QUEENSLAND CYCLONES PROVE TOO POWERFUL AT IRB INTERSTATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

April 16: Penguin, Tasmania: It all came down to the final race of the day at the 2010 Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) Interstate Championships, with the Queensland Cyclones team powering home in the IRB relay to claim gold and the successfully defend their title.

The win in the final race saw the Cyclones finish on 44 points, only two points clear of Victoria (42) and four points ahead of New South Wales (40).

Racing was close throughout the day and it was anyone's guess as to who would walk away with the trophy, as the best IRB drivers and crewman took to the line to represent their state.

In a shoot-out style racing, all events were straight finals, producing red hot racing throughout the day.

Leading into the IRB relay the top three states knew that everything was on the line and there was no room for error. The lead throughout the race changed more than four times - New South Wales had the best start off the beach, but soon Victoria and Queensland were hot on their heels. As was the case throughout the day, both Victoria and Queensland had near perfect patient pick ups which put them side by side as the raced. Both New South Wales and Victoria held on for as long as they could but in the end the Cyclones proved too powerful, storming home in the final leg to claim the victory.

The Intestate IRB Championships kick started three days of IRB competition at Penguin, with tomorrow's Australian IRB Championships set to attract more than 500 competitors.

Competitors from 36 clubs across the country have travelled to Penguin for the Championships - the first time the event has been held at this venue.

Competition kick starts tomorrow at Penguin from 8.00am and will continue on Sunday.

The top crews around the country will converge on the beach tomorrow with 2009 Champions Kurrawa out to defend their title. They will of course come up against tough competition from arch rivals North Burleigh, four time Australian IRB Champions who lost their crown narrowly last year to Kurrawa.

But if today's results are anything to go by the Queensland clubs won't have it all their way, with the Victorian clubs Williamstown and Anglesea and New South Wales' Thirroul and Kiama Downs sure to make some waves.  

Results

Overall Pointscore: Queensland 44 Victoria 42 New South Wales 40 South Australia 25 Western Australia 23 Tasmania 9

Female: Mass Rescue: Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales Surf Rescue: Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales Teams Rescue: Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria Tube Rescue: Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales

Mens: Mass Rescue: Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia Surf Rescue: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland Teams Rescue: Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland Tube Rescue: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia

Mixed: IRB Relay: Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales