TWO-TIME Bridge to Bridge winning pilot Craig Truslove took out the honours at the inaugural Double Dash race at the weekend.
Truslove won his last Bridge to Bridge race in 2010, and last participated in the race in 2013, when his boat was split in half after a crash.
This year, Truslove said he had an incident free race, and the only thing he had to contend with was the sun in his eyes.
‘‘The race was a little bit different to what we are normally used to,’’ he said.
‘‘I’ve done the Bridge to Bridge a few times and won it a few times but I’ve never actually gone the other way so that was interesting in itself.’’
Truslove finished just over a minute ahead of the next competitor in his Anglomoil Oil Formula 1 power boat.
He said he averaged about 218 kilometres per hour over the course of the race.
‘‘I was a little bit nervous before the race but it was great to see the finishing line and there were no dramas after what happened in 2013,’’ he said.
Truslove said he had a great time during the race, but said he would love to see the Bridge to Bridge return next year.
‘‘The bridge to bridge is one of the great races you have to do and it is iconic,’’ he said.
‘‘It is a great race and I hope they can put it back together.’’
The Double Dash replaced the Upper Hawkesbury Power Boat Club’s famous Bridge to Bridge race this year, after NSW Maritime Rescue withdrew from the organisational phase of the race.
The Double Dash was a shortened format of the original race, and acted as a trial run for the safety aspects of the Bridge to Bridge race.
The race was still on the Hawkesbury River, and started in Windsor, and went to Sackville, before returning to Windsor again.
Upper Hawkesbury Power Boat Club safety officer Sean Walker was adamant the Bridge to Bridge would be back next year.
‘‘Overall, the race went really well and the drivers were happy with the way it was run and the format,’’ he said.
‘‘We had a few requests for the Double Dash to return next year in addition to the Bridge to Bridge.’’
Mr Walker said there were two minor crashes during the race and said the race ran smoothly apart from one issue.
He said the radios used to communicate between checkpoints needed to be changed to a different frequency, because the one originally slated for use was not working well.
He said despite a shortage of volunteers before the race, they ended up having extras by the time Sunday came around.
