Well, well, Jack Houston & Ben Hackett are not only the crème of the crop when it comes to the U19’s field, it appears, that they are a serious force to be reckoned with throughout the whole field. The constant dark horse, if you like, and the 2011 bridge to Bridge would prove that Team Stinga Racing are here to be reckoned with the strongest young pairing in the field.

However the 50^th Bridge to Bridge was about more than these two superstars of the sport for TSR. Greg was asked to showcase the “legend” & the decision was made to put the entire team on display for the patrons & competitors of the 50^th Sydney Bridge to Bridge. The “legend” & the “F1” were on static display all weekend, as were the “F2” & the “S” outside of racing duties on Sunday. With some giveaways and plenty of questions being answered, the TSR crew opened their doors to the public to give an insight into these four fantastic ski racing craft, each with their own character. We had some old & new video footage on display which was sure to catch the attention of those hanging around the TSR pit area, even a couple of past TSR champion skiers! All in all, a very proud day for Team Stinga Racing to be given the opportunity to share the team with the public at such an event.

As mentioned TSR were running two boats for this Bridge to Bridge with our F2 team of Geoff McPherson driving, Olivia Long observing with Vanessa Eyles & Cheryl Ruston from the USA running in the MOC class finishing in a time of 56.53 in 6^th place, only a matter of minutes off the win in a reasonably tight class. Great work guys, you did TSR proud.

Back to the main game, and calm conditions would meet the team as the TSR sprinter with boat in tow met the Hawkesbury River Bridge on the F3 on route to the ramp at Brooklyn. After completing final preparations, Greg, Kevin, Jack & Ben headed over to Dangar Island with high hopes of what was to come, in this, our Bathurst of the water!

The standard bullet like start from TSR was made and the team headed off into the river. Having a reasonably clean run for the early stages allowed the boys to get their heads down and do some hard yards early. Once into the river, TSR were making consistent time on the unlimited field and passed 8 unlimited boats before arriving at Windsor. Greg felt that if they had the opportunity to make a cleaner run, 3^rd outright may have been a chance. As it was though, this would still be a run of historic proportions. The record held by the “Humble” crew (with no less than Todd Haig and Luke Wakeham sking) from 14 years ago (1997) was 43.45 and would demand a consistently fast & strong performance from the entire team. Not only did Ben & Jack give this a crack, they smashed it! So much so, the general consensus is that, this record, may just hold there for some time to come – 41.31, 2.14 quicker than the previous U19’s record and 51 secs faster than the new unlimited record, also set this year by good mates of the TSR operation “Sudden Force”. This will be the subject of much conversation (and stirring) between the Houston and the Hoggins families for some time to come. Maybe next year, we will see “Sudden Force” & “Stinga” battling it out for unlimited honors in amongst a tough field, so don’t expect that conversation to end anytime soon.

We must pay tribute in this article to Stephen Robertson, who sadly passed away on the Thursday prior to the bridge. Our thoughts are with Stephen’s family throughout this time and we pray for the family to maintain the strength and resolve that Stephen was famous for. Stephen was, first and foremost, a friend, but also a mentor and a member of Team Stinga Racing at varying times and will be sadly missed by the extended TSR family, not to mention the entire Ski Racing community. A very fitting tribute was paid on the Saturday of the bridge, with Stephens ski partner Chris Stout doing a solo run followed by a minutes silence and 100 red balloons being released. The respect was clear to see as silence fell over the crowd for a number of minutes prior. This was a very touching and special moment, especially for the family. Stephen was laid to rest on Friday 18^th of November. WC9901 – a true champion who will never be forgotten!