The dust has barely settled from Keith, yet the roar of the Penrite Oil V8 Superboats Championship is already building again. Round 3 takes competitors back to Round Mountain Raceway in Tweed Heads (NSW), the same amphitheatre-style circuit that opened the season in July with the Greg Harriman Memorial Round.
Cabba’s 1-kilometre track demands precision: a heartbeat of throttle control between spray and spin. Twelve weeks ago, the hill-side crowd watched Tyler Finch and Kyle Elphinstone power Loose Cannon to the Unlimited win, Justin Roylance and Tracey Little take Group A in Outlaw, and Nate Mullan and Kirstin Schubert blitz LS Class in Ripshift. That set the stage for a championship already thick with rivalry, and family pride.
By Round 2 at South Australia’s Spitwater Arena, the momentum shifted. Phonsy Mullan, with New Zealand navigator Niketa Wells, returned to form in Ramjet, taking the Unlimited class with a clean 46.165-second run. Hamilton-based Ollie Silverton and Amanda Kittow — racing the borrowed Outlaw B brought Kiwi finesse to Group A and took the win by two-tenths. Nate Mullan backed it up with another LS Class victory, while Spartan Time crews proved their resilience with a quick repair and restart after a heavy crash.
Now the series returns north with a stacked Round 3 entry list: Ramjet, Loose Cannon, R & J Batteries, Mongrel, and both Spartan Time boats headline the Unlimited class; Outlaw, ASP, and Tuff N Up feature in Group A; while LS Class fields fourteen entries including Ripshift, Disturbed, and Moist Az. Racing starts at 9.20 a.m. local time, running through six qualifying rounds before the Top 6 and Top 3 finals wrap up around 4.20 p.m.
The Round 3 entry list confirms that Ollie Silverton and Amanda Kittow won’t return for this event. Ramjet Racing is, however, on the roster; and word around the paddock suggests the team is preparing two boats this season: one for the Australian series and another for the upcoming New Zealand Championship.
Cabba always rewards commitment and with teams trading wins so far, Round 3 is shaping as the championship’s turning point. Expect horsepower, fine margins, and that unmistakable trans-Tasman edge when the lights go green.
