Southern 80

The Southern 80 is an annual water-ski race held on the Murray River in Australia, finishing at the Victorian/NSW border towns of Echuca and Moama. The race, held on the second weekend in February, currently attracts around 900 competitors and 260 boats, as well as tens of thousands of spectators.[2][3][4][5] Teams of four (a boat driver, an observer and two skiers) make up the vast bulk of entries over the 39 different classes, with racing on Saturday held over a 20 km course, starting at the Five Mile boat ramp and finishing at Victoria Park in Echuca, while Sunday's racing is held over the full 80 km course, starting from Torrumbarry Weir and finishing at Victoria Park.[6][7] Classes cater for different engine capacities of both inboards and outboards, as well as a range of age classes (under 10s, under 13s, under 16s, under 19s).[8] There is also a women's and disabled class, and series of Social classes for skiers who use waterskis with the same dimensions and bindings as regular slalom skis, rather than the long "rail" waterskis used by Expert class skiers[8]

Southern 80
Event information
TypeWater Ski race
Race areaMurray River, Torrumbarry to Echuca
DatesSecond Sunday in February, annually
Host cityEchuca, Victoria
Distance80 km (50 miles)
First race1965[1]
Former namesEchuca Ski Cup
Southern 50
Websitewww.https://southern80.com.au/
Results
Winner (2020)Superman (31:06.09)

Due to the 120-plus bends in the course.,[7][9] and the narrow width of the Murray River around Echuca-Moama, the race is considered to be a tough challenge for competitors, while also providing spectators on the river bank close views of the action. However, due to the short straights, boats are unable to sustain high speeds, although the top Super Class competitors are capable of hitting speeds of up 200 km/h on the longer straights[7]

History

The first two-up water-ski race to be held on the Murray River took place 30 & 31 October 1965, when nine boats competed in the Echuca Ski Cup, which was held over a 100-mile (161 km) course, which took competitors from Echuca to Torrumbarry and back again.[2][10][11] The winner of the Echuca Ski Cup was Turbofire, an inboard owned by P Reison of Harboard, NSW.[12] Between 1967 and 1974, the Victorian Water Ski Association began running the Southern 50 race over a 50-mile (80 km) course,[13] starting at the Victoria Park boat ramp in Echuca and finishing at the Torrumbarry Weir boat ramp, with teams of two skiers, a driver and an observer competing. In 1972, the direction of racing changed, with competitors now starting at Torrumbarry Weir boat ramp and finishing at Victoria Park boat ramp. By this stage there were 10 different classes.

Rolco VI, winner of the 1984 and 1988 Southern 80

In 1974, the newly formed Moama Water Sports Club took over running of the race, and the following year it was renamed the Southern 80 (in recognition of Australia's switch from imperial to metric measures) and held in February rather than May.[13][14] During the 1970s, driver Lenny Retallick enjoyed multiple outright victories with his wooden Suicide boats, claiming his first overall success in 1975, then backing it up with wins in 1977 and 1978[10]

During the early 1980s the race started to attract more than 100 entries, as well as large numbers of spectators.[14] The dominant driver of the decade was Ted Hurley, who recorded three outright victories - first in 1982 with Rolco IV,[15] then in 1984 with Rolco VI,[16] and again in 1987 with Recovery.[13] Rolco VI, which Hurley sold to Murray Price, was also victorious in the 1986 and 1988 Southern 80s, racing as Rolco.[13][17]

Island Cooler became the first boat to record back-to-back Southern 80 victories since Suicide when it recorded record-breaking victories in 1989 and 1990, both times towing local waterskier Jamie Oliver. The record time set in 1990 was 34 minutes and 18 seconds, for an average speed of 140 km/h.[13] That year, the race attracted a then-record 336 entries. God's Gift and Gotta Be Crazy were the two dominant boats of the 1990s, with the North Queensland team of Gotta Be Crazy victorious in 1993 and 1996, while the iconic God's Gift recorded two record-breaking victories in 1995 and 1998.[13] God's Gift towed Oliver to both victories, giving him a record four outright wins for a skier at the time[13]

