RYA British Powerboat Championships head to Cardiff

by Emma Slater on 22 Jun 2012 RYA British Powerboat Championships 2012 third round heads to Cardiff for the Nottingham Powerboat Racing Club’s Cardiff Bay Powerboat Grand Prix this weekend, 23rd and 24th June.

Around 40 teams are expected to make the journey to Wales, battling it out in six different classes to become British Champions.

Reigning British Champion Mark Williams will be looking to continue his top form in the T850 class and take a hat trick of Grand prix wins as the competition heats up with its move to Cardiff Bay.

Meanwhile 2011 World F4 Champion Scott Curtis (Norwich) will be hoping the gremlins he suffered in the first round at Oulton Broad are now behind him and he can once more continue in his campaign to take the F4 British RYA Championship for the second consecutive year. But with a strong fleet of boats and a very competitive Paul Vears (Essex) hot on his heels - he’ll have a battle on his hands!

Staffordshire’s Tiegen Goodfellow (10), as one of the youngest competitors of the weekend and one of the few female racers, will look to try and close the gap on GT15 World Champion Ben Jelf and Thomas Mantripp (Lowestoft), as seven youngsters’ battle it out in the GT15 class at speeds of around 40mph.
The GT30 class looks set to bring some great entertainment as the battle for the championship continues and we can look forward to an almighty ‘clash of the titans’ from the F2 class which has a strong number of drivers who are all eager to gain championship points.

Competitors will compete in five Circuit classes competing for qualifying then over three heats to become the Cardiff Bay GP Winners.

In addition there will also be Offshore action from the support class from the UK Formula Future Offshore Race Club in the form of the E1500 class who will get there season off to a flyer with seven teams battling it out to take the vital points in their championship opener.
Defending champions Jake Swann and Ben Kendall will face fierce competition from Southampton’s Mick Pritchard and Arron Joyce as well as seasoned racers from Devon Bob McCarthy and Ross MacGregor.

'Cardiff Bay is a fantastic venue that lends itself to Powerboat Racing' explains RYA Powerboat Racing Officer Nikki Drummond.

'The Bay creates some brilliant tight racing conditions that are close enough to all Cardiff Bay’s bars and restaurants so that spectators won’t be disappointed.'

The fast and furious on water action will begin at 10am on both days with back to back action throughout the day until around 4pm.
Powerboat Grand Prix website