

SVR would like to take this opportunity to once again thank our sponsors for their on going support. 

The SVR crew has worked tirelessly all weekend and are happy with the weekends result.

Saturday 25th August, 2007
Round 5 - Saturday Practice Gold Coast QLD
A 6am arrival proved to be a success as the rain held out long enough for the tent to be erected.  The crew has some minor works to complete prior to hitting the water.

The weather slowed progress of the day and our first practice of the day commenced at 12pm.

Practice 1
Jason sent Shane out to turn a few slower laps to make sure the work that had been carried out to the motor and gear box was run in correctly.  After turning a few slower laps Shane was given the word from the shore to put the pedal to the metal to show us what it had. 

Shane’s unofficial time was 3rd fastest behind David and Bob.

Practice 2
Another delayed start due to weather, once on the water Shane had the chance to turn some consistent times with a prop change half way through with similar results but slightly faster.  Shane found himself hot on the tail of Bob and David seeing only 1 second between all three of them, we were then back to the pits for more minor changes in preparation of practice three.

Practice 3
As the weather was closing in the crew sent Shane out for his final run of the day where Shane found he had the course to himself to try all his last minute manoeuvres.  At the half way point Shane was ordered back to the ramp for a final prop change.  Shane was back on the course in no time with further consistency and once again showing his fastest lap times of the day.

The crew packed up for the night feeling confident for a good qualifying first thing Sunday.

Friday 24th August, 2007
Round 5 - Media Day Gold Coast QLD
On arrival for the media day the gold coast turned on the nastiest weather that any media day could ask for.  The wind and rain was too extreme to even set up, the transporter was parked and that was how it was left awaiting the arrival of the pit crew. 

The crew arrived in Coolangatta and decided to arrive in style by hitching a ride from limo diaries limousines (which airs on Foxtel) only to be shattered by the news that the pits had not been set up and would require a 6am start.



Sunday 22nd July, 2007
Round 4 Race Day – Port Macquarie NSW
First up seen practice and qualifying Shane and the boys had not made many changes from yesterday and set out to qualify in the top 3, Shane felt comfortable and completed his fastest lap of the weekend ending on 4th position behind Bob Trask, David Trask and Rhys Coles.

Race 1
Shane had a reasonable start sitting in 4th position early on, with the course being fairly short there didn’t leave much room to pass. Shane was lapping consistently throughout the race with some help from Jason and Matt on the radios. The SVR team was content with 4th place for race 1 with an overall place for the weekend in their sights, consistency pays off they think!

Race 2
With Bob Trask not starting SVR poled in 3rd place, consistency paid off and saw Shane hot on the tail of Rhys Coles. With Jason and Matt on the radios driving Shane all the way home, the team was keen for the chequered flag. With a third place finish preparation began for Race 3.

Race 3
Off to a reasonable start from the dock Shane was in a comfortable third position behind David and Rhys. Competion from behind was a little stronger this time round, which in turn seen some very fast lap times from Shane, after completion of lap 10 Shane radioed to the boys that something wasn’t right, the motor had gone off song. The instruction from then boys was to move to the outside of the track and bring it home the best way possible to ensure a finish, with the overall placing in our sights. Shane finished a comfortable 3rd.

Official placings for the round see the SVR team with a podium finish of 3rd place behind Rhys Coles in 2nd and David Trask in 1st place. Congratulations to the team on a great effort for the weekend. Hope to see you all at the Gold Coast for round 5.

Saturday 21st July, 2007
Round 4 Saturday Practice – Port Macquarie NSW
The team assembled at the pits at 7:30am as there were a few changes that needed to be made prior to practice one of the weekend.

Practice 1
Shane started out on the water early allowing him a few laps before a prop change.  Shane was more settled with Prop 2 which saw SVR record some consistent times and adjust to the new course.
The new course is much shorter then the Superboat series would normally run and in turn has all teams making changes to adjust. SVR returned to the pits to prepare for Practice 2.

Practice 2
Another prop change between sessions saw Shane more settled again, the water was rougher than earlier. After eight laps from Shane and reasonable feedback from shore the radios called for Shane to return to the ramp immediately as the airbag system had activated. Upon return to the ramp the boat was loaded on to the trailer and returned to the pit area for repair. Jason, Matt, Chris and Brendon worked tirelessly to be prepared for practice three. Official times have SVR in 5th place at this stage.

Practice 3
The airbag fixed and ready to go, Shane was back out ready to get some practice time in.

Shane was only able to record 2 laps before the airbag system activated once again forcing him back to the pits for the crew to locate the fault. With the fault not able to be found, this forced the team to remove the entire safety system allowing Shane to return to the water for the last practice session giving him some much needed seat time.

