RYA Powerboat Champions and Record Holders announced

by Nicola Drummond on 28 Nov 2009 2009 has once again been a phenomenal season for the UK's RYA Powerboat Racing with around 800 people taking to the water this summer.

With the UK National season now over the JSRA Winter Championship has begun bringing new Jet Skiers to the Race Circuit and International competition continues with several racers competing in the Middle East including defending F2 World Champion Colin Jelf and Brother Owen and with Malcolm Goodman replacing an injured Andy Elliott in team Qatar in the F1 World Championships.

Offshore Racing has been fast and frenzied as always with some racers battling it out in over 100 races throughout the season for their individual titles. The RYA has helped around 500 people be involved with Offshore Powerboat racing this year at around 50 individual events and had over 35 teams compete in the UK’s largest class; Zapcat Racing.

Shelley Jory was driver of the first ever all female team to take a Grand Prix title in the amazing Powerboat P1 Supersport World Championship and Team Silverline’s Drew Langdon and Jan Falkowski narrowly missed out on the top spot in the P1 Evolution World Championship Overall.

With the season now over the following championships have been decided and the 2009 RYA National Championship Winners are;

2009 Offshore Champions
Class Driver Navigator

National Class 3B 1.3Litre Matt Webb Stuart Lawrence
National Class 3C 2 Litre Ian Stirling Alex Watson
V24 Drivers’ Championship (Non National) Lance Selby Peter Phillipson
National OCR A Richard Mason David Ayre
National Zapcat Craig Davis Robert Martin
National Honda F4SA 150 Jak Cockman Andy Phipps
National Honda F4SA 225 David Cowley Paul Barkshire
National UKFFORC F400 Ben Pocknell Jamie Kendall
National UKFFORC E900 Camilla Pascoe Carolina Sandbrook
National UKFFORC E1500 Jake Swann Ben Kendall
National Thundercat P750 Standard Bligh Julius Simon Butters
National Thundercat P750 Blueprint Darryn Harrison Sam Lane
National Offshore Marathon Class B Tim Grimshaw Markus Hendricks
National Offshore Marathon Class C Darren Hook Kevin Marshall
National Offshore Marathon Class D Dave Deacon Mike Deacon
National Offshore Marathon Class E Gordon Compton Nicole Bailey

Circuit has also had a an extremely busy year that saw the Circuit racers show motorsport fanatics at the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power back in July exactly what Powerboat racing was all about as they battled it out on the water to the thousands of spectators that visited the show that weekend.

Circuit Racing also saw Midlands Powerboat Racing Club host the first ever Junior European Championships in UK in the JT250 Class at Kingsbury Waterpark, Bodymoor; A somewhat controversial event saw the RYA’s UK officials excel in their roles and proving just how formidable the UK’s Powerboat fraternity is as a nation. And the UK’s Ben Morse take the Bronze Medal in the competition in what will be his last year of Junior Competition.

Around 150 racers have battled it out on the lakes of Britain at a staggering 60+ events. With four National Rounds hosted by each of the major Circuit Clubs to determine the 2009 National Champions. In addition to this Stewartby Watersports Club hosted the annual Sprint Championships to find the Circuit Sprint Champions for this year.

2009 Circuit Champions
Class Driver

National Outboard Wayne Turner
National Outboard Sprint O:125 Wayne Turner
National Outboard Sprint O:250 Julian Codling
National Outboard Sprint O:350 Nigel Edwards
National Sprint SL250 John Puddifoot
National OSY400 Craig Speller
National Sprint OSY400 Craig Speller
National Sprint J250 Ben Morse
National J250 Ben Morse
National T850 Thomas Gilderdale
National Sprint T850 Thomas Gilderdale
National Sprint T750 Alex Gilbert
National S850 Stephen Batch
National Sprint S850 Stephen Batch
National NS2000 TBC
National Sprint NS2000 Paul Balfour
World F4 Champion Scott Curtis

The nomadic group known as the JSRA (Jet Sport Racing Association) have had a busy season introducing more people to the water in both their Club and National Championships over 200 people took to their Jet Ski’s to try their hand at Racing.

Meanwhile at the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power whilst the Circuit racers wowed the crowds with their speed and skill legendary freestyle jet skiers Lee Stone and Dan Ashcroft showed why their top of the game performing triple back flips and inverted jumps over each other that had the crowds watching with baited breath.

With the JSRA British Championships complete a team of the UKs Jet Skiers headed to Lake Havasu, Arizona in the US this week for the IJSBA World Finals where they always return with a plethora of silverware and titles doing their country proud. This year they returned with 8 Individual World titles and the Nations Cup beating 31 other nations.

2009 RYA Jetsport Champions
Class Driver

National Runabout GP James Bushell
National Runabout Stock 4- Stroke James Bushell
National Ski GP Renaud Urbain
National FREESTYLE – AMATEUR Jack Moule
National FREESTYLE – PRO Lee Stone
National VETERAN RUNABOUT Paul Richardson
National NOVICE SKI STOCK Danny Mace
National SPORT OPEN Ray Purkiss
National NOVICE SPORT OPEN Glen Marshall
National RUNABOUT LIMITED Perry Field
National EXPERT JUNIOR SKI 2 STROKE Michael Perrin
National EXPERT JUNIOR SKI 4-STROKE Joseph Edwards
National Novice Runabout Stock 4 –Stroke Edward Thory
National Novice Runabout 2-Stroke Ryan O'Connor
National Runabout 2- Stroke Andy Rich
National Ski Stock Kevin Pope
National Ski Veteran Jim Goodchild
National Ski Limited Lewis Goodchild
World Veteran Ski Limited Lisa Barsby
World Masters Stock Lisa Barsby
World Amateur Ski Open Anya Colley
World Expert Ski Limited Anya Colley
World Ski Veteran Jim Goodchild
World Ski Masters Open Jim Goodchild
World Junior 10-12 Lites Joseph Edwards
World Junior Stock Ski Joseph Edwards

In addition to National and World Champions 23 competitors headed to a very blustery Records week at Coniston in attempt to obtain further glory in the history books as Record Breakers.

Here’s how they got on;

World Records 2009
Date Class Driver's Name Nationality MPH

04/11/09 T:750 E ALEX GILBERT UK 49.21
06/11/09 ELECTRIC 72V HYDRO E HELEN LONEY UK 21.08
National Records 2009
Date Class Driver's Name Nationality MPH
04/11/09 T:750 E ALEX GILBERT UK 49.21
04/11/09 GAS TURBINE JULIAN CLEGG UK 88.91
04/11/09 CLUBMAN 1500 MONO WILLIAM WOOD UK 67.68
05/11/09 IMMERSED PROP O/B MONO BOB MCCARTHY UK 103.02
05/11/09 CLUBMAN 2000 MONO E HELEN LONEY UK 61.23
05/11/09 GT30 E BEN MORSE UK 51.91
05/11/09 E900 UKFFORC E DAVID WEBBER UK 49.56
05/11/09 OCR B EPA E DAVID WEBBER UK 47.55
06/11/09 ELECTRIC 72V HYDRO HELEN LONEY UK 21.08
06/11/09 SL:250 KEITH WHITTLE UK 128.71
06/11/09 O:125 WAYNE TURNER UK 83.41
All World Records are subject to ratification by the UIM – ratification pending

All National Records are subject to ratification by the RYA – ratification pending

E = established

Good luck to all those representing their country in international competition and a huge congratulations to those champions already crowned and those record breakers amongst you.

Preparations are already underway by many of the clubs for the 2010 season which will see the 50th Anniversary of the Cowes Torquay Cowes race, The 10th Anniversary of Zapcat Racing the Worlds Largest One Design Championship and the Round Ireland Race as just some of the events already on the calendar.

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