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Finch powers to third national crown

Posted on November 11, 2011

By BEN PISCIONERI

SUNRAYSIA can celebrate yet another national motorsport champion after Curlwaa V8 Superboat racer Dean Finch clinched his second national Unlimited Superboat title recently.

WINNING TEAM: (from left) Navigator Demi Finch, pit crew member Hayden Sheard, PT Rural and Hardware NRI manager at Red Cliffs, Barry Patching, ‘B-team’ driver and team tuner, Tyler Finch and Dean Finch.

Finch and his boat, the Red Cliffs PT Rural and Hardware Loose Cannon, have been the benchmark in the sport for years, with one world championship, two national Unlimited Superboat titles and an Australian Group A title to his name.

He’s also set the technical benchmark as the first driver in the world to campaign a twin-turbo powered boat.

Finch stamped his authority on this year’s championship from the outset, taking the first round in dominating fashion.

With his daughter, 18-year-old Demi, by his side in the navigator’s seat, Finch won the majority of this year’s qualifying rounds and won every round of the championship bar one, and he only lost that single round due to disqualification after running afoul of the rule book on a technicality.

Finch wrapped up the series at the final round in Temora, east of Griffith in New South Wales, the same way he started the series – streaks ahead of the competition.

His closest rival throughout the series, reigning Australian champion, New Zealander Daryl Hutton in the Peter Freckleton-owned Team Solo entry, was knocked out before the final heats of the last and deciding round of the year, almost a second off Finch’s pace, putting the title out of the Kiwi’s reach.

The Curlwaa driver then pulled off his second quickest time of the weekend in the final to seal the 2011 championship.

Finch’s efforts capped off a successful series for Sunraysia, which boasted among the highest number of competitors in the championship.

In the premier Unlimited class, the championship came down to two Mildura-based boats – Finch’s PT Rural and Hardware Loose Cannon and Freckleton’s Team Solo, both of which were raced by a ‘B’ driver – in the case of Loose Cannon it was Finch’s son, 16-year-old Tyler, while Peter Freckleton and his son, Jake, made up the second combination in Team Solo.

There was also a third Sunraysia-based boat in the Unlimited class – Andrew Page in Kamakazi.

Finch’s son, Tyler, the Loose Cannon ‘B’ driver, is actually ineligible to drive in the Unlimited class according to the rulebook, as drivers must be at least 18-years-old.

The 16-year-old was allowed to race this year on the proviso he was limited to just 50 percent throttle.

Despite the handicap, Tyler still came 10th outright in a field of 15, including sitting in fourth position at the final round before the final heats, which he wasn’t allowed to contest due to his ‘restricted’ status.

Finch was justifiably proud of his teenage son.

“He’s driven the boat impeccably this year. He’s never put it up on the bank once,” he said.

“A lot of guys have asked me when I’m going to take the restrictor off, and I’ve told them, as soon as I finish racing!”

Tyler was less than a second-and-a-half off his dad’s best time for the weekend, despite the throttle restriction.

In International Group A, Sunraysia was well represented by Rob Colman this year, who has one of the most powerful Group A boats in the nation.

Colman enjoyed a successful first half of the season, taking a round win in June at the halfway mark, but missed the penultimate round in August. He eventually finished fifth overall.

With the 2011 series wrapped up, Finch is now looking to the 2012 World Championship in New Zealand in February.

Earlier this week Finch was uncertain if he would be able to contest the event, requiring further sponsorship to make the trip to New Zealand for the two-round series.

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