Top Shot became the first boat to break the 32-minute barrier when it recorded an outright win in 2000.,[13] while Blown Budget was a popular winner in 2003, as 11 years earlier Blown Budget's skiers Steve Morley and Brett Dominguez had won the Southern 80 outright with Thundernuts. Both boats were driven by Brett's father, Michael Dominguez.[13] The Hellbent team of driver Mark Cranny and observer Damien Matthews were dominant at the end of the decade, recording Southern 80 wins in 2005, 2006 and 2008.[13] There was no outright winners in the 2009 Southern 80, as the race had to be abandoned on the Sunday as emergency services crews were called away to assist with the Black Saturday bushfires[13]

Cranny and Matthews have dominated the Southern 80 in recent years, recording wins in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015 with Hellrazor.[13] All five victories involved skier Peter Procter, while his teammate in four of the wins was Jason Walmsley. Walmsley also claimed outright Southern 80 victories with Stinga in 2007 and Hellbent in 2008, giving him a record six outright wins for a skier (as of 2015). Cranny holds the record for most wins by a driver with nine, while Matthews has recorded eight outright victories as an observer and one as a skier, back in 1990 with Island Cooler.

List of outright Southern 80 winners[10][18]
Hellrazor, Southern 80 winner 2002, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015.

Race results were unavailable for most years prior to 1971.

Year Boat Time Driver Observer Skiers
1971 Avenger 56.64 Bob Jackson Wayne Mitchell Robert Dance, Graham Dance
1972 Thunderbolt 49.38 Wally Hackett Bruce Sharp Peter Ward, Bruce Robberds
1973 Siesta Marine 45.00 Tom Wyld Jim Reid Rick Williams, Noel Middling
1974 Splinter 43.44 Graham Evans Petr Crick Wayne Jones, Neil Harris
1975 Suicide II 42.52 Len Retallick Anthony Cornelissen Harry Peeters, Robert Hamilton
1976 Harada 41.00 Jack Skipper Kevin Hayes Leigh Knopp, Barry Carne
1977 Suicide 42.05 Len Retallick Mick Webb Peter Webb, Roy Turner
1978 Suicide 43.30 Len Retallick Brian Atta Stephen Bowers, Roy Turner
1979 The Tack 41.45 Reg Cowie Tony Beehag Craig Beehag, Ricky Christian
1980 Violator 40.33 Barry Tudor Jim Gorey Neil Sheritt, Trevor Stott
1981 Locomotion 39.28 Peter Waterhouse Tony Fontio Phil Robinson, Trevor Stott
1982 Rolco IV 38.25 Ted Hurley Glynn Hurley Michael Foott, Brett Stavenuiter
1983 Aquaholic 40.55 Trevor Gallard Tim Whetstone Wayne Fazzalari, John Gallard
1984 Rolco VI 40.30 Ted Hurley Glynn Hurley Tony McNaughton, David Tarry
1985 Moonshot 39.11 Lester Freemantle G. O'Brien Linc Kelly, David Tarry
1986 Rolco 36.18 Murray Price Gary Price Linc Kelly, Mark Ward
1987 Recovery 37.15 Ted Hurley Glynn Hurley Ken Hoy, Kevin Boylan
1988 Rolco 36.12 Murray Price Gary Price Danny Cropper, Craig Brown
1989 Island Cooler 35.03 Dennis Rowbottom Leo Welch Jamie Oliver, Mark Pickering
1990 Island Cooler 34.18 Dennis Rowbottom Leo Welch Jamie Oliver, Damien Matthews
1991 Mercury Bullet 34.27 Lindsay Beer Barry McDermott Gavin Arnott, Scott Kell
1992 Thundernuts 33.34 Michael Dominguez Eugene Bonollo Brett Dominguez, Steve Morley
1993 Gotta Be Crazy 33.48 Noel Kelly Peter Sharp Ray Brennan, Mark Pickering
1994 Warlord 33.44 Steve Thompson Dean Leigh Scott Kell, Rory Brown
1995 God's Gift 32.38 Graham Ritchie Stuart Thomas Jamie Oliver, Nathan Glynn
1996 Gotta Be Crazy 32.33 Noel Kelly Peter Petryszyn Wayne Mawer, Adrian Pickering
1997 Argo 33.42 Phil Kaal Jo Kaal Danny Cropper, Brandon Calder
1998 God's Gift 32.02 Graham Ritchie Stuart Thomas Jamie Oliver, Stephen Robertson
1999 Showdown 32.50 Ian Tricker Steve Cotton Daniel Cotton, Dean Hanckel
2000 Top Shot 31.23 Tony McLeod Errol Thurgar Jamie Graziano, Justin Cadden
2001 The Sting 31.57 Ken Broughton Heath Broughton Tim Galvin, Stephen Robertson
2002 Hellrazor 32.33 Mark Cranny Greg James Steve Rowe, Justin Cadden
2003 Blown Budget 31.42 Michael Dominguez Tim Dominguez Brett Dominguez, Steve Morley
2004 The Axe 32.26 Kelvin Black Darren Patterson James Buser, Grant Patterson
2005 Hellbent 32.46 Mark Cranny Damien Matthews Steve Rowe, Daniel Campbell
2006 Hellbent 31.37 Mark Cranny Damien Matthews James Buser, Daniel Campbell
2007 * Stinga 19.27 Greg Houston Kevin Boylan Chris Gelle, Jason Walmsley
2008 Hellbent 30.43 Mark Cranny Damien Matthews Chris Gelle, Jason Walmsley
2009 **
2010 Hellrazor 30.32 Mark Cranny Damien Matthews Peter Procter, Jason Walmsley
2011 Hellrazor 30.58 Mark Cranny Damien Matthews Peter Procter, Jason Walmsley
2012 Hellrazor 30.37 Mark Cranny Damien Matthews Peter Procter, Michael Kelly
2013 Hellrazor 30.36 Mark Cranny Damien Matthews Peter Procter, Jason Walmsley
2014 Wild Thing 32.57 Andy Smith Peter Thompson Jared Coey, Justin Cadden
2015 Hellrazor 29.43 Mark Cranny Damien Matthews Peter Procter, Jason Walmsley
2016 The Mistress 30.23 Leo Welch Brian Griffin Zac Welch, Dylan Stevenson
2017 Merc Force 31.10 Don Gulley Kevin Boylan Kristopher Knights, Jake Tegart
2018 Merc Force 30.08 Don Gulley Kevin Boylan Kristopher Knights, Jake Tegart
2019 TR 29.22 Ian Tricker Nathan Miller Reece Simmonds, Raymond Ball
2020 Superman 31.06 Darren Mcguire Steven Robertson Daniel Cotton, Daniel Graziano
  • * In 2007, the race was shortened as part of the Murray River course was declared a crime scene, following a death that was unrelated to the race.[13]
  • ** In 2009, the race was called off before the Super Class boats took to the course, as emergency service crews were called away to assist with the Black Saturday bushfires.[13]