Practice 4
With only 2 boats returned to the water for the final session of the day, Shane had some clear water to gain time that was lost due to the safety equipment problems. Shane hit the spot after a few laps and was setting his fastest times of the day, the boys called him to return to the ramp for yet another prop change which finally seen the boys smile. Jason was geeing SV up the whole way to get set for tomorrows qualifying session. Shane was excited to see the tacho reading which placed him 4th fastest over the whole day. The Yella Fella has been sent to bed with yet another successful last practice session for the day.

Friday 20th July, 2007
Round 4 - Port Macquarie NSW - VENUE CHANGE !
Australian Formula One Superboat Series to be held at Port Macquarie 21st 22nd July will have a change of venue this year.

The Event will take place at “Rocks Ferry Reserve” Wauchope. The new site is ideal for F1 Superboat racing with smooth water, grassed line banks and great spectator viewing. Join us and witness the fastest F1 machines in the country battle it out. Support class racing will also take place including new to the Series the Jet Skis support category

After some unresolved issues with the moving of moored vessels at the Westport Park site and waterway, the Series has no other option but to transfer the event to Wauchope.
The Rocks Ferry Reserve site Wauchope is approximatley 15 mins from Westport Park. This site is well know for contesting Bare Foot Drag Competitions and is an ideal venue for spectator viewing and F1 Superboat Racing with its sheltered conditions and grassed line bank

Media Day will take place at the Settlers Inn Hotel
12.30pm - 1.00pm Friday 20th July
101 Hastings River Drive Port Macquarie
Meet the Drivers with their F1 Machines on display.

Sunday 24th June, 2007
Round 1 Race Day – Taree NSW
Sunday morning seen another chilly start to the day, the team talked statistics and set the boat at what they thought would have the competitive edge in qualifying. Shane turned some steady laps in the first practice session and had a prop change for qualifying.
Shane qualified fourth the team were disappointed with the boat set up and Shane didn’t drive as well as he would have liked.

Race 1 - Shane starting from pole 4 seemed to not bother the yella fella as he got a jump on the whole grid. The new ECU rev limiter soon kicked in and sat Shane in a comfortable third place, which he held for the remainder of the race.

Race 2 - Starting on Pole 3 outside of David and Bob Trask, the start did not seem as comfortable for Shane as we found our self in fith position after lap 1. Shane drove well dicing with the front runners vying for every second along the way.
A stopped boat on the course seen the red flag being displayed and the boats headed back to he dock for a restart. Disappointment set in when Shane failed to re-start when the flag dropped. On return to the pit confinement when Jason and Matt discovered the ECU had burnt out. Shane failing to restart this race ended with a DNF for race 2.

Race 3 - Shane started in Pole 6 with a reasonable start, due to congestion on the top turnboy Shane droped a few places. Shane settled into a good rythym pushing hard to gain time on the leading boats, he found himself dicing with Rhys Coles for the majority of the race.  Shane was sneaking up the inside of Rhys, who kept closing the door. The team was happy to settle for fifth position with our sites set for a better result over all at Port Macquarie in the coming weeks.

Unfortunately due to the DNF in race 2 overall finish for the weekend was 6th place.

Saturday 23rd June, 2007
Round 1 Saturday Practice – Taree NSW

Practice 1 - The team faced a cold winters morning on the banks of the Manning River. With the release of the brand new F1 motor from Europe, practice one went smoothly. Some consistent laps were turned. On completion of the session Jason decided to remove the new motor and replace with Shane’s old faithful.

Practice 2 - There were two prop changes with faster lap times being produced. Shane and the team came off the water to prepare for the final practice session of the day.

Between practice two and three, the Australian F1 Superboat series management called for a drivers meeting to introduce the 9600 RPM ECU regulations. The ECU’s were fitted to each boat for the final practice session of the day. This in turn will be standard procedure for all F1 races governing the maximum RPM reached by each competitor.

Practice 3 - Shane returned to the water with the new configuration and turned some consistent lap times seen and finishing fourth fastest for the day.

The boat has been washed and prepared for qualifying tomorrow morning and here’s to a safe and successful race day tomorrow.

Friday 22nd June, 2007
Round 1 - Manning River, Taree NSW
This weekend sees the return to round 1 of the 2007 F1 Superboat Series. Shane and the team are really looking forward to getting some time on water especially after the unfortunate cancellation of the Newcastle round 2 weeks ago. The team hopes to repeat the strong performance of round 2 at Toukley. Stay tuned for live updates on the SVR website over the weekend.

Monday 18th June, 2007
Great news just out !
The F1 Superboats have announced they have secured a spot on Free to Air TV. This is a great achievement for the series with negotiations still pending for future telecasts. The Rounds from Toukley and Taree (this weekend) will be aired on Channel 9 Speed Machine Saturday 30th June 2007 @ 11amCoverage will still be aired on Foxtel - Fox Sports as follows
Inside speed 4th July
Full noise 5th July
NBN check your local guides
This is great news for the Formula 1 Superboat Series. We are delighted that such TV programs can be connected to our great sport.

Friday 8th June, 2007
Round 3 – Newcastle NSW - CANCELLED
Unfortunately due to extremly wild weather conditions along the coast and especially Newcastle the event has been cancelled.

Sunday 15th April, 2007
Round 2 Race Day – Toukley NSW
An early start for the SVR team arriving at the pits by 7:30am.  Work commenced immediately on the boat to ensure the boat was at its peak for practice and qualifying.

In the practice session Shane completed 7 laps and was happy with the performance of the boat. We were then straight into qualifying where Shane completed an extremely hot lap taking 2 seconds off his fastest time all weekend putting him in grid position 4 for race one following David, Bob and Rhys. The boat was refueled and set for race one.

Race 1 - Shane had a great start off the dock holding on to position 4 with David, Bob and Rhys in his site.

Shane drove consistently and managed to pick up 3rd spot on lap seven.  After a near perfect race Shane crossed the line in 3rd place. The boat was soon back in the SVR pit compound being prepared for race two.

Race 2 - When the flag dropped, Shane took the first turn buoy in a comfortable 3rd place just behind David and Rhys. With the crew Jason and Matt pushing on the radios to get every ounce of speed out of Shane as they could.

Shane applied pressure to Rhys and finally took the second position with just 2 laps to go. The SVR team were happy with the boats performance and prepared it for race three.

Starting at the back of the grid and 2 laps down Shane dug deep and displayed some fantastic driving and managed to pick up one lap giving him an overall placing of 5th.

All in all the smiles returned to the faces of the SVR team and we are looking forward to the next race at Newcastle. Our overall position in the 2007 championship is now 2nd place.

Saturday 14th April, 2007
Round 2 Saturday Practice – Toukley NSW
The weekend started out with our media day coverage held at the sponsors venue, the Beachcomber Hotel on Friday, where the boats were showcased for all to see. Shane received the first points of the season for attendance at the media day.

The start to the new season required Shane to perform a Cell Orientation where the drivers are harnessed in a purpose built drivers capsule then submerged under water in a controlled environment in a swimming pool for safety testing.

Shane’s first practice session saw him turn some very consistence lap times, with Jason dialing the motor up to near perfection at this early stage of the weekend. 

With Jason and Matt new to the ship to shore radio role Shane’s confidence was increasing lap by lap.

We had a break with the unfortunate rollover of a formula 2 boat and shortly after another in the mono race. 

Shane’s seat time proved to be just what he needed giving him 4th fastest time of the day just behind David, Bob and Rhys.

This being the welcoming round with Jason and Matt, proved to be a great combination with both boys fitting into their new roles perfectly. All crew members worked well under the change.

The boat has been prepared for qualifying tomorrow morning.

April, 2007
Season Opener 14th April

Round 2 - Lake Budgewoi, Toukley NSW
2007 is shaping up to be another spectacular year, with Round 1 postponed due to unforeseen circumstances, we are moving straight into Round 2 at Lake Budgewoi, Toukley NSW which is set to be the benchmark of things to come.

The AFOSBS Management has been working endlessly to prepare for what sounds like the best yet.

With our sponsors on board for another year, Shane Vella Racing is looking forward to a more productive season than 2006.

During the off season we faced some pit-crew changes, Paul, David and Craig have moved on to water ski racing. Shane, Chris, Brendon and the girls welcome in the new guys Jason Draeger and Matt Garner. The SVR team is ready to approach the 2007 championship with renewed enthusiasm.

February, 2007
Australian F1 Superboats make Inside Sport!
The series recently had a huge 5 page article in the February issue of Australian Inside Sport magazine. www.insidesport.com.au

Click here to get the full article in PDF format

11th - 12th October 2006
Round 7 at Penrith

What a weekend for SVR. It started with a media day held at Spur Steak Ranch at Penrith along with Friday and Saturday nights functions being held at both Spur Steak Ranch and Panarottis Pizza Pasta.

Saturday saw the boys take up some vigorous testing that produced some great lap times which put us at the pointy end of the ladder for the weekend.

During the final practice session of the day on Saturday, Shane notified the crew of a problem within the boat which resulted in him being towed back to the pits.  After an extensive search through process of elimination the pit crew discovered that the water impeller had perished causing the engine to overheat.

The preparation before leaving the pits on Saturday afternoon saw a relaxed atmosphere amongst the SVR team for Sundays qualifying.  Shane was focused and prepared for a big day.  After qualifying 5th fastest, a few minor adjustments were needed.

Race 1 - Shane produce some very consistent lap times with the engine back on song.  Shane’s consistency saw smiles all round within the SVR team as his confidence grew with some much needed seat time.  Final placing put Shane in 6th place.

