October 10-14th, 2001 - Mt Maunganui, NZ
2001 Trans Tasman Challenge
Australia v NZ
12 New Zealand boats competing head to head with 12 boats from
Australia for the 2001 Trans-Tasman Thundercat trophy hosted by
Thundercat Racing Association of New Zealand (TRANZ). Five
intense days of
racing at beautiful Mount Maunganui, in the heart of the Bay of
Plenty, North Island, NZ.
Just 2 months earlier, TRANZ organised and hosted
a qualifying Series of 3
rounds to select the top 12 crews to represent NZ - an open invitation
for any NZ team
wishing to try out.
It was with some relief 11 of the 12 Australian boats
did arrive in NZ, having encountered a 40% increase in airfares in the
midst of Sept 11 tragedy and airline Ansett collapse.
The series kicked off Wed 10th October with the
first of two Longhaul events - a 50km race out and around Kawau Island twice with a compulsory fuel stop on the beach after
the first lap. It was a good battle in the conditions with Aquarius for
Australia finishing 1st, 0800 Sandblast for NZ in 2nd, then
Advantage Marine, Star FM and Crisis Couriers next in for Australia.
After the first day they led the series 1071 points to NZ's 521.
Day 2 - a second Longhaul race, this time 75kms, 3 laps around Kawau Island.
New Zealand evened the slate by
finishing in the top 3 places -Eta Ripples 1st, 0800 Sandblast in 2nd
with BBS Timbers 3rd.
Reigning NZ champ crew 0800 Sandblast's consistency in both long-hauls won them
the Long-Haul Championship trophy for the series.
After 2 days, Australia maintained a
slim lead in the series - 1593 points against New Zealand's 1577 points.
Each evening crews met at the Hot-spring pools at
the base of Mount Maunganui to reflect on the day, soak their
battered bodies, and receive official results.
Friday 12th October - Day 3 and first of the
surf-cross events with 14 heats run in surprisingly calm conditions.
The Australians were a little under prepared
for this and
won just 3 of the heats for the day. Waikato Sandblasting 98 & Red
Bull finished well for NZ in all their heats and New Zealand took the
series lead with 4909 points from Australia's 3427 points.
Day 4 brought forth a perfect day - but not for
Thundercat racing - no surf! Infrequent on-shore wave breaks
did develop
through the day for more interesting racing but the
conditions better suited the New Zealand team who took a commanding lead winning 12 of the 14 heats raced.
Day 5 - final day of just 8 surf-cross heats with New Zealand crews winning the first 5 heats and Australia finishing on
a winning streak taking out the last 3 heats of the series. Final points;
New Zealand 9379 - Australia
6763
Congratulations New Zealand team!
Special thanks to organiser Ric Dunn, and
sponsors Waikato Sandblasting, Ceasar Inflatables, Aquarius
Inflatables, More FM & Muddy Waters Irish Pub for a most
enjoyable and successful
series. We look forward to a re-match!
Trans-Tasman
Series Official Results
Trans-Tasman photo
action
Videos of the event
available For Sale