References
  1. "Where it began". Southern 80. Moama Water Sports Club. February 2000. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  2. Minchin, James. "The 80 turns 50". Club Marine Magazine. Club Marine. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  3. Langmaid, Aaron (14 January 2015). "Speedy siblings take on the best on the river". Herald Sun. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  4. Barry, Evonne (18 April 2011). "Boat bursts into flames at water ski race". Herald Sun. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  5. "Bundy boys hyped for big Victorian race". Bundaburg News Mail. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  6. "What is the Southern 80". Southern 80. Moama Water Sports Club. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  7. Lillebuen, Steve (14 February 2010). "Brother sees Echuca water ski race death". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  8. "Southern 80 classes defined". Riverine Herald. 9 February 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  9. Harris, Amelia (14 February 2010). "Brother watched as Melbourne water skier killed in Echuca". Herald Sun. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  10. "Hall of Fame". Southern 80. Moama Water Sports Club. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  11. "1965 - Shell Ski Marathon and Echuca Ski Cup". Southern 80. Moama Water Sports Club. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  12. "1965 Race". Southern 80. Moama Water Sports Club. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  13. "Thrills and spills of the 'biggest ski race in the world'". Riverine Herald. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  14. "Where it all began". Southern 80. Moama Water Sports Club. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  15. "Record entries for Southern 80" (PDF). Australian Sea Spray. 19 March 1982. Retrieved 31 October 2015 – via Southern 80.
  16. "Rolco by a split second" (PDF). Riverine Herald. 13 February 1984. Retrieved 31 October 2015 – via Southern 80.
  17. "Untitled" (PDF). Riverine Herald. 10 February 1986. Retrieved 31 October 2015 – via Southern 80.
  18. "Southern 80 winners". Riverine Herald. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
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