MEDIA RELEASE 22 January 2007
RED BELLIES READY TO LAUNCH N.Z. ATTACK
The Aussies are set to take on the Kiwis again in the sporting
arena, but this time on water.
Sunday’s opening round of the New Zealand Offshore Powerboat
Series will see the international debut of Australian team Red
Bellies Racing, led by the colourful Bruce Sanders.
Sanders and co-driver Colin Craven open their New Zealand campaign
with Sunday’s ‘Thunder on the Great Lake’ at
Taupo, hoping to repeat Australia’s recent cricketing success
on the water.
“We made the decision to race in New Zealand last May,”
Sanders explains.
“Since that point there has been a lot of logistical organisation,
planning the movement of the boat and people over the next couple
of months, which is the biggest challenge.
“In the last month or so, there were countless full days
of just cleaning the boat for quarantine, doing the vinyls on
the boat and the truck, and generally making sure everything was
ready for transit.
“All in all it’s been a massive undertaking, but
when we decided to race in New Zealand we decided we were going
to do it properly.”
Sanders’ Red Bellies team enters the series with a strong
record, having claimed six Australian titles in eight years, including
back-to-back Australian Class C, 6 Litre crowns in 2005 and 2006.
Ahead of its 2007 campaign in the Superboat Light class, the
New South Wales-based squad has put in over 500 man hours of work
to ensure smooth sailing across the Tasman.
It is anticipated between 45 and 50 boats will be in action,
with five New Zealand entries taking on the lone Aussies in the
Superboat Light class.
“The first corner this weekend at Taupo is going to be
insane,” Sanders said.
“With so many boats out there, and such a competitive field,
there’s no telling what will happen.
“We know it is going to be a challenge for us to repeat
our recent results in such a strong field, but that’s why
we are doing it; it is about going over there and moving forward
and becoming a better team by racing new and heightened competition.
“Over the coming months we will be looking to rise to the
challenge and give it a real shake.”
Sunday’s 100-mile Thunder on the Great Lake Powerboat Race
will hold an extra slice of motivation for Sanders, with the race
weekend including Friday’s Australia Day.
“The sporting rivalry between Australia and New Zealand
is among the fiercest in the world,” said Sanders.
“There’s already plenty of fire in me to put in a
good show against the Kiwis but I’ll never live it down
if we get trounced on the Australia Day weekend!”
Red Bellies Offshore Racing is supported by Seabreeze Hotel,
Barwil Unitor Ships Service, Mainlube, Always Stainless, Watersports
Marine, Total Fencing Solutions, Steve Cotton Painting, Hosting
Impact and Argo Engineering.
When not racing offshore powerboats, Bruce Sanders heads the
Sanders Group, based in New South Wales’ Nelson Bay, which
owns and manages several hotels and motels in the region, including
the Seabreeze Hotel. .
In 2006, Seabreeze Hotel was awarded ‘Hotel of the Year’,
by the Australian Independent Liquor Group, in recognition of
the hotel’s high quality management, facilities and services.
For more information about Red Bellies Racing, latest news and
results, visit www.redbelliesracing.com.au
For Further Information:
Mitchell Adam
Communications Manager
Red Bellies Racing
(03) 9596 9011
(0403) 431 890
mitchell@mediacomservices.com.au
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