The aftermath - "It's all good!"

Created on Thursday, 28 January 2010 13:36

Photography by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Terry Smith

The near miss for Dave Clark at Berri last week is certainly a stark reminder of the dangers of motorsport, but a 20 year veteran of the sport knows full well the risks and does not need dramas such as this to make him aware of it.

But the dramas that unfolded on the weekend certainly have not dampened our spirits. As I write the engine is being removed and the boat dismantled ready for repairs. As a matter of fact the team is doing everything they can to have the boat ready for the club day at Adelaide on the 13th of February!

As it turns out the deck need not be replaced. It will be patched up and have the same strength as it did before the accident and you will not be able to notice where the damage occurred.

We can only hope that this accident has only damaged the boat and not our team's confidence which was running on an all time high at the time of the incident. It has been many years since we've seen the boat driven with such finesse and speed and never before has Dave lead the World Champion Brian McCosker for the majority of a race.

Safety is priority number one for the Tuff'e'Nuff team and we aim to be at the forefront of reliable safe racing on the water. We continually inspect the moving parts & replace running gear such as the rudder and propeller and in fact propellers are interchanged regularly and crack tested even after just minutes of run time. When you're nudging the 140MPH mark on the straight with competitors either side of you it's crucial to make sure everything possible is done to make the race boat as safe as possible, and we will continue to do so.

At the end of the day, accidents can still happen. When asked of his thoughts after the incident Dave was certainly not looking to point the finger at anyone and lay blame on them.

"Yeah it's all good mate." Dave says on the phone.

"The big motor's coming out now and we're getting it (the boat) fixed up."

"Someone's coming to look at it and when the repairs are done you won't even notice what happened."

"If all goes well we'll be at Adelaide on the thirteenth."

"We all know the risks but whenever there is an accident it plays on everyone's mind."

"We've just got to get past this and get back on the water as quickly as possible- no point in mucking around."

Stay tuned for all the latest Tuff'e'Nuff news and we will keep you posted on the progress of the repairs.