Kiama Downs IRB boat crew in action. Photo: SLSC.
It may be a long weekend, but it’s time to relax in the state’s premier Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) racer with Brulee as he hosts Round 3 of the 2022 Sharkskin NSW IRB Premiership. is not.
About 400 competitors and 60 officials will gather at Broulee Beach this Saturday and Sunday for the event. Thrilling, high-speed motorsport will attract the state’s best lifesavers as they compete in nearly 80 different races over the weekend.
Two of the state’s hottest teams will be battling it out for first place. Both Kiama Downs and Caves Beach are hoping to get a head start going into the final race round in two weeks’ time.
After tense battles in both Terrigal and Burri over the past month, nothing could separate the Hunter and South Coast clubs, who secured overall round wins and second place respectively.
As it stands, the pair has 18 points, with 10 more for the round winner. Expectations are high for a blockbuster weekend of racing.
Pressure from behind is Terrigal and Newport, with a gap of 7 and 8 points respectively, and expect a slip-up from the big teams to keep things interesting heading into the final round. doing.
The prospect of the final regular-season round, with two teams at Ocean Beach in two weeks, is intriguing, but Terrigal SLSC’s Bronte Bagala said the royal blue cap has its sights set on turning the competition upside down. I was.
“We are going into this round and everyone has been training really hard because we want to stay ahead of the event in which we are doing well, like North Cronulla and the women’s team who are tied for the lead. ‘ she said.
“I want to be first overall on the women’s team. It’s the first time I’ve done this, but this weekend I hope to be second overall in points. I think.”
After dropping out of the top three at their home race in Terrigal, the teams found themselves in a more familiar spot in the Illawarra. The team put in a strong performance to leapfrog Newport and stay just short of winning the overall title.
“We’ve been really focused on starts and turns,” continued Bronte.
“I think the first round was difficult for everyone with the swell, but we overcame it.
“We’ve never been to Brouleigh. The farthest we’ve been to is Batemans Bay a few years ago. It’s a six-hour drive, so we rented a fun bus.”
Events are:
- IRB Rescue
- IRB Mass Rescue
- IRB Team Rescue
- IRB Rescue Tube
- IRB relay
Round 3 of the 2022 Sharkskin NSW IRB Premiership will take place on June 11th and 12th from 8am to 5pm. For more information, including the order of events, please visit the NSW SLS website.
The Broulee Surf Club has special event approval from the Eurobodalla Shire Council. This means that the Heath Street car park and access road will be closed to the public and used only for events.
