The February 11-13 water skiing festival, which has been in limbo since February, 2020, usually attracts three or four entries in the Superclass.
Moama Water Sports Club president Steve Shipp said it was great news for the race, and the spectators, to have eight boats now qualify for the Superclass event.
“The Superclass has a 120-mile-an-hour limit, which is 10 mile an hour faster than the unlimited class,” he said.
Mr Shipp said in previous years, when numbers in the Superclass were lower, there was concern with crowd interest due to the fact only a handful of boats were in contention to win the event.
“This year we have increased the Superclass entries for four to eight, which is fantastic
“People want to see the fastest boats and this year there are eight of them,” he said.
The live-streaming addition to the event is expected to further enhance the reputation of the race around the world.
A trial streaming event held over a shortened distance before Christmas allowed the streaming company involved in the project to further test the quality of the broadcast.
“We are trying to see what we can do for satellite links.
“We are meeting again next week with MVSN (Multi Vision Streaming Network) in regard to the live-stream after that practice weekend.
“We will still be running it live-stream.
“But there is a bit of work that needs to be done in regard to running the live-stream of the race,” he said.
Entries into the various race categories are down on previous years, but boat numbers are healthy according to Mr Shipp.
“Boat numbers are better than expected after no racing for 18 months.
“We don’t have as many teams doing as many runs, but we are confident we have enough boats to make it a great event,” he said.
In previous years boats which have entered the Southern 80 event have competed in various classes, including juniors or veterans classes, or some of the other 40-plus categories.
“I think it has a bit to do with the sport getting back on the water and people not having the finances to make several runs on the course.
The Southern 80 event will start with a Breakfast with the Stars event on Friday morning at the soundshell in Moama.
There will be a renewed focus on Saturday with the planned changes to the Baker’s Blitz, which incorporates the 40 fastest boats (from 40th to first) making a run on the course.
Then on Sunday afternoon it is all down to the boats, and skiers, that complete the course in the fastest time.
“This year I don’t think we will have the problem of punters saying there are only a few that can win it.
“All eight of the Superclass entries are capable of winning the event.
“We have a very good field,” he said.
At one time or another all eight have competed in the Superclass, but were required to again seek accreditation from Ski Racing Australia.
“Ski Racing Australia approval has to approve all teams competing in the 120-mile-an-hour Superclass. It is part of the risk management model.
“All skiers, observers and the driver must prove they are qualified to compete at that speed.
“When we first put the entries out we thought there might be six, so we are excited to have eight,” Mr Shipp said.
Of the eight superclass boats, the only Echuca-based team is Leo Welch’s Mistress.
Only twice in the long history of the race has a boat from the Unlimited class won the Southern 80 outright.
There is an event at Wentworth, near Mildura, on January 22-23 which will provide a warm-up for the Echuca-Moama race.
Mr Shipp said he and his committee were well prepared for the race, but it was impossible to predict the crowd.
“Most of our ticketing is done at the gate, coming in. In future years we hope to move to a ticketed event,” he said.
There is expected to be upwards of 4000 people at the finish line precinct at different stages during the weekend.
