26th January 2013
Newcastle skier Daniel Cotton has wrapped up the Formula 2 title in the Australian Water Ski Racing Championship, winning his fifth straight race to maintain his perfect record in the series.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the hometown racer, skiing behind Team 50, in the testing conditions.
After qualifying on pole position for the F2 Class, Cotton began eking out a lead over his closest challenger in the race, Ben Hackett (99 Psycho Clowns F2).
However, just after half distance Cotton became unwrapped from his harness – a dire scenario in such conditions.
Miraculously, Cotton hung on for two full laps of the 4.5km course and maintained his lead, before he was able to wrap the harness back behind him again on the final lap.
It was a manful performance from the man that has dominated his class this series.
In the Women’s F2 class, World Champion Leanne Campbell (Tuff N Ruff) extended her points lead by three, to nine points over Chelsea Blight by winning her fourth race out of five.
Campbell only needs to finish tomorrow’s finale to claim the F2 Women’s Championship.
Trudi Stout is another that has dominated her Class in this year’s championship. The Twenty Four team skier has now won all five races in the F1 Women’s Class and wrapped up her championship at the last round in Geelong, Victoria.
The final day of the Nautilus Marine Australian Water Ski Racing Championship will see some of the world’s best ski racers throwing it all on the line tomorrow to try and claim their share of the $60,000 prize pool.
Racing runs from 9:30am to 4pm on Newcastle Harbour.
F2 Men Results, Race 5 of 6:
1) Daniel Cotton, Team 50
2) Ben Hackett, 99 Psycho Clowns F2
3) Steven Robertson, Thunderbird
F2 Men, Standings after Race 5 of 6:
1) Daniel Cotton, Team 50, 125 points
2) Ben Hackett, 99 Psycho Clowns Racing, 100 points
3) Justin Cadden, XXX Racing, 82 points
F1 Women, Results Race 5 of 6:
1) Trudi Stout, Twenty Four
2) Maddison Boyer, Recoverys Reflection
F1 Women, Standings after Race 5 of 6:
1) Trudi Stout, Twenty Four, 125 points
2) Maddison Boyer, Recoverys Reflection, 66 points
F2 Women, Results Race 5 of 6:
1) Leanne Campbell, Tuff N Ruff
2) Chelsea Blight, Shamick Racing
3) Kelsey Feros, Nutcracker
F2 Women, Standings after Race 5 of 6:
1) Leanne Campbell, Tuff N Ruff, 122 points
2) Chelsea Blight, Shamick Racing, 113 points
3) Kelsey Feros, Nutcracker, 60 points
