It's not everyday a plane races against a superboat, but Lake Macquarie was treated to an exciting display in a teaser for a thrill-seeking event.
Fast and Loud returns to Lake Macquarie on October 19 and 20, featuring superboat races reaching top speeds of 240km/h and accelerating from 0-100km/h in less than two seconds.
Stunt pilot Matt Hall flew at low altitude across the lake in a race against superboat pilot Darren Nicholson on October 17 ahead of the festival.
"Darren has a big boat that was easy to spot and he can travel fast enough and that allows me to fly on next to him," Hall said. "So I think it all went quite well."
"We've got the easy part, we just sit there and drive," Nicholson said.
It wasn't the first time either pilot had raced against the other vessel, but each said it was always a thrill to race on Lake Macquarie.
"I grew up around late Macquarie and I've been living in this area for my entire adult life," Hall said.
"I love the place and to be able to display in front of the home crowd over the magnificent Lake Macquarie, there's not really anywhere else in the world that is as magnificent a place to do a demonstration flight.
"I wish everyone could see it from my view."
"It's always good. This is such a great event. Everybody likes it. It activates the lake and people use the foreshore who would never normally use it."
This year's festival includes the first three races of the 2024-2025 Offshore Superboat Championships, with multiple live sites right around the lake offering vantage points, live music, roving entertainment, food and market stalls.
Lakeside streets in both Warners Bay and Belmont will be closed to traffic for the event as part of the NSW Government's Open Streets Program.
"Empire Marina's pit area is like the Superboats version of a Formula One pit lane, and it will be open to people who want to get up close and personal with this amazing machinery," Lake Macquarie mayor Adam Shultz said.
The festival has run for several years, and Cr Shultz said it continued to grow.
"Fast and Loud - I've heard it described as Fast and Furious on the lake, but it's family friendly and free," he said.
"Other local government areas have the Supercars, we've been the home of superboats for the last eight years and hopefully for many, many years to come.
"I think last year there was 12,500 spectators, so we're looking to build on that year on year."
