Using the Force

Jason Walmsley would probably need several pages of Trailer Boat to list all the ski racing titles he has won and records he has broken.

The Glenorie, NSW-based motor mechanic is currently impressing the pants off the ski race fraternity in his Force craft Zig's Marine - also the name of his business - which is powered by a heavily modified 3.0lt Mercury outboard.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
A veteran ski racing competitor at only 26, Walmsley has been in the game for over 16 years. He has won national titles as a skier in all the age groups he has entered, starting with Under 10 and eventually graduating to Unlimited and Super classes in boats such as Smuggler and The Agent (the latter now racing as Hellrazor).

His most notable successes, however, have been the result of donning a race suit and stepping into the boat, instead of hanging off the back of one.

From 1998 onwards, driving a Concept hull, Walmsley tallied up several wins in the SMOC (Standard Motor Open Cockpit) class, including the Sydney Bridge to Bridge, Southern 80 and state ski racing titles.

In the 2000/01 season, Walmsley switched to the Force hulls, made locally by Rod and Kelly Bickerton at Lower Portland on the Hawkesbury River, NSW. He and his crew, observer Andrew Fyfe and skiers Aaron George and Simon Shields, have not looked back, racking up win after win in the MOC class (Modified Open Cockpit).

The team has won the Sydney Bridge to Bridge twice, breaking the record twice; smashed the Grafton Bridge to Bridge MOC record by two minutes and eight seconds in 2003; won both the 2004 Southern 80 and Mildura 100 races, breaking both records; and won the 2004 Wiseman's Ferry Ski Race by beating the record by 40 seconds.

The team also holds the MOC NSW state title, the NSW Unlimited Outboard title, and is the current Australian MOC national champion and Two-Up Ski Race series leader in the MOC class.

HOME-GROWN INGENUITY
The key to Walmsley's outstanding success is clever engineering and perseverance. His boat, a Force F18 (an 18-footer), has been rigged to achieve the best possible weight distribution for top performance at high speeds.

But it's Walmsley's mechanical ingenuity that has propelled the team to a seemingly unbeatable position. 

Based on a 225hp fuel-injected Mercury, Walmsley's engine has been modified to within class regulations and features many handmade components. Such modifications include the fuel injection, intake and porting.

"I did a lot of homework and spent a lot of hours working on it," Walmsley explains.

And the tinkering paid off, as the engine now runs reliably at 7000rpm, produces 400hp and can tow a skier in excess of 95mph.

"We can tow two skiers at the same speed other boats can tow one," Walmsley boasts.

The midsection is an offshore-style 15in column adapted to the standard 225hp Mercury trim and tilt unit. The modified 300hp Pro-Max gearbox has a 1.62:1 ratio, and Jason says the engine swallows 2.5lt of fuel per minute. The crew monitors these statistics closely, as minimising weight - including fuel load - means the team can go faster.

In order to comply with class regulations, Walmsley says his engine needs to be under 3.5lt in capacity and naturally aspirated - turbochargers are not allowed.

STREETS AHEAD
The Force F18 model is a popular sight on the national ski race circuit, with other teams including the Stalker team competing in MOC and the 2004 Southern 80, and circuit-racing team The Menace in the Stock Mono Outboard class.

The company builds boats for racing, social skiing and wakeboarding, and this year it has introduced two new models: the F21 and F23. Rod Bickerton works closely with his teams, and Walmsley in particular.

It's no secret that Jason and his team are way ahead of the competition in the MOC class. Their nearest rivals are far behind at every race. In some events, like the 2003 Grafton Bridge to Bridge, the team not only won its class, but was also the fastest outboard on the day.

"If you are prepared to spend the time on your engine you can open a big gap, and there is a big gap at the moment," Jason says.

So what next? Jason is so happy with his Force hull that he's ordered another one, which will be lighter, stronger and faster. For his new craft, Jason is also considering upgrading to a 3.45lt engine, but is coy about the details. He obviously doesn't want to give too much away to the competition.

It appears that despite his success, Jason is not ready to stop pushing the possibilities for the class.

"I guess we'll just have to break the records again," he laughs.