EIGHT Time SAHPA Overall Aggregate Points Champion
South Australia’s Jim Marafiote is one of Australia’s greatest living racing pigeon flyers
He stamped his place in history in the 2024 season – winning the Overall Aggregate Points Championship for a record 8th time
It was a runaway victory with his win virtually in the bag two weeks out from the finish of the season
Marafiote scored 286 points to score an emphatic win over Nenad Stojakovic (228 points) with Len and Rick Drew third (205 points)
A member of the Metro Club flyer Marafiote had an ultra consistent year after finishing third in the points last season
He quietly goes about his business and is now ranked among the luminaries of South Australian Pigeon alongside Allen Goodger, Keith Wickham, John Pryor and Vin Blanden
Marafiote finished second in three of the 2024 Association races …the Twins (1), Wilcannia, and Cobar.
And he followed that up with 4th Coober Pedy, 5th Marla, 6th Glendambo YBC, 6th Cobar and 9th Emmdale… with major pointscoring performances in 4 of the other 5 Asociation races
Marafiote scored an even more stunning Points win in 2022 when he scored a massive 409 points – with his close friend and now retired clubmate Vasil Curea finishing second on 361 points
In 2022 all races throughout the season counted towards overall points, but since then it has reverted to traditional races from the young bird derbies onwards (from the middle distances and the midpoint of the season)
Here are Marafiote’s 2022 Association placings (409 points)
Warnertown (194kms) 81 owners/ 1597 birds (14th)
Paruna 1 (197 kms) 76 owners/1199 birds (13th)
Stirling North (280 kms) Unplaced.
Paruna 2 (197 kms) 89 owners/1439 birds (11th)
Bookaloo (360 kms) 114 owners/2477 birds (2nd)
Red Cliffs (336kms) 87 owners/1495 birds (13th)
Pimba 1 (430kms) 122 owners/2460 birds (12th)
Pimba 2 (430kms) 129 owners/2940 birds (19th)
Coombah 2 (330 kms) 83 owners/1578 birds (6th)
Glendambo YBC (570 kms) 118 owners/2212birds (27th)
Little Topar SAD (490kms (unplaced)
Glendambo Open (570kms) 132 owners/2533 birds (17th)
Little Topar Open (490kms) 91 owners/1483 birds (8th)
Twins Open (620kms) 125 owners/2087 birds (6th)
Wilcannia (582kms) 77 owners/1050 birds (16th)
Marla (970kms) 85 owners/1081 birds (1st)
Emmdale (640kms) 67 owners/673 birds (9th)
Emmdale CBS (640kms) 57 owners/468 birds (8th)
Coober Pedy 1 (750kms) 94 owners/1432 birds (12th)
Cobar (774kms) 55 owners/631 birds (19th)
Coober Pedy 2 (750kms) 74 owners/1015 birds (16th)
Border Village 960Kms) 35 owners 515 birds. (6th)
In recognition of Marafiote’s achievements the prestigious Australian Racing Pigeon Journal, and editor Jeff Howell, have given us exclusive permission to republish their article on Marafiote from the March 2021 edition of the magazine
This article is covered by copyright, and cannot be reproduced, or used in part in anyway, without the express permission of Jeff Howell and the Australian Racing Pigeon Journal.
March 2021 Edition – Vol 29 No 3 – Page 38
https://www.pigeonjournal.com/aMarafioteA1.htm