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The high-flying Thundercat racing boats set for Marcoola
The adrenalin-seeking Thundercat pilots and co-pilots make a welcome return to the Sunshine Coast this weekend to kick-start their 2015 State Surf Cross Series.
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To be held on the beach in front of Marcoola Surf Club on April 18-19, this year's Queensland Thundercat Surf Cross Series will showcase the nation's best Inflatable Catamaran crews in a high-octane battle for round-one supremacy.
"We're excited to be heading back to Marcoola for our state title series. The boys have been working hard to get their boats competition-ready for this round and we'll see several new boats making their Sunshine Coast debut this weekend," Brisbane Coast Thundercats President, John Kerrisk said.
"The Durston brothers took out last year's Queensland title at Marcoola and they have been reigning champs for the past two years. But they'll have to work hard to retain that title with runners-up, Nick Routledge and Tony Aitkenhead piloting a new boat in this race."
The high-flying Thundercat racing boats are fast becoming a permanent fixture on the Sunshine Coast. Representative crews from the Gold Coast and Brisbane first debuted the sport at Coolum Beach via a demonstration race in 2012.
Just months later, the boats returned to Coolum for a spectacular two-day State Championship race with the inaugural 'King of Coolum' premier inter-Tasman event also taking place in the same year.
Brisbane Coast Thundercats members have returned to the coast to race each year since then and whilst most of the adrenalin-seeking pilots and co-pilots hail from either the Gold Coast or Brisbane, Club President and Race Director John Kerrisk is hoping to entice novices to sign up for the sport.
"We've got a few up-and-comers racing this weekend and the crews absolutely love coming to the Sunshine Coast because we always get a crowd cheering them on from the beach," John said.
"The sport of Thundercat racing is big in South Africa and New Zealand; and its now enjoying a resurgence here in Australia. But we definitely need more people getting involved and we'd love to see a Club start here in on the coast.
"It's a relatively inexpensive sport to get into and while it ticks every box for competitiveness, the guys have an incredible amount of fun out on the water. I encourage anyone interested in finding out more to come along on the weekend and talk to me - or any of the crews. Who knows, we might just be able to start up a sunny coast club!"
The sport of Thundercat Racing features 4.1m long inflatable Catamaran-style boats, specifically designed for action in the surf. The boats can reach speeds of up to 90 km per hour and jump up to 6 metres in the air - making it an exciting, family-friendly spectator sport.
The first round of the 2015 Queensland Thundercat Surf Cross Series will be held on Marcoola Beach between 9am and 2pm on both Saturday and Sunday the 18th and 19th April 2015, with State Champions crowned on the Sunshine Coast at the final event in November.
Presented by Brisbane Coast Thundercats, April's Surf Cross Series is supported by Marcoola Surf Club, Neptune Marine, Northshore Realty and Coolum Holidays.
Visitors can catch the thrilling racing either from the comfort of Marcoola Surf Club's deck or get closer to the action by heading down to the beachfront!
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au...coola/2605200/
