23rd January, 2013
F2 racers Daniel Cotton and Leanne Campbell have been standout performers in the inaugural season of the Nautilus Marine Ski Racing Championship.
Both enter the final round of the series on Newcastle Harbour this Australia Day weekend with one hand the trophy for their respective championships.
Cotton has dominated the Formula 2 class for men, winning all four races held in the championship at Redcliffe, QLD and Geelong, VIC, to date.
He heads to his home event with an 18 point lead, needing to simply finish either Saturday’s or Sunday’s race to clinch the F2 title with Team 50.
While maintaining a perfect record has been key to Cotton’s championship lead, he has also been helped by some fierce competition behind him.
Justin Cadden sits second in F2 after scoring two second place finishes for XXX Racing. Cadden, Ben Hackett (99 Psycho Clowns F2), Zac Welch (Target) and Richard Souwer (Rapid Pulse) are the skiers that have joined Cotton on the podium over the four races to date and are separated by just 12 points in a group behind the leader.
Cotton, from Eleebana, says he still faces a challenge to wrap up the championship, despite his success to date.
“We’re not going to approach it any differently,” said Cotton. “There’s a bit more up for grabs, but for us it’s just like any other weekend – you want to push it, but still ski within yourself.
“Newcastle’s my home course – it’s going to have a great atmosphere and it should be a big crowd there too.
“The harbour is tough; it is a mixture of every kind of condition you can get – it’s rough and technical water, and you’re going to need a fair bit of experience to manage it.”
World Champion, Leanne Campbell, has been similarly impressive in winning three out of four races behind Tuff N Ruff in the Women’s F2 category.
Campbell’s lead, however, is a much slimmer six points over Victorian Chelsea Blight – who has remained close after finishing second in the first three races, before turning the tables for her first win of the series in Sunday’s race at Geelong.
Campbell, from New South Wales, will be forced to take a more aggressive approach to the weekend.
“I’m not really going to think about the championship,” said Campbell. “I’m going to go out there and try to win each race.
“I’ve only raced at Newcastle Harbour once before, and I loved it – it’s very exciting to be out there with the spectators really close to the action.
“This racing is awesome… It’s so intense; such a physical and mental test – I think the spectators that come along will really enjoy the weekend.”
The final round of the Nautilus Marine Ski Racing Championship is on at Newcastle Harbour on 26-27 January.
Men, F2 Standings after Race 4 of 6:
1) Daniel Cotton, Team 50, 100 points
2) Justin Cadden, XXX Racing, 82 points
3) Ben Hackett, 99 Psycho Clowns F2, 78 points
4) Zac Welch, Smoken Mirrors, 71 points
5) Richard Souwer, Rapid Pulse, 70 points
Women, F2 Standings after Race 4 of 6:
1) Leanne Campbell, Tuff N Ruff, 97 points
2) Chelsea Blight, Shamick Racing, 91 points
3) Kelsey Feros, Nutcracker, 40 points
