News
21 July, 2022
Chainsaws ready to rip
SOME of Australia’s best chainsaw competitors will battle it out for the ultimate goal of being named Queensland’s Stihl 090 Post Ripping champion, at this year’s Kilcoy competition.
The Skipper Watson Memorial 090 Post Rip Queensland State Title race will take place from 1pm at the Kilcoy Exchange Hotel this Saturday.
The event usually takes place at the Kilcoy Show, but the Show was unable to proceed this year for various reasons as documented previously.
The Skipper Watson family still wanted the event to go ahead, and the Exchange Hotel accepted an invitation to host it.
Skipper Watson was a local timber cutting identity who tragically passed away in 2000, and was well known for organising local chainsaw races.
The Stihl 090 is the largest chainsaw ever manufactured, with 137cc and used by timber cutters in earlier decades.
About 20 competitors are expected this Saturday, with virtually all of them regularly taking part on the show circuit while many of them hold an Australian or state title.
Local competitors include Hannah, Emily, Renee, Millie and Jamie Retschlag, while Graham Retschlag is the chief steward.
Champion woodchoppers Renee Retschlag and Gerald Youles will give a woodchopping demonstration.
Other competitors will come from as far as Tenterfield, Killarney, Tannum Sands, Canungra, and the Burnett region.
The Skipper Watson is the feature event, although there will be a number of other events including Speed Racing, Jack and Jill, Disc Stacking, and Hot Saws.
In the Open Hot Saw Race, competitors bring openly modified chainsaws to a speed race.
Some of these modifications include a motorbike engine with a bar and chain attached.
There will be a State of Origin race featuring Queensland versus New South Wales, with three cutters per team, and they will rip and wedge three billets.
Prizemoney will be on offer to the top three placegetters in all races apart from the Skipper Watson Memorial 090 race, where the top six placegetters share the prizemoney.
Saturday night will feature a Calcutta, with Robbie Christie donating his time to auction off the cutters racing in the Skipper Watson 090 Queensland title.
After cutters have been paid their winnings, all remaining proceeds will be donated to the Kilcoy RSL sub branch.
