Zapcat British RYA Championship titles decided

by Emma Slater on 3 Oct 2012 This past weekend (28th-29th September), marked the finale of the 2012 Zapcat British RYA Championships, with three separate British championship titles up for grabs.

After six months of action packed racing, the teams returned once more to Fistral Beach in Newquay for the final round of the championship having competed in Newquay at the start of the year, as well as, Newcastle, Barry Island and Sandbanks, Poole.

Throughout the season the fleet were split into two classes based upon the crews combined weights to provide a level playing field in the one design class. Crews with a combined weight under 26.5 stone were placed into the ZCR50 Class and those at 26.5 stone and over into the ZCR50x which resulted in some fantastic, close racing.

Heading into the weekend, ‘Who the Hell Rock Oil’ father and son duo, Steve and Bobby Pidsley (Witney, Oxfordshire), had a 75 point lead over their closest rivals in the championship in the ZCR50 class. But with 200 points up for grabs for the weekend and the tricky surf conditions, making racing interesting, the competition was by no means over.

It wasn’t long before the surf conditions saw its first casualty of the weekend when Felgate Racing flipped in practice, both uninjured, leaving them with a race against the clock to get the engine flushed out before the first heat of the day.

With two heat wins and a second, ‘Who the Hell Rock Oil’ secured pole position for Fridays ZCR50 final and were looking likely to secure the 2012 Championship if they could pull off the win in the final.

A repeat performance in Saturdays’ racing saw the father and son team crowned Zapcat British RYA ZCR50 Champions for 2012.

2012 Zapcat Racing ZCR50 Championship Standings:

1st Place 44 Who the Hell Rock Oil - Steve Pidsley and Bobby Pidsley
2nd Place 03x Team Essence - Jamie Stickler and Malcolm Stickler
3rd Place 13 Live Wire - James Millest and Gary Simmens

In the ZCR50x class the stage was set for a battle of epic proportions as nine ZCR50x competitors took to the water for the final weekend of racing, with just 70 points separating the top two boats. The battle certainly looked set to be gigantic.

Six rookie teams made the grade this year, but it was the Royal Marine Powerboat Racing team that dominated the fleet, with five of their teams competing throughout the year.

Heading into the final weekend it was RM State of Mind – Richie Lake (Torpoint) and Andy Farmer (Exeter) that were leading the way with TradeMyMotor.co.uk’s Andy Foster (Yeovil) and Jason Peacock (Bridgewater) chasing hard.

A third in Friday’s final saw the Royal Marine Team ‘State of Mind’ put themselves safely out of reach and on top of the podium as they were declared 2012 British Champions. There were to be no early celebrations however with the King of Surf Championship still up for grabs on Saturday.

2012 Zapcat Racing ZCR50x Championship Standings:

1st Place 37 RM State of Mind - Richie Lake and Andy Farmer
2nd Place 74 Trade My Motor - Andy Foster and Jason Peacock
3rd Place 14 Contact Wait Out - Paul Holt and Paul Moxom

With the first two rounds of The 2012 King of Surf Championship already decided at the season opener in April, when 14 teams got their campaigns of to a flying start, there were now just two more rounds to go to determine the King of the Surf champions.

Team Essence and RM Commando State of Mind were leading the way heading into the final two rounds but five other teams sat just ten points behind, still close enough to steal the title.

The King of the Surf is an individual championship held within the Zapcat Championship which separates the men from the boys and has become one of the most coveted titles in the race series. Testing a team’s handling skills and speed in some of the roughest conditions raced in with regular wave heights reaching in excess of six feet.

Come the end of the weekend it was another title for the Royal Marine Powerboat Racing Team as ‘Contact Wait Out’, Paul Holt and Paul Moxom dominated the surf to take the title.

2012 Zapcat King of Surf RYA Championship Standings:

1st Place 14 Contact Wait Out - Paul Holt and Paul Moxom
2nd Place 74 Trade My Motor - Andy Foster and Jason Peacock
3rd Place 37 RM State of Mind - Richie Lake and Andy Farmer

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