CHOLMONDELEY CASTLE MERE COMES ALIVE WITH THE BEST OF BRITISH POWERBOATS AT PAGEANT OF POWER
The calm of the Cheshire countryside will come alive with the roar of powerful engines on August 9 and 10 as the inaugural Pageant of Power gets under way at Cholmondeley Castle, South Cheshire.
Joining the large selection of bikes, cars and helicopters are some of the world’s fastest powerboats and with them some international racing stars. The powerboats come in five categories – OSY.400, Thundercats, Formula 4, Formula 2 and RYA Junior Class – and will race on one of the Castle’s 25-acre mere’s over this exciting weekend.
There will be plenty of action on the water between 10am and 6pm on both days and there is something for everyone – whether it is classic boats, hovercrafts or Breitling 2-seaters that tickle your fancy!
The course is the smallest and most thrilling that we have ever raced on and most of the circuit classes will race around a 3-bouy course of just over 700m. There will be thrills and spills galore and for those lucky enough to get selected, a chance to watch one race from on the water up at the top of the lake.
Most of the races are over 9 laps and will take in the region of 8 minutes. With an event every 15 minutes, 25 famous Classic Boats parading the water from an era-gone, a Bentley 2-seater giving Charity Winners 2 knuckle-gripping laps at high speeds, and the Classic Hovercraft there will be plenty of action for everyone!
The most popular category in the world of motorboat racing is the Outboard Stock Yamato (OSY.400) monobrand series. This an ideal entry level class with a minimum age of 16 and a top speed of about 70 mph. The engine is produced exclusively for the ‘Kyo-Tei’ professional stadium racing in Japan.
There are two ways a driver can sit in this category. Either the pilot sits on his knees in a narrow cockpit, his left hand clutching a throttle and the other grasping the steering wheel. The main advantage of this design is that the driver is able to manoeuvre his weight to trim the craft whilst cornering - this could be very beneficial here on the thrilling circuit here at Cholmondeley. However the more popular is the lie down style of the ‘Proprider’ with the driver in the prone position, keeping the frontal area to a minimum with a reduction in wind resistance and low centre of gravity.
So who are the drivers to watch on this exciting weekend? Drivers from East Anglia dominate the domestic scene. Current leader of the 2008 RYA championship series is the defending title-holder Tony Knights. Also from Suffolk is multi World and European champion Craig Speller, who campaigns a composite hull built by his own team.
The second category is an offshore class - the Thundercats - small twin hulled dingie boats that carry a driver and navigator, they bounce along over the waves and are seen at their best on the sea, but for this weekend we are devising a special course around the lake especially to show them off!
They are racing in 2 classes each with a maximum entry of 10 boats and will do a complete round of the RYA British Championship each day. Most of the participants are quite young and led by a dynamic organiser, Fiona Pascoe, who really motivates all of them to put on a big show. This will be the first time that most of us have seen them let alone all you visitors to Cholmondeley!
The third category - Formula 4 is a category is designed to provide racing that is internationally recognised and within easy financial reach of as many people as possible. In order to make racing as competitive as possible, the rules only permit standard carburettor- fed engines of up to 886cc, with the Japanese Yamaha 70hp engine the predominant choice. The catamaran - or tunnel boat - is the only hull design permitted in this class.
The driver everyone is out to beat is Mark Williams from the Lowestoft club who is the current world champion in this class. Mark won the title over three rounds staged in France and Portugal. Williams will be challenged by three international competitors from the same club: Brian Shulver, Brian Block and Scott Curtis.
Our F4s are not able to have an RYA Championship race because we are limited to 8 boats on a level start so instead will run them in two groups in three heats over the weekend with the first two from each starting on the front row in the final grand prix and the rest on the second row. The Breitling Grand Prix will be our grand finale over 25 laps, with a parade before the race and a lap of honour at the end.
The fourth class is our top class in the UK are the Formula 2 catamarans that are capable of 120mph on a long course, but here at Cholmondeley will only get up to about 90mph the straights. Just watch them turn at almost full throttle…that will be thrilling for all who have never seen it. We are not able to have a championship race because the water is not big enough so we have devised a special speedway event with two teams each of four or five boats. They will race - two from each team in fifteen heats over the weekend.
The team captains will be able to select their men, gamble on double points in one heat and hopefully all will be in one piece at the end. This will be the first time we have tried this format and it will spectacular.
The final class - RYA Junior class racing is for kids! These small lightweight craft are a great way for kids to experience boat racing. This entry-level category is reserved for youngsters aged between 9 and 17 years, known in the UK as class J.250.
All hulls must be of the deep ‘V’ configuration and is subject to minimum weights and lengths. The most popular brands are Mariner and Yamaha, which are subject to very limited modifications.
The junior class racers compete for national points and sprint championship titles. The leading entrant in is triple British champion Ben Morse from the Lancashire club. Driving a Scandinavian built Winrace craft, Ben recently finished 3rd in the World Championship in Poland having took the bronze medal in the 2007 Europeans.
So whatever makes your heart race when it comes to boats, Cholmondeley Pageant of Power has it all. Find out more at: pageantofpower.com
