Oct. 26, 2014, 10:30 p.m.
WHEN Georgia Palmer didn’t beat her friend’s high speed of 107 miles per hour, she turned to her father and asked to have another go.
WHEN Georgia Palmer didn’t beat her friend’s high speed of 107 miles per hour, she turned to her father and asked to have another go.
The 18-year-old power boat racer averaged 105.56 miles per hour, or 169.88 k/mh, over a one-kilometre course on the Mersey River at the weekend.
Georgia may not have beaten her friend Liam Holland’s speed, but it was enough to obtain her 100-mile badge, making her the youngest Australian female to receive this badge and she broke the Tasmanian female record.
‘‘It’s like getting an A on a test,’’ Georgia said.
Georgia put her all into the run, pressing her foot straight to the floor, hoping to get a little more speed out of it.
The conditions worked against Georgia, as the water was too flat.
‘‘It would have been easier if the water was choppier.’’
After her first run, Georgia reached 104.4 miles per hour, but wanted a faster speed.
So she came back into land where a few men from her club worked to shorten the ‘‘cav’’ plate – a strip of steel protruding from the back of the boat.
‘‘We hoped to get a few more RPMs out of it,’’ Mr Palmer said.
Georgia will look ahead to the racing season now, with her first race on November 8.
She will also organise another attempt to beat the 107 miles an hour speed set by Holland later on in the year.
In the meantime, Georgia and Mr Palmer will do their homework on the boat and look at replacing the prop and work on timing.
Power boat racing is sport that runs in the Palmer family, and each of Georgia’s two sisters have participated.
But it is hard to someone as passionate as Georgia about power boat racing.
‘‘I think because it’s a family thing, I just want to make my grandpa and dad proud,’’ Georgia said.
Georgia is getting so good that her club has pushed her up a class.
‘‘I am only allowed to race against my dad, my uncle and another man their age, but they have much faster boats,’’ Georgia said.
POWER PLAY: Devonport power boat racer Georgia Palmer is officially the youngest person in Australia to claim the prestigious 100-mile-per-hour badge. Picture: Jason Hollister.
Originally published at www.theadvocate.com.au on October 26, 2014.
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