Choppy conditions left the 18 teams competing in the RYA Teignmouth Offshore Circuit Racing Grand Prix battered and bruised…
Contrasting conditions off the South Devon coast over the weekend led to very close racing but it was Richard White and Mark Keighley who won the top class on Sunday with their Mercury powered Phantom 19 XS. The pair led the fleet from start to finish around a tight 2.6 mile course at an average of 60.06 mph, to pip Saturday’s winners, Graham Hastings and A Burnell in their Mercury powered 21ft Argo, Lerch Bates Associates, by 38 seconds. Gavin Hanks and Graham Lawton racing Glendale Products who had finished sixth in Saturday’s faster heat, were third.
Racing in B and C classes on Sunday was most frenetic for the smaller boats as these teams struggled to tame the conditions. One competitor to succumb was John Young, the class B winner on Saturday when his Phantom 18 ‘Vital Spark’ nose-dived spectacularly, mercifully without injuring him or co-driver John Bradshaw. At the finish just two of the five runners completed the course, led home by Stuart Atlee and Matt Williams in ‘Emirates’ ahead of Phil Artiss and Fiona Bevis in ‘Artiss Racing.’
The Class C drivers won particular praise for managing to complete Sunday’s course unscathed. Paul Hastings and Dave Leech in another boat sponsored by Lerch Bates Associates, took the flag, 21 seconds ahead of Saturday’s Class C winners, Julie Lewis and Teena Mitchell in their Yamaha powered ‘Emirates’. John Bunyan and Matt Humby racing ‘Honest’ were third in both races.
Teignmouth Grand Prix – Results
Class A Race 1: 1, ‘Lerch Bates Associates’ (Graham Hasting & A Burnell). 69.66mph. 2, ‘Superbike Hire’ (Ian Mackman & John Rusby). 3, ‘Atti2ude’ (Richard White & Mark Keighley).
Race 2 : 1, ‘Atti2ude’ – 60.06mph. 2, ‘Lerch Bates Associates’ 3, ‘Glendale Products’ (Gavin Hanks & Graham Lawton)
Class B Race 1: 1,Vital Spark’ (John Young & John Bradshaw) 2, ‘Artiss Racing’ (Phil Artiss & Fiona Bevis).
Race 2: ‘Emirates’ (Stuart Atlee & Matt Williams) 3, ‘Artiss Racing’
Class C Race 1: 1, ‘Emirates’ (Julie Lewis & Teena Mitchell) 2, ‘Lerch Bates Associates’ (Paul Hastings & Dave Leech) 3, ‘Honest’ (John Bunyan & Matt Humby)
Race 2: 1, ‘Lerch Bates Associates’ 2, ‘Emirates’ 3, ‘Honest’