Race 2 – The first straight proved to be a tight squeeze as each driver challenged for their position into the top turn buoy, Shane chose to take a conservative approach off the starting grid due to congestion approaching the first turn which resulted in SVR circulating in 5th position.  After more consistent laps Shane conceded defeat in 5th position and was now preparing for the final race of the season.

Season Finale – Shane’s confidence grew from strength to strength and saw all members of the team excited by Shane’s consistency over the weekend, unfortunately motor failure saw SVR with a DNF (Did Not Finish) for the final race of the season.

With Shane’s consistency, confidence and ability to stay focused suggest Shane will be a force to be reckoned within the 2007 championship.

At the completion of another year, although not as successful as others, Shane and Cherie would like to thank our sponsors and pit-crew for their continuous support throughout the year and look forward to a victorious start in Taree, January 2007.

26th - 27th August 2006
Round 6 at The Spit Gold Coast QLD -
Saturday circulating in all 3 practice sessions doing around 40 laps. This allowing Shane to get some much needed seat time and eventually achieving the second quickest time in the last official practice session.

Shane felt the pressure of his time away especially after sitting out the last two races and watching how the standard of a lot of teams has lifted considerably. Realizing the SVR team has a lot of work to do.

A few propeller changes throughout the day to meet the water conditions with the boat eventually settling into some rhythm. Shane by the end of the day was quite happy with his results.

Sunday Qualifying -
Being one of the last to qualify Shane was cautious of the swell rolling into the bottom turn. Shane qualified 5th fastest which was less than 2 seconds of pole position.

Race 1 - Shane was circulating very comfortably, as the laps were counting down Shane was putting in some quick laps passing Craig Truslove and also Craig Bailey on the last lap tussling to the end and finishing a respectable 5th place.
Race 2 - Shane was very quick off the starting dock and from there settled into 5th place with a few quick laps fighting for positions. Shane slowed and dropped off the pace and headed straight for shore. The steering had failed. But after a thorough inspection in the pits were unable to find anything wrong.
Race 3 - A slow start from Shane this time going all the way back to 9th position and not getting any performance from motor at all. The team deciding after one lap that the problem was only getting worse and not being in the points was not worth causing unnecessary damage.

The motor was stripped down after the race and we discovered a blown head gasket.

The SVR team is happy with the weekend overall allowing Shane to get back into some valuable race time. We are all looking forward to our home event next Race at Penrith. See everyone there.

24th August 2006
Shane Vella Racing is back
Well it’s been a few months between races for the team, but this round on the Gold Coast sees the return of Shane Vella Racing.

As most would know Shane has been out injured with his right Achilles tendon. Shane had an operation to repair the damage and has been given the all clear from the Doctor to race this weekend. Shane will use this weekend as a test and tune weekend and hopefully be back in form in no time. In the time off Shane has been a spectator at the other venues and has witnessed some very exciting racing and believes he has a job ahead to get back to the pointy end of the field.

The team will use this weekend with Penrith the last round for 2006 in sight. Penrith being Shane’s home town will hopefully see a better finish to the year than the beginning. Shane is out of contention this year for a top three finish in the championship, which will be the first year in Shane’s Formula 1 racing career that has not seen him on the podium at the completion of the year. This will indeed see Shane Vella Racing have big expectations within the team for the coming year 2007.

30th April 2006

Westpoint shoping Centre Blacktown
Out and about on the weekend doing some promotional work for
one of our sponsors. PANAROTTIS

Our new hats have arrived and are now for sale.

9th - 10th April 2006

Round 3 Hobart TAS
Saturday seen the good old TAS weather put it on talk about all seasons in 1 day. Rain, sun, wind and even snow.
Ask the pit boys who drew the short straw this weekend and had to get in the water. (David and Craig)
It was bitterly cold and nearly blown out. 2 practice session were had and SV sitting quite good considering.
Again last practice session sees Team Yellow put in the fastest official time of the day.

Sunday qualified 4th SV not overly happy but will do.

Race 1 seen SV sitting a comfortable 4th from start to finish. A finish at this stage is exactly what the doctor ordered.
SV reasonably happy and a few little smiles from the team.

Race 2 again seen SV circulating at a good position slowly chipping away at the lead boats. SV put in a good finish with a 3rd place and those team smiles are getting bigger by the race.

Race 3 A few less boats on the start grid as Todd Leary had lost his transom and Beasley and Garner had a coming together. Off the dock seen Sean Ellery cut SV off as the yella fella didn't kick when it should have. SV played catch up from the start. Passing as he seen fit seen SV sitting in 4th place where he stayed until the finish. A well deserved place for team Yellow.

Overall Placing for Round 3 - 1st - Craig Bailey - 2nd - Michael Page - 3rd - Shane Vella