1:22 AM Thu 15 Sep 2011 GMT
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'Australian ski racing's glamour girl (and former Miss Teen International) Lauryn Eagle had more than her share of bad luck with a DNF and a fall ending her championship dream. - World Ski Race titles'
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With one round remaining, the Australian Water Ski Race team has surged to an unbeatable lead in the race for team superiority as the world's best ski racers battle it out on Brisbane's Moreton Bay.
Two members of the Aussie team can already lay claim to World crowns, with Chris Stout (Open Men) and Jack Houston (Junior Boys) each with enough points to remain unbeaten after three wins from three starts.
Sydney's Kelsey Feros (Junior Girls) is also unbeaten in three races, but team mate Tayla Wright is shadowing her and only is only 68 points adrift.
In the overall point score for the Team Trophy, it's Australia in Open Men (11,397 points) from the USA (6816), Great Britain (2865), Austria (2825) and New Zealand (1800).
Australia holds a narrow lead over the USA in Formula 2, with 11906 points to the American's 11096; then comes Austria (8034), Great Britain (7890), Belgium (5628), New Zealand (3419), Spain (1878) and France (1243).
The Juniors have seen total domination from the home team with the Australians posting 11,811 points; New Zealand holds second place with 5317 points, USA (4668), Great Britain (4636) and Belgium (2802).
In the race for the individual point scores, spectators have been treated to some close and exciting racing.
After three rounds, Chris Stout takes pride of place in Open Men with team mate, the highly experienced Peter Procter in second spot with Great Britain's Russell Cox in third.
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Australia's Peter Procter, currently holding second place in Open Men. - World Ski Race titles - Photos Supplied
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Then comes Troy Hooker (USA), Ben Gulley (Australia) and Dan Ellis and Jack Lynch, both of Great Britain.
In Formula 2 Men, Australians Grant Turner and Mark Weaver are involved in the proverbial 'neck and neck' tussle, with Turner holding the narrowest of leads.
American Any Anderson is third with another Aussie, Daniel Cotton, in fourth and pushing hard for the podium.
Katelin Wendt (USA) has notched two wins from her three starts and leads Open Women from Australia's Maddie Boyer by just 144 points; the end result will go down to the wire.
Kathrin Ortlieb (Austria) is in third place with Erin Saunders (USA) fourth, Adelaide Cox (NZ) fifth, Kylee Jones (Australia) sixth, Lauryn Eagle (Australia) seventh and Tayla Luhrmann (Australia) eighth.
The championships have proven memorable for all the wrong reasons for Australia's ace Lauryn Eagle, with a DNF and a nasty fall putting paid to her championship bid.
Fortunately her injuries in the fall were not serious and she expects to contest the final round.
Australia's Leanne Campbell leads Formula 2 Women with European racers Katharina Hebenstreit (Austria) second and Lena Feringa (Belgium) third.
USA's veteran Lori Dunsmore is close enough in fourth place to snare a podium finish with Sabine Ortlieb (Austria), Cheryl Ruston (USA), Trudi Stout (Australia), Tania Teelow (Australia), Dawn Wallace (USA), Paula Newland (Great Britain), Jordan Bradley (NZ) and Clare Taylor (Great Britain) the remainder in what proved to be a highly competitive field.
As mentioned earlier, reigning World Champion, Jack Houston can already claim his second successive championship after three starts for three wins; team mate Lloyd Woolman is in third place, just behind the American Trevor Wendt.
Mitchell Horan (NZ) is in fourth place, Jake Frame and Toby Duggan (both Great Britain) hold fifth and sixth with Deke Douty (USA) brining up the rear.
In Junior Girls, Australia's Kelsey Feros has emulated Chris Stout with an unbeaten performance to lead her class from team mate Tayla Wright.
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Brother, sister duo Chris and Trudi Stout. Chris has already claimed the Open Men World title while Trudi had to deal with a DNF while contesting Formulka 2 Women. - World Water Ski titles - supplied .
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Belgium's Yolien Bormans is third with Columbia Cox (NZ) fourth.
While the venue has proven excellent for the event, strong winds and boisterous water forced officials to delay racing for 24-hours at the beginning of the championships.
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Jack Houston proudly raising the Aussie flag in Belgium after winning the Junior Boys World Championship; he's about to do it again after defending his title on Queensland's Moreton Bay. - World Ski Race titles - Photos Supplied
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Fortunately, weather conditions settled down and the situation looks good for the final round this coming weekend.
by Bob Wonders
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Casey, TAS
