Shenanigans At Top End Sprint
Ron Beasly has won the Top End Sprint, a one-way river race conducted by the NSW Hydroplane Club from Sackville to Windsor along the Hawkesbury River in NSW.
Beasly took out the prize ahead of Hawkesbury local Wayne Smith, whose 350 cu in Chevrolet-powered “Loose in the Dark” sheared off the propeller shaft just one bend in the river short of the finish line.
Ironically, during the usual pre-race banter Smith had said to Beasly, “to finish first you must finish.” Presumably he gobbled those words up while fishing for his prop on the bottom of the river the next day. Amazingly, the prop was recovered.
First-time racer Lisa Toyer was the only female entrant in the race, and piloted a 1950s hydroplane “Miss September” in the Classic Vintage class. Toyer was taken by surprise when her boat performed a 360° pirouette on a tight river bend, however continued on after the spray settled to finish second in class with an average speed of 100kmh.