GREG “Crusty” Mercier beamed with pride as the local Superboat champion won his maiden national crown in Temora, New South Wales late last month.
After 12 years in the competition, he had finally experienced the sweet taste of championship victory.
“We did it! Unbelieveable,” he said as he punched the air to signal his first championship victory in the V8 Superboats category after 12 years of competition.
“You can teach an old dog new tricks … although I was starting to wonder!”
Mercier, from the south-east region, ultimately won his championship by just five points.
But the winning season wasn’t without its setbacks, as Crusty’s boat suffered an engine failure just before the start of the season.
“That was a huge setback,” he said.
“(It) meant we had to start the season with our Group A motor, which is 300-odd horsepower down on the injected 500 cubic-inch unlimited engine, so all we could do is circulate and grab points.”
But as is typical with the category, Mercier’s competitors also struggled with inconsistency
In a battle of attrition, he still managed to come out of the opening two rounds of the season with a third and fifth place finish – despite his engine dramas.
“I knew then we were in a good place,” Mercier said.
“With turbo-injected boats all around me with more pipework than a Bunnings plumbing department, I was depending on consistency to be the key.”
Even the final round of the championship threw up a number of hurdles for Mercier, including a major mechanical failure. But his team once again showed its resilience and the crew dealt with each problem as it presented.
Mercier was straight to the point in praising his team. “Bloody fantastic,” he said.
In thanking those who supported him throughout the season – including his crew and sponsors – ‘Crusty’ paid special tribute to his wife Dorinda.
“(She) has been forced to sit next to me over the last 12 years and listen to me grumble about missing out,” he said.
“Well it’s ours now baby!”